HAND-PAINTED SIGNS
In the era of industrialization and digitalization, all signs are likely to be done by laser cut or hi-flex printing. But back in the old days, everything has to be handmade. Just as “Rockabilly” refers to the famous music genre in the 1950s, hand-painted signs are considered a notable craftsmanship in Saigon through the early 90s. The sign painters or the “artisans” pour their heart and personality in each of the work. Therefore, signages are not the same and they don’t even try to be. Instead, it works its own way to be distinctive and captivating. Nowadays, these signs are being hidden away, forgotten by the shadow of the modern world. My photobook wants to show people a form of a nearly lost art, to walk people down memory lane and remind them not to lose the eccentric heritage in the modernization time.
Please download my complete portfolio here
(Please view the work in two-page spread for better experience)
Technical details
All of my photographs in the portfolio was shot in the morning with a frontal view. I used the 18mm-55mm len, mainly the 55mm of the Canon 70D without a tripod. Because I often stood on the other pavement and on the road to capture the signs so I did not use the 18mm lens and the tripod is considered inconvenient. My shutter speed is quite fast so sometimes I raised the ISO higher. These images are RAW. Then, I used the Adobe Lightroom to adjust the color and contrast a little bit before printing them.
Inspiration
My inspiration comes from the series “The Rockabillies" done by Jennifer Greenburg. This project of her focuses on the Rockabilly community, in which people live like it's the 1950s. Not merely about the dressing but people actually furnish their house and drive cars as if the culture were still there. What triggered me most is how the photographer was able to portray those individuals so vividly and naturally. The little details come into view makes the shots more personal. For instance, in the picture “Keith at Home with his Cat”, we can see that there are things reflecting on the glass table. The amazing colour grading is another reason why I like her work. The second example, “Tom Culbertson” with different shades of turquoise or the glamorous pink in “Hot Pink Rat Rod Dream Girl at VLV 12” - the third image are some of the truthful illustrations of my above statement.
The project was done individually in Photography 101 course, RMIT Vietnam, with Distinction.