Photographer sees with new eyes in Vietnam

Vietnamese-American photographer Peter Pham says it was falling in love with Vietnam that pushed him into becoming the artist he is today.
Pham, 44, moved to the US at the age of nine and later became a computer engineer for IBM, first returning to Vietnam in 1992 for a business project.
But with things not going so well on the business front, he did some traveling, snapping tourist shots with an automatic camera. The strange images that he took home of daily life in Vietnam were forever engraved in his mind.
He became a landscape photographer in the US, but soon moved to Vietnam and took up the portraits that have become his trademark.
“My photography just happened to blossom after I moved to Vietnam permanently,” he said.
“Here in Vietnam, the people, the culture, the smiles, the colors, the heritage got my attention more than the beautiful landscapes.”
He said he loves finding the “special moment” that links his subjects with their environments.
“I like the traditional villages, the ethnic people and their landscapes. I like that they still live the way they did a hundred years ago.”
The result of Peter’s photographic journey around Vietnam is a full-color book called “Duong ve va khoanh khac” (Journey Home).
‘Far from perfect’
Pham said it was a photographer’s lust for beauty that enabled him to create splendor and perfection in his photographs no matter what the subject.
“But the world is far from perfect no matter where you live,” said Pham, adding that many old Vietnamese images were carefully arranged with lighting and darkroom manipulations to create gorgeous and exquisite worlds.
Pham said the images published by the old Vietnamese masters were as poetic and dream-like as ever.
But he said most students nowadays were following too closely in the older generations’ footsteps. He said the locations and themes were becoming repetitive in Vietnam.
He said he expected to see new growth in Vietnamese photography as younger generations can afford digital cameras and can learn new skills via the Internet very easily today.
Making history
Vietnam’s life and culture will continue to change faster than ever, Pham said, adding that he hoped to capture many of Vietnam’s “special moments” for historical purposes.
Peter now runs a photography gallery in Ho Chi Minh City, which he plans to expand. He is also in the process of creating photo tours for foreigners who want to photograph Vietnam.
He said he would love to be able to teach photography one day at a university in Vietnam.
“I would like be a part of Vietnam by sharing my photographic knowledge here.”