Le Tan Thanh's "The wharf"
Hue's charm
On the 100th anniversary of Dong Khanh - Hai Ba Trung School, Nguyen Khoa Huy accidentally captured a dance performance which showcased the talent of the school's female students. It was a splendid moment for the Hue female students with the lotus. The lotus is not only the national flower but also carries the soul of Hue and of the young maidens. This beauty was captured in Nguyen Khoa Huy's photograph named "Shine", which had impressed the judges and brought him the first prize award in "Hue- the new perspective" contest.
Huy said: There were many people at the time but I am sure I was destined to take this photo. That really is the charm of the moment of shooting. When I came back home, I had a very strange feeling and thought of the lotus image and of the young woman glowing. So, I named this work "Shine".
Everyone can feel the simplicity and effortlessness of Le Tan Thanh's "The Wharf" photo. Simply by recording daily activities - scenes of people busily carrying flowers and fruits to be sold at the wharf in Thanh Tien village (Phu Mau, Phu Vang) - "The wharf" evokes in spectators a nostalgic feeling of the scenery of the daily familiar village life. Thanh said, in order to capture the perfect picture, he had to "stake out" at the Thanh Tien wharf no less than 10 times to "capture" the beautiful layout.
In this contest, Le Tan Thanh won two awards. In addition to the work "The wharf" which won second prize, Thanh also won the third prize with the piece "Royal fire dance". The familiar Citadel and Ngo Mon Gate had been given a new soul with the exciting night-time activities. With this photo, Thanh had refreshed a familiar place. Looking at the picture, the viewer can still recognize Hue with the distinctive background, emphasized by the beauty of night. Thanh recalled, "On the first night the Citadel opened to welcome guests, I came here and witnessed a spectacular fire dance. In the fire and the lights, the palace at night became an impressive magical sight. This is really the potential for Hue tourism development. "
"The small town" (second prize) of Nong Thanh Toan is a new discovery when the author selects the angle from above with a fly-cam. It is really a beautiful space that is difficult to see without looking from above. It was so strange that the organizers and judges did not think that it was taken in Hue, and they had to determine its coordinates.
Finding new perspectives
Through 3 occasions (starting in 2011), the theme-based competition "Hue - new perspectives" reflects the desire of the Organizing Committee to find new and strange works about the land and people of Thua Thien Hue. Over time, the prestige of the contest is increasingly confirmed by the number of works, the author's participation and the artistic quality of the work. 2,179 works by 196 authors from 33 provinces and cities across the country are impressive compared to a few hundred in first and second competitions. That also proves that the competition has created a positive effect, which has attracted the attention of the photographers nationwide.
Contest entries show new perspectives on the nature and people of Hue, especially the new changes; Thua Thien Hue is in the process of striving to become a central city in the direction of "Heritage, culture, ecology, landscapes, friendliness with the environment". At the same time, Thua Thien Hue is also in the process of striving to become one of the centers of culture - tourism, specialized health, education - training, science and technology of the country and the region. The same scenes of the Perfume River, Ngu Mountain, wharves, lagoons, traditional villages, and simple people, but they are seen through new lens. The award-winning photos, in addition to meeting the criteria of artistic quality such as light, layout, lines ... all show the characteristics of Hue with a unique perspective.
Mr. Pham Van Ty, Vice President of Vietnam Photographers' Association, Vice Chairman of the Competition, emphasized: "Of course, the scenery like Ngo Mon Gate or Truong Tien Bridge will eternally remain the same, but through their professional techniques, the photographers have created new perspectives to promote cultural tourism potential for Hue. At the same time, they can capture and reflect the constantly changing lives. "
According to the organizers, the quality of works has improved compared to the previous times and they all meet the criteria of the contest which is to find new perspectives. This has been affirmed by Vu Quoc Khanh, Chairman of Vietnam Photographers’ Association: "There are no final results, but among the 11,000 images of more than 1,000 domestic and international photographers from 36 countries participating in the ninth international art photo contest in Vietnam (VN - 17), many pictures of "Hue - new perspectives" were included in the exhibition, proving that Hue artists have very high artistic quality. "
It is also important that the competition creates a professional playing field for professional and amateurs to motivate them to create new works of art for the public to enjoy. Le Tan Thanh said: "I am very happy that I have won a prize in my first time entering the competition. This is really a professional playground for photographers. "
Story: Trang Hien