By Paul Evan Green 17/07/2024
Ba Son Bridge, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Photography by ©Paul E Green
Last week our three year old son was diagnosed with Pneumonia which required us to relocate from our home in Ho Chi Minh City, drop everything, and attend to his recovery at Hanh Phuc Hospital. This hospital offers excellent medical care to women and children and we highly recommend it if you’re in need of these services while in Ho Chi Minh City.
Architecture of Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnam. Photography by ©Paul E Green
During this forced break from my three part-time jobs of being an English teacher, Photography Tour Guide, Commercial Photographer and also my Creative Photography work, I was determined to do something constructive. I haven’t blogged for a while and wanted to reflect on my recent photography work that falls under the six broad categories of Commercial Photography, Travel Photography, Portrait Photography, Street Photography, Stock Photography and Aerial Photography. I will talk about some recent developments in software and an update to my camera gear.
Street life, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Photography by ©Paul E Green
I’m really enjoying the improved AI masking tools offered by the latest version of Adobe Lightroom CC allowing for easier and greater precision while working on selective areas of a raw file. It is useful for all kinds of photography. It speeds up and greatly improves the post-production process. Another really great feature is the AI de-noising option which is particularly effective when using small sensor cameras like my drones. It does a remarkable job of reducing noise and enhancing the image quality from the raw files of the drones I’m currently using, the DJI Mavic 2 Pro and the DJI Mini 4 Pro. It is also useful for minimising noise in low light street photography work.
Studio Portraits: L. Amaryska and Aloa, Mother and Daughter. R. Singer Victoria Queen. Photography by Paul E Green
The DJI Mini 4 Pro is the only new equipment I’ve bought in recent times as my other gear is still adequate for my needs. My go-to studio camera is the Canon 5DS which, when set a 50 ISO produces really beautiful results in the studio. I also have an ageing Canon 5dMkIV which is a great all round workhorse that also produces beautiful cinematic 4k video. I use it on the streets and in low-light situations. I have recently been approached to produce professional video and photography for social media purposes and wanted the option of 4k vertical video in my drone. The best option was the DJI Mini 4 Pro. This little travel drone has really impressed me. It has very long flight time, is really compact and a has excellent signal strength. DJI has been working hard and very successfully to improve their products. I love having the vertical format in the sky for architectural photography. It’s like a view camera with accurate perspective control. It does lack somewhat in megapixels but I love it and I’m taking a lot of new photos with it.
Hotel Photographs for Bach Suites, and Bach Place, as directed by Kerryn Haig. Photography by Paul E Green.
Grand Hotel, Ho Tram, Vietnam. Photo by Paul E Green
I’ve been fortunate to work with my friend and talented designer Kerryn Haig on some new projects over the last little while. Kerryn has been active in design and production of high quality furniture for export over the last 25 years here in Vietnam. She is also an experienced interior designer/photo stylist/art director. It’s always a pleasure to work with Kerryn on projects ranging from hotel interiors, high end industry websites, to studio shoots for beautiful new products. It has become important to photograph product for export, before shipping, giving more opportunity to sell online prior to the product landing. We are offering this high quality photography service to exporters.
Images of furniture for export as directed by Kerryn Haig and Chris Sayers for Wisteria Design. Photography by Paul E Green