Tran Lam's Photography Marks

Photographer Tran Lam's photographic legacy is stored in four 4TB hard drives, containing memories, historical moments and emotions that he has carefully recorded over the years. He chose a hard drive and opened it for me to see. On the screen, each photo arranged by theme began to appear. A world full of colors and emotions opened before my eyes. Each photo contains a story, a message that only a photographer like him can understand and convey most clearly.

Author Tran Lam reviews the awards he has won.

The highlight of Mr. Tran Lam's photography style is the ability to capture moments that people easily overlook, but contain countless emotions. And he easily turns them into profound works of art.

One photo that moved me when I saw his old works was the image of an old lady sitting in the hospital waiting room, the dim light from outside shining on her face. Talking about the moment of taking this photo of the old lady, Mr. Tran Lam said he had to observe for quite a while, waiting for the moment the light shone on her face to create the contrast between darkness and light.

She sat silently, her eyes looking far away towards the operating room, where doctors were actively bringing light to poor patients. That photo captured the image of a woman who had gone through hardships in life but still kept peace and hope in her soul.

Photo of the three-entrance gate of Rach Gia city in the 80s of the 20th century by author Tran Lam. This is 1 of 52 of his photos selected by the World Photography Organization to be displayed at an Italian museum.

One of the photos that Mr. Tran Lam is very proud of is the image of the Tam Quan gate of Rach Gia city in the 80s of the 20th century. In the photo, sunlight shines down, a few motorbikes pass by and on top of the structure, the Vietnamese flag flutters. Above the Tam Quan gate is blue sky, white clouds, surrounded by green trees, creating a rustic, simple but emotional scene.

This is one of 52 of his photos selected by the World Photography Organization to be displayed at an Italian museum. “I took this photo to capture the symbol of Kien Giang and convey my pride for my second homeland. Although it did not take much effort, the photo has now become a rare and unrepeatable work. The gate is still there, but no one can take pictures of the old scenery anymore,” said Mr. Tran Lam.

Photographer Tran Lam was born in Hau Giang , but lived in Kien Giang for many years. He loved photography since he was a child. At the age of 15, he learned how to use a camera through his father's guidance, but he did not have the time or opportunity to learn deeply. At the age of 16, he joined the revolution, then held a number of positions such as Director of the Department of Culture and Information, Chairman of the Kien Giang Literature and Arts Association.

In 1995, while serving as Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, he discovered that he had contracted acute hepatitis C, with a survival rate of only 5%. At that time, 6 of his friends had also died from the disease. Therefore, he quit his job and spent time traveling to the countryside to find medicine and take souvenir photos.

The work "Money Cave" by author Tran Lam.

Despite not having formal training in photography, Mr. Tran Lam has had an extremely impressive and admirable photography career. He has won many prestigious photography awards at home and abroad and has been honored by many prestigious photography organizations.

In 2008, he was awarded the title of Hero of Labor by the State. In the same year, his photo “The Sun Shines in the Mausoleum” was bought by a business for 1 million dollars… This money was used to fund 500 congenital heart surgeries for poor children in the Mekong Delta.

To date, Mr. Tran Lam has published four photo books, namely “My Hometown Kien Giang”, “Tran Lam Photo Book”, “Natural Moments” and most recently “Swallows and Seagulls of Kien Giang”. The book “Swallows and Seagulls of Kien Giang” includes 200 large-format color prints, selected from thousands of his photos of two friendly bird species of the sunny and windy coastal region of Kien Giang. He has organized two photo exhibitions that have been well received by many viewers and highly appreciated by the photography community.

The work "Same goal" in the photo book "Swallows and seagulls of Kien Giang" by author Tran Lam was selected for the exhibition.

Regarding the photo book “My hometown Kien Giang” by author Tran Lam, the late Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet once commented: “I think this is a pretty good photo book. The author has partly shown the beauty of Kien Giang land and the achievements and works built during the years of renovation. Through this, the author has aroused and encouraged the pride and love for the homeland in the hearts of readers. Moreover, with vivid and majestic images of Kien Giang countryside, this is also a guidebook, widely promoting to tourists as well as investors. The book has many beautiful and unique photos, expressing the author's enthusiasm, passion for art, and affection for his homeland.”

The achievements that photographer Tran Lam has achieved in his photography career are the result of a life full of experience, talent and intense passion. Sharing his experience of success, he said that an artist needs to have unique works, lifetime works that many people know. To do that, one must constantly learn, read a lot, watch a lot and always try.

“Working in the art field requires going to many places and learning from many people. I learn from friends, successful people, young people and even failed people. Young people teach me to see new things, and failed people give me lessons to avoid repeating those mistakes,” said Mr. Tran Lam.

From February 5 to 12, 2025, the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists in collaboration with the Kien Giang Literature and Arts Association and the Department of Culture and Sports organized an exhibition of 85 works excerpted from the photo book "Swallows and Seagulls of Kien Giang" by Mr. Tran Lam, which has just been published. The exhibition was held at the Canh Buom cafe, corner of Tran Thu Do - Tran Hung Dao street, Vinh Thanh Van ward (Rach Gia city).

Article and photos: BAO TRAN

Source: https://www.baokiengiang.vn/van-hoa/dau-an-nhiep-anh-tran-lam-24393.html