“The art of photography has captivated me”

“There are many topics for me and those who are passionate about photography to create each spring, but I personally love the beauty of Hue yellow apricot blossoms - a native flower, which has been grown for a long time from the royal palaces, communal house yards, and pagoda gates to the courtyards of locals in the Ancient Capital. Besides yellow apricot blossoms, I also like to take photos of Thanh Tien paper flower village, Kim Long crystallized ginger making village, Chuon village's banh tet, the profession of making Kitchen God figurines in Bao Vinh, and Sinh village paintings, etc.,” excitedly said Ngo Thanh Minh.

Ngo Thanh Minh on a creative trip to Mu Cang Chai terraced fields, Yen Bai

Predestined with the profession

Photography came to Ngo Thanh Minh purely by chance. During a trip to Da Nang with an older friend and a mentor in the photography profession, Ngo Thanh Minh was drawn to this artistic hobby and began his passion for the art of photography from then on. In 2000, he officially opened an artistic portrait photography studio in Hue City. Outside of his time at the studio, in his free time, he would take his camera around the city to hunt for beautiful shots of the landscape and people of Hue. For him, Hue always carries a very unique beauty that cannot be found anywhere else.

To take a beautiful art photo set, besides the talent of discovering unique and new camera angles, the artist must spend a lot of time and effort. Ngo Thanh Minh is no exception. However, to receive major photography awards, there must be one more factor - that is the “predestined affinity”. This artist has been honored to receive 30 Gold Medals, 8 Silver Medals, 5 Bronze Medals and more than 50 Consolation Prizes at prestigious domestic and international photography awards.

Among many awards, two awards making an impression for Ngo Thanh Minh in the international photography community are the Special Prize of the “Global Football Photo Contest”, organized by Sony Group on the occasion of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, with the photography work “Childhood". The prize was worth USD 9,500 including a Sony camera and a trip to South Africa to watch the World Cup final. “The joy burst out, I was really surprised when the photo of boys in the countryside playing football on the water surface of Tam Giang lagoon helped me become the winner and be able to go to South Africa to watch the World Cup final - something that I could not have imagined in my dreams,” Ngo Thanh Minh recalled his first mark in the international photography community.

The work “Catching fish” - Gold Medal at the APU (Singapore) in 2024 and the SALON Gold Medal (Croatia) in 2024

Another memorable milestone in Ngo Thanh Minh's photography career was the First Prize in the Sony World Photography Awards 2016 with the work “Lighting dream”. The prize is worth a Sony camera and a trip to London to receive the award. The photo captured 2 girls in traditional Vietnamese ao dai sitting on a boat and dropping flower lanterns down the Nhu Y River to pray for peace. That was a moment when Thanh Minh took the photo and was very pleased. He said: “Sony World Photography Awards is a professional contest organized by Sony, with prestige and global value in the art of photography, so winning the First Prize is a great honor, a predestined affinity and very lucky that all my efforts were recognized”.

Most recently in September 2024, Ngo Thanh Minh was awarded the B Prize of the 7th Ancient Capital Literature and Art Award (2018 - 2023) with the work “Summer on the Huong River”. Also in 2024, his works namely “Colors of paper flowers”, “Afternoon on the plateau”, and “Catching fish” won Gold Medals at the APU and ICPE International Photography Contests (Singapore) in 2024, and the SALON Gold Medal (Croatia) in 2024.

The work “Breakthrough” - DPA SYRMIA Gold Medal (Croatia) 2024

Pursuing passion

For Ngo Thanh Minh, the joy of pursuing the hobby of artistic photography is to meet and exchange with friends with the same passion all over the country; to learn about culture, scenery and people of Vietnam. He always cherishes the desire to spread the beauty of traditional Vietnamese culture and people in general and Hue in particular to friends around the world. “The art of photography has captivated me. To pursue this passion, my partner has always been with me, encouraging me to be able to capture the moments of the art of light and have the sublimation to the peak of art”, shared Ngo Thanh Minh.

Having set foot in most of the provinces and cities in the North - Central - South regions, for Ngo Thanh Minh, each region has its own unique beauty, but he is most impressed with the North, with the provinces of Ha Giang, Yen Bai, and Lao Cai, etc. Because of his fascination with the beauty of the land in the Northwest, he has many times spent his own money to make creative trips that sometimes last up to half a month to capture beautiful moments of the land and people of this land. “The money earned from taking photos of fashion, events, and advertisements, etc., and the money from the awards I have won, I spend a lot on creative trips to distant provinces and cities. For a photography artist, being able to travel, to capture beautiful moments of the land and people of Vietnam is an indescribable happiness,” said Ngo Thanh Minh.