Almost exactly a year ago I began a project to concurrently shoot two new photo books on Vietnam. One, a book of panoramic images in Hanoi, the other a travel book covering Vietnam from North to South.
I began shooting in Hanoi last summer in 44 degree heat, then travelled to Halong Bay and the mountains around Sapa before heading south in a succession of trips to cover the main tourist hotspots.
I returned to Hanoi last week to finish shooting for both books with a series of photo's on Tet in Hanoi. Thankfully the temperatures were more pleasing, around 15 degrees.
When shooting a lengthy project like this it's is always nice to end on a high note and the Tet (Lunar New Year) Fireworks over Hanoi's iconic Hoan Kiem Lake provided the setting. The lake was packed with thousands of people eager to see in the new year and the atmosphere was electric.
This was my first time shooting fireworks and I needed a good shot to close out the Hanoi section of the book. The first frame that I made that night is below. I made the photograph, looked on the LCD screen on the back of the camera and breathed a sigh of relief.
Hopefully both books, Hanoi Panorama and Vibrant Vietnam, together with a number of bound postcard sets from my travels, will be on bookshelves by the end of March.
Tet fireworks over Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi.