Ballet – Saigon style

This month I got the chance to work with some of Saigon’s young, talented ballet dancers for a series in the March issue of Oi Vietnam which featured them in some well-known locations around the city doing random things.

It was a fun two hours of shooting, and I also had fun seeing the inventive ways the dancers had of changing costume in a public space.

Anyway, here’s some of the shots from the day…

While the shot above does have some flaws, I still like the overall look of the photo, especially the strong colour of Notre Dame Cathedral in the background and the athletic and graceful poses of the male and female dancers respectively.

The one I was looking forward to the most involved a ballerina at a typical Vietnamese noodle store doing the splits between two chairs whilst enjoying a bowl of noodles. I wasn’t sure if it was a realistic request, but thankfully it worked out beautifully!

When I went to shoot with a lamp post I’d spotted the day before, I never expected that the magazine’s editorial staff would love one of the photos so much that it would end up bumping off the planned photo to take its place on the cover of the March issue of Oi!

The last few shots were in the park…

including another of my favourites from the day:

It works for me because you can feel the connection the two have. Actually, the guy in this shot only came along to support his friend, but I roped him into joining in anyway!

The thing I love about this job is that you never know what you’ll be doing next! Be sure to check out this month’s issue of Oi Vietnam online or download a PDF copy here.