Born in Viet Nam and now living in Brisbane, Australia, Diep Tran enjoys taking photos of simple things around the house, during travel and asking relatives and friends to be her models. Recently her interest has focused on the art of pure photography, the effects of light and shade and the correct time of day relevant to the shot. This has broadened her mind in the creative side of photography. Her Buddhist upbringing taught her to appreciate the beauty and quality of life in natural and man made objects around the world. After traveling to a few countries and observing different climates, seasons and ways of living, her outlook on photo has improved and her presentations hopefully show that aspect in her work.

In this “Exclusive Interview” section, today we have the opportunity to talk with Diep Tran, as three of her photographs were winners of Photo of the Month – 86th Month, 1st, 2nd as well as 3rd Place. Let’s discover more about Diep Tran, and her forays into photography in the following interview with her.

An Exclusive Interview with Diep Tran, winner of Photo of the Month – 86th Month.

Light & Composition: Greetings from Light & Composition, Diep. How does it feel being selected as the winner of Photo of the Month, 86th Month?

Diep Tran:I feel honoured that my three photographs were selected for 3 positions the 1st, 2nd and 3rd for the month of 86th. Some of my photos were chosen as the photo of the day, but this event is a quite surprise for me and it encourages me a lot in the journey of finding the art of photography through the lens

L&C: Your photograph “Floral Delight” was selected as Photo of the Month, 1st place is a wonderful Close-Up Photograph with artistic perspective, correct lighting, and very well presented. Overall, a great composition! Tell us more about your experience of taking this photography.

Floral Delight, by Diep Tran

Diep: “The Floral Delight” was taken on a sunny day at Roma Parkland in Brisbane, Australia. Actually, it had been raining before so there were a few drops of water left on the petals giving a sheen to the flower which made the flower stand out from the others. To avoid a blurry photo I had to increase ISO to 500 to get shutter speed 1/800s.

L&C: Besides this winning photographs, many people liked and voted for other photographs of yours in the Photo of the Month contest. You must be proud. How do you see your journey to the world of photography so far?

Diep: I got into photography 3 years ago starting with an online course by accident. After purchasing the first DSLR camera I tried to learn more through you-tube as well as joining some groups to share photos and ideas with others. But only when I got involved with Light and Composition I clearly understood the art of pure photography. Feelings and emotion should be seen in any photographs that is what I am trying to achieve.

L&C: As we know, you are originally from Vietnam. Do you think the rich diverse cultural and artistic heritage of Vietnam portrayed a different essence to you?

Diep: I was born and grew up in Vietnam, a country with an Eastern influenced culture and started photography in Australia, a western style culture country. The different cultures have influenced my outlook on photography. My Buddhist upbringing taught me to appreciate the beauty and quality of life in nature and man-made objects around the world.

L&C: Do you like a particular genre of photography and if so, why?

Diep: I love close up, still life and food photography. Why? Because I love flowers and love to discover the texture, pattern and shape of minute things. When I was a child I often looked for patterns on a wall, a piece of wood and imagine what they are when they were magnified. Still life and food photography are the subjects close to our daily lives and we can tell the story and show the emotion by arranging the elements in the photographs.

L&C: One of the keys to any style of photography is visualization. Please tell us how you started this process and what you did afterwards.

Diep: Imagination is what I normally do before I press the shutter speed. It may or may not come out as you expected, but you never know sometimes you get an extraordinary photo. Trying to see the finished photo in my mind helps to make decisions on the way to a great photograph.

L&C: Have you ever exhibited your work? If so, then tell us about your first exhibiting experience.

Diep: Unfortunately, not yet. My dream is to have my own gallery to exhibit my work at my hometown in Nha Trang, Vietnam. Hopefully, my dream will come true in the near future as I have just finished renovating a studio and will work from there.

L&C: Are you involved with any photography organizations? How does this help you in your photography?

Diep: As I said above, the online course that I started with and the Light and Composition are the two organisations I have been involved with. The first helped me to gain basic knowledge of photography and the second helped me understand the art of pure photography especially through the food photography and close up courses.

L&C: What advice would you give our readers who want to take part in the journey around the world with photography?

Diep: Keep learning, practicing and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. Sharing photos with other or groups is also a better way to improve your skills.

L&C: Thank you, Diep, for sharing your feelings and experiences with us.