Landscapes of Southeast Asia

We returned from our travels in Vietnam and Cambodia marveling at the people and sights of those countries. In my previous post I described my trials with the travel camera I selected. But now I'd like to return to this blog's objective with a few landscape images.

The first two images were made from a boat in Ha Long Bay in northern Vietnam. It's a body of water littered with limestone islands--some 1,900 of them over 600 square miles--and dramatic karst topography. The scenery reminds me of ancient ink paintings from the East: steeply-sloped hills topped with trees and other vegetation, surrounded by water. It is a major tourist attraction, as you can imagine. Conditions were hazy during our visit so most of my shots are very soft and required a lot of Lightrooming.

Islands in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

Islands and Temple, Ha Long Bay

Much of our trip was by boat on the Mekong River and some of its tributaries, but we also went ashore in several places. It was the dry season. Rice paddies weren't flooded, and other fields looked a little dusty.

Rice Field, Cambodia

Field and Palms, Cambodia

 In many places the river is the center of life. Fishing, irrigated farming, transport and commerce of every description depend on it. Vinh Long is one of many towns where channels seem as important as streets.

Landing in Vinh Long, Vietnam

Woman in Boat

Inlet, Kampong Chhnang, Cambodia

The details: all shot with Canon PowerShot G1X Mark II and 12.5 - 62.5mm lens 
Islands: 1/1000 sec., f8.0, ISO 400, 34mm
Islands and Temple: 1/1000 sec., f8.0, ISO 400, 62.5mm
Rice Field: 1/640 sec., f5.6, ISO 400, 25mm
Field and Palms: 1/1000 sec., f9.0, ISO 400, 55mm
Landing: 1/1000 sec., f7.1, ISO 800, 34mm
Woman: 1/250 sec., f9.0, ISO 800, 62.5mm
Inlet: 1/400 sec., f8.0, ISO 400, 24mm