Dong Thap boy overcomes adversity to tell stories through photos

Le Lam Nhat Tan (20 years old, from Dong Thap ) with a camera that helps you tell cultural stories from your perspective - Photo: THANH HIEP
When passion is the driving force that overcomes the limits of illness

Tan is currently a design student at Arena Multimedia, and a content creator specializing in travel and culture on social media. Tan's passion for photography began by chance, from a camera his father brought back after studying abroad in Australia. Since then, the bond between Tan and photography has grown stronger.

But Wilson’s disease, a rare genetic condition that causes weakness in the arms and legs, makes things difficult. Simple tasks like buttoning a shirt or opening a water bottle can be challenging. But Tan doesn’t let that stop him.

Luckily, you are not alone on this journey. Tan always receives support from friends and brothers and sisters in the profession - from assistance with moving, unscrewing water bottle caps to professional technical guidance.

Le Lam Nhat Tan: "Once when I went to take a photo, my hands were shaking so much that my friends had to help me pull my backpack and twist the water bottle. But more importantly, they were always willing to share their experiences and give me tips on camera angles so I could improve."

Tan traveled everywhere to hunt for photos of the lives of people in his hometown Bau Hut market, Binh Thanh Trung commune, Lap Vo district, Dong Thap province (old), now Lap Vo commune - Photo: NVCC

Unlike many other professional photographers, Tan mainly uses basic equipment such as Canon 700D, R50 and 2 old lenses. Photo post-processing is mainly done on the phone, using applications such as VSCO, Canva or Picsart.

Because of his illness, Tan suffers from hand tremors, so he has to adapt his own techniques to get sharp photos, like setting his shutter speed to 1/320 or faster.

Not only taking photos, Tan also creates unique typography (designing and creating the shape of sentences and letters to be aesthetically pleasing, expressing a certain style) into each frame - both to increase the depth of the work and as a way to combat "brain theft".

Spread stories about culture and homeland

Photo collections created by Tan on social networking platforms - Photo: NHAT TAN

With a love for culture - people - land, Tan chose his own direction for his photographic works: capturing very ordinary but emotional moments of his homeland and the places he has been.

In 2023, Tan created the fanpage "A walk in Lap Vo" - a place to share simple images of the communes of his hometown Lap Vo district (old). The page currently has more than 7,100 followers, becoming a spiritual support for many people far from home.

In addition to his personal fanpage, Tan's Instagram account with more than 7,200 followers is also where he keeps hundreds of photos of his trips - a very special form of "visual diary".

Even though he has never attended a professional photography class, even though his equipment is not expensive, even though his body does not allow him to take perfect photos, for Tan, photography is still a way for him to express his own worldview , to tell gentle yet profound stories.

LE LAM NHAT TAN: "I just hope that those images will help people see how beautiful my hometown is - not because of the fancy camera or high technology, but because of the sincerity and affection put into each frame."

With trembling hands but a steady heart, Le Lam Nhat Tan is showing every day that passion, if big and real enough, will always find a way - even in the most difficult circumstances.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/chang-trai-dong-thap-vuot-len-nghich-canh-de-ke-chuyen-bang-anh-20250731121912847.htm