written by Rich Doerr

Vietnamese woman straddling two boats to sell her fruit in Halong Bay Vietnam

Congratulations to Rich Doerr whose photo from our Vietnam trip last year for won Honorable Mention in the Travel Interclub Competition of The Photographic Society of America. The Photographic Society is a large organization with some international member clubs.

Rich was among our travelers to Vietnam in November-December 2023, and he was never without his camera. In 1970-71, Rich served as Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the Phu Bai Signals Support Detachment, attached to the 101st Airborne Division.

Rich’s photo, “Selling Fruit on Halong Bay,” was taken on December 1 as our boat was returning to the dock. Rich explains his shot:

When I saw the fruit seller tapping on the window, I went to the front of the boat to photograph her and the boat tethered to ours. I used a Sony a7iii with a Sigma 24-70 lens. I  used only this lens and my cell phone to take over 1,200 images. This image was processed in Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop.

Although our trip last year was not a photo tour, it provided many more opportunities than tours which usually limit the shooting to early morning “golden hour” and late afternoon to early evening “blue hour” picture taking.

The Veterans Breakfast Club tour visited many more spots than the photo tours would cover.

I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to see a very picturesque country with a centuries old culture.

Travel Interclub Competition 2023-2024 Honorable Mention certificate to Richard Doerr for "Selling Fruit on Halong Bay"
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