When i am on my travels around the world i am always on the lookout for an interesting and characterful Face to photograph. My recent trip to Vietnam proved to be a wonderful enviroment for discovering fascinating faces. Wherever i looked i could see an interesting face that i wanted to photograph. The facial features of the local people told the story of their life which , for many of them was a tough hard working life. Adversity has a habit of building character in a person which is what i observed all over Vietnam.

This beautiful colour portrait photograph of a Sapa Tribeswoman wearing her wonderful ethnic clothes was a memorable one for me. She had a face that just oozed serenity. When i first asked her politely if i could take her portrait she seemed extremely shy and gave a slight smile. I think she was wondering why i wanted to photograph her. In some of the more remote parts of Northern Vietnam many of the people have never been photographed especially in this way in a close up portrait. I was lucky that she allowed me to take such a photo of her because she really did not have to…. I showed her the picture on the screen of my camera and her kind face broke into a smile ! I smiled back and thanked her.

In a strange way i think she secretly liked it. The tribespeople there are very proud of their culture and this shows in the way that they make and wear such beautiful rich coloured clothing. Before i left i bought some bags and cushion covers fom her which i have on my sofa at home. Every time that i walk into my lounge and look at hese colourful souvenirs it brings back memories of my Photographic trip to Vietnam. Prints are available in the ’ TRAVEL ’ gallery of my website.

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