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Recently I was lucky enough to visit the scenically spectacular Ha Long Bay World Heritage site in the Gulf of Tonkin, three hours east of Hanoi.
I was accompanied by the winner of a Panasonic LUMIX photo competition where the main prize was for the photographer to join me on a professional OUR PLACE World Heritage photography mission. Ha Long Bay is on the World Heritage list because of its spectacular geological rock formations that make up the over 1600 islands in the bay. Because of the vast area of water that makes up this vast site, it is essential to have efficient transport so I arranged a speedboat to take us around. This way I could capture as much of the iconic locations in the 4 days we had at the location. I was using the DMC-GH2 and the DMC-G3 as my two camera bodies, with a range of LUMIX lenses from the LUMIX G VARIO 7-14mm / F4.0 ASPH. wide zoom to the LUMIX G VARIO 100-300mm / F4.0-5.6 / MEGA O.I.S. tele zoom.
The following is a selection from the more than 200 images I have edited out for OUR PLACE archiving from the assignment.
The rock formation at the bay is spectacular and this cave gave me a shot which showed both the detail of the geology as well as the islands in the distance. The lightweight LUMIX G Series camera made shooting from a small boat easier. I also shot some images passing through the hole but like this one best.
This shot captures two of the iconic elements of Ha Long Bay. The famous ‘Fighting Cocks’ Islands and a local fishing boat. I directed the speedboat driver to position this composition which was hard as he didn't speak English and I didn’t speak Vietnamese! The hazy light is also very typical for the area and adds ‘atmosphere’. Because of the rocking boat I kept the shutter speed reasonably fast.
On an early morning trip in a small, slow local boat I wanted to capture the rock formations in detail and this low angle wide shot brings out the unique nature of the islands.
The flora and fauna are also an important part of the World Heritage site and this fresh water lake is the centre of some spectacular foliage. One of the difficulties with getting this frame was that dragonflies kept appearing in the field of view, and while interesting when in focus, on a wide shot they just look like a blur on the lens. It took many frames to get this one clear of intruding insects.
The Karst Limestone islands have numerous small caves in them and by climbing into them (and avoiding the constantly dripping roof and walls!), it is possible to get some great views with the limestone stalactites framed in the foreground. The LUMIX G VARIO 7-14mm / F4.0 ASPH. wide zoom was a very essential companion when climbing around in these small caves.
A few of the caves have been lit and this tripod shot is inside the most famous one - Dau Go Cave. I got a person to walk slowly along a path in the middle distance to give some sort of sense of scale. Cave interiors are difficult to tell size and this trick helps explain the perspective. A lightweight tripod is essential on an assignment like this.
This very early morning shot is of the boat and driver that I hired to take me around a local fishing village and to get me close to the rock formations. I like the subtle lighting in this image and again, the small DMC-G3 and the wide angle of the 7mm lens on it, were really helpful in getting these intimate and natural shots.
Around sunset is the “magic hour” for photographers, and on the water you get spectacular opportunities to capture them from different angles. This shot was taken when I was standing on the bow of the little local boat and by positioning in behind this small group of boats being rowed across the bay, for me, gives a shot that captures the serene nature of this wonderful World Heritage site.
* 35mm camera equivalent.
Geoff Steven – CEO / Editorial Director; OUR PLACE World Heritage
Geoff Steven is known as a photographer, film director and television executive. His photographs are in collections in Australasia, Europe and America, and he has had exhibitions in Paris, Tokyo, Sweden and New Zealand.
Geoff worked professionally as a photographer in New Zealand, Australia and Ireland. As a film-maker he has produced a substantial body of work. He co-wrote and directed “Skin Deep” hailed by Variety magazine as “New Zealand’s long-awaited breakthrough feature film”. His “Signatures of the Soul” documentary hosted by Peter Fonda, was awarded Best Arts and Humanities documentary at the San Francisco Film Festival.
Geoff is the director of the OUR PLACE project, and he edited the OUR PLACE book “Places of Wonder & Discovery”.
His Website:
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Recent Activities Vol. 9
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