HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON once described photography as 'the ability to capture the world in its actual state of movement and transformation'. But Long Thanh, one of Vietnam's most distinctive photographers, begs to differ. His shots of everyday life seem timeless.
The 54-year-old's photographic repertoire is as wide-ranging as it is unique. His photos are infused with a naturalness reconstituted in luminous, contrasting and expressive images.
His most famous photograph In the Rain, depicts two girls walking with an umbrella in the middle of a street. They're caught in a heavy downpour yet lit by a ray of sunshine. You can see the raindrops and the reflection of the sun on the umbrella as well as on the street. The scene could be taken from a movie - it's every director of photography's dream.
Long Thanh's portraits capture the essence of the Vietnamese people - their expressions of fear, loneliness, love and happiness - while his landscapes are often moody, contrasting the natural beauty of Vietnam.
Born in Nha Trang in 1951, Long Thanh took his first photo at age 13. Self-taught, he develops and prints his work in his studio/kitchen.
According to the 700-member Professional Photographers Association, Long Thanh is one of the few to work solely in black and white. Most Vietnamese photographers work in colour or digital, mainly because there's no paper, film or chemicals for black and white photography available in Vietnam.
For the past 15 years, he's managed to get clients and friends to send or bring him the necessary material for his work. He obviously hasn't chosen the easy way to go about his business.