Nón lá by Libby Holmsen

Libby Holmsen, a street photographer from Perth in Western Australia, creates a unique series of photographs while traveling in Hoi An in Central Vietnam. 

When visiting a new place I always challenge myself to produce unexpected images, different from those taken by photographers before me. Hoi An is a bustling, chaotic place so my intent was to produce a body of work that decluttered it by creating a sense of peacefulness, elegance and using shadows, timing and solitary figures as my subjects.

The color in the ancient port town is also highly celebrated by photographers. So I made sure to include black and white images as well as color in the series. These best I believe capture the essence of the local people. The Nón lá series is interrupted by cameos of clotheslines, awnings and humble dwellings, which serve as a reminder of everyday life in Ho An.

(The Nón lá is the name of the traditional Vietnamese conical hat.)

© Libby Holmsen