Tale of two cities

More than a lover, photography is like a life partner forphotographer Matthias Meyer, as he has been close to cameras for around50 years. His deep passion for the craft and the chance to travel aroundthe world as a diplomat inspired him to create new frames for oldplaces.

His recent solo exhibition, ‘Disorientation – A Small Paris inHanoi’, certainty ‘disoriented’ audience members familiar with bothcities. It was Hanoi. It was Paris. It was both but also neither. Like amagician, his creative arrangement and the effect of double exposurebrought a new Hanoi and a new Paris in a second-to-none combination thatshowed how strongly the two cities were related to each other. Women inconical hats watched a fountain in Paris but the lake behind them wasHoan Kiem, while a number of cyclos waited in front of Parisianbuildings.

Lot of Eiffel

Born in Germany, Matthias has a straightforward documentary style andfocuses on street photography and photojournalism. In addition toseveral group exhibitions in different countries he also had two soloexhibitions in Hong Kong in 2010 and 2011. He spoke with The Guide aboutsome of his ‘magic’.

What inspired the idea of ‘A Small Paris in Hanoi’?

After moving to Hanoi I decided to get connected with the city andthe people through photography. I wanted to portray the city in adifferent way from what I usually saw in popular books and pictures.When I first came here a lot of things reminded me of Paris, where Ilived for five years. Then I thought it might be a good thing to compareand combine Paris and Hanoi.

I couldn’t see my Hanoi – Paris connection right away, in front ofme. But already at the start I could feel that secret parts were loomingaround the corner and were just waiting to be appreciated anddiscovered.

Did you get lost in some corner, so you named it ‘Disorientation’?

Ha ha, you could say that. In my eyes, Hanoi’s charm is not themodern Westernised lifestyle but its old heritage. Most of the Frenchbuildings designed in late 19th and early 20th centuries give a feelingof nostalgia to many foreigners. A lot of the old Hanoi is graduallyvanishing under the rising tide of modernisation and it’s getting harderto find the connection. The present day cityscape creates a strangeinteraction between different cultures. So in some of my pictures youhave to look twice to see the meaning or what’s going on, to avoidgetting lost in them.

Why did you choose double exposure for the exhibition?

There are a lot of pictures about Hanoi and Vietnam. As I said, Iwanted something new by my own way and I thought the effect of doubleexposure could help me do it. This is also a challenge. Because even if Iknow what to shoot, I can’t know what it will be after developing itwith this effect. It can always surprise me. It’s a magic of light.

Is it difficult to control this kind of magic?

It’s not difficult, in my view. But to be good at anything you haveto practice a lot. In three years I took around 500 images with mycamera to get 20 pictures for the exhibition. Many of them failedbecause of too much bright, dark or overlapping.

Waiting for customers

When did you start practicing shooting pictures?

A long time ago, when I was about 14.

How did your love of photography begin?

My grandfather was not a professional photographer but he had a goodcamera with a twin lens. When I looked at things from the lens I couldsee different frames compared with those from my eyes. I could also seewhat I wanted and could exclude other things. I was deeply fascinated byit.

What is your favourite style?

My style today is straightforward and simple. I tend to create vividimages that have a ‘documentary’ look. But I also love to experiment, asthis is where I get an opportunity to explore and push myself.

Furthermore, street photography and painting with light seems more appropriate in my approach to photography than anything else.

To have the best moment for street photography, do you have to hunt for it or do you catch it by chance?

To be honest, it’s both. Sometimes, when I’m in the mood, I wanderaround to find nothing. I just see what’s happening, what people aredoing, or anything interesting, by chance. Other times I have some idea.I go out and choose people and things. Sometimes I also have to waitfor the right moment, like hunting.

Do you spend all of your free time on photography?

I usually have free time on the weekend. I spend a few hours outeither walking around Hanoi, like in the Old Quarter or parts of the RedRiver, or outside of Hanoi, like artistic villages of pottery or silk,to take pictures. It’s usually in the morning when the light is best.Obviously, it also depends on the weather.

Other times I read a book, listen to music, practise some sport,mostly Iaido, a Japanese martial art, walk and watch sunsets in WestLake and discover Vietnamese cuisine. I love bun cha (grilled pork withnoodles), pho and banh my (bread).

What else in Vietnam are you most interested in discovering for your photography?

It’s the beautiful landscapes and calm and peace you can catch inmany places, at parks, lakes or little alleys where the crazy traffic isabsent.

 

Additionally, together with its diverse culture, Vietnamese peopleare very nice and friendly to me even though I can’t speak theirlanguage. I have a lot of friends through photography here. Photographyis a good way to make new friends. So many people are photographershere. They are eager to share new ideas and experiences. It’s very easyto connect and make a network.

I also have a deep interest in music and fashion. Besides enjoyingshows, I also have some friends in these areas. I took photos for MrTetsuji Honna, the Director and Principal Conductor of the VietnamNational Symphony Orchestra, for magazines, and some local fashionbrands. That’s the connection between my other hobbies and photography.

I also organize the Hanoi Photo Club, a good community for us photographers.

What are the club’s activities?

We meet twice a month or weekly, depending on the free time of themembers. People can bring their pictures to discuss what could be donebetter or how to make nice photography.

We also give free lectures on photographic techniques to people, frombeginners to the more advanced level. Together with lessons on the ideaof what to do, how to work with the exposure, or how to use the shutterspeed, we also go out to practice by shooting and analysing the images.Our members come from different countries, such as Vietnam, Argentina,Canada, the US, Germany, and France, but all share the same passion inphotography.

Will you soon have a new exhibition to continue showing your passion?

Yes, for sure. I will relocate to Mumbai. It’s really exciting andchallenging for me because the city is very colourful and has a richculture. I will definitely have an exhibition there. But I have no ideaabout it now. I will see what’s going on.

The Guide

Tale of two cities

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