Ho Chi Minh City appears from very small things
After more than a decade in the military, Denis Klykov, 36 years old, decided to change to start his journey to explore the world. Vietnam was one of the stops, and gradually became the place he chose to stick with.
More than two years living in Ho Chi Minh City is also the time Denis found his passion for street photography. To date, he has kept about 10,000 photos of the city, mostly recording very real slices of streets and people.
What fascinates Denis is not the famous landmarks or modern buildings. He likes to stand in the middle of the crowd on Nguyen Hue pedestrian street, patiently observing to wait for a sudden moment. It could be the eyes of a passerby, a child playing, or a street vendor quietly pushing a cart in the bustling crowd.
I take a lot of photos here - a big, spacious street and always bustling with people passing by. Amidst the bustling crowd, I attentively search and capture interesting things, simple but valuable moments to bring the most complete feeling of the city's energy," Denis shared.
However, the longer he lived in Ho Chi Minh City, the more he liked to turn into small alleys rather than standing in the middle of the highways.
According to Denis, the roads bordering District 5 bring a very different feeling. No longer are there crashing car horns or buildings covered with lights, there is a slow pace of life with the elderly sitting in front of the house, security guards taking advantage of reading books, and workers resting after a day of making a living.
Instead of immersing myself in the bustling city life, I want to show the simple, peaceful moments of silence to the audience, that is when someone is sleeping, reading the newspaper or smoking. They are a small part of life that we sometimes accidentally pass by," Denis said.
Storytelling photos
For Denis, photography is not simply recording what the eyes see but preserving the emotions behind that moment.
In his collection, there are very simple photos: An old man riding an old bicycle, a woman carrying a basket to the market, a street vendor quietly making a living, a cat lying calmly in a corner of the alley or a security guard engrossed in a book in his hand. No arrangement, no attempt to create perfect frames, everything happens naturally as it is.
I want my photos to be able to tell a story, not just a moment. You can stop, look at the photo and think: What is he thinking at this moment? Why is he or she here? If you can't feel what you are seeing, you will never make others feel anything when they look at your photo," Denis expressed.
Among thousands of photos taken, Denis remembers most the moment a homeless person lay on the ground right in front of the ATM. In just one frame, the contrast between deprivation and fullness is clearly shown, forcing viewers to reflect on the gap between rich and poor and the fates of people still existing in modern cities.
Denis compares street photography to a real hunt. The photographer cannot control the character or the setting but can only observe, wait and shoot at the right time. Because a moment if missed will never be repeated.
Denis's photos do not try to show off a glamorous Saigon. What remains behind each frame is a very ordinary feeling of peace, created by ordinary people who still silently live, work and make a living every day.
For Denis, that is the beauty that made him decide to stay in this city longer than initially planned. And it is also the reason why every time he is free, he takes his camera out to the street, continuing to find moments of silence amidst the constantly moving pace of life.
