Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Feb 8, 2012, 4:38 am
The amount of images we managed to capture within a few hours walk manifested themselves by the amount of hours spent editing the selection. Culling images and trying out various moods and tones and continue culling versions that did not work. A recent article I read and shared on Twitter, regarding...
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Feb 7, 2012, 11:41 pm
Ian is a photographer and I have had the pleasure of getting to know him as a friend. His work around Vietnam is stunning and worthwhile browsing as you can see here, and his blog here. Previously, we had a gear talk and he suggested that I should come along for a quick walkabout and
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Jan 15, 2012, 6:10 pm
Ms Gillian Le, from my previous blog post, got in touch with me again. She had moved onwards to a new position and wanted to share the good news. I was invited for a tour of her new work place, The German International School in Saigon, GIS. 257 Hoang Van Thu Street. The street sounded
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Dec 7, 2011, 5:34 am
Thundering down the road at the speed of a turtle. Steamrolling through the landscape. It had to be captured. Man riding his big metal beast, flattening anything that may come in front of the rollers. Shortly after, we are thundering down the road too, on our metal horse, the motorbike. Stopping aga...
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Nov 10, 2011, 12:57 am
Where do broken statues go? Taking to the streets it seems. We spotted them while taking a road trip for the day. There they were. All huddled together around a closed shop. Their fate unknown, except that they were no longer wanted at their original location. We stopped. Walked around. Saw. Capture...
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Nov 8, 2011, 5:05 am
It is a Sunday, my parents are still in town, however, my mother decided to relax at the hotel while my dad, my son and I took a day trip to Vung Tau. The roads have improved, it took us 2 1/2 hours by car, average speed of 48 km/hr to reach Vung Tau, 120
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Oct 29, 2011, 9:09 am
Family visit. Always a joy. This time I got to spend more time than last with them. It was good. We are all changing and getting older. I am a dad myself now. Almost halfway in life. How did that happen? To the Skydeck we went. To get a view of the city. Going from
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Oct 19, 2011, 9:10 am
Sometimes a wander can create wonders. Enjoy the result of less than 2 hours walking about on a random day.
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Oct 7, 2011, 3:27 am
Two unique attractions. One seasonal and one permanent. We did them both. Pepperkakebyen, or the Gingerbread Town, is a unique Christmas tradition and is growing in size year by year. I still remember the time it was held indoors at Galleriet, a shopping mall in the city centre. In 2009, somebody on...
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Oct 6, 2011, 6:18 am
It is almost that time of year again. Only a few months away. Christmas. Snow. Norway. It is such a contrast celebrating Christmas in Norway versus Vietnam. As my son is growing older, I prefer to let him celebrate in Norway to both experience the culture and the climate. Seeing snow for the first t...
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Oct 3, 2011, 4:50 am
A year ago I went passed houses and green fields where I now find dirt, water and machines. More images from the changing landscape of Thu Thiem, District 2.
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Sep 30, 2011, 4:45 am
Blue sky. Perfect light. Time to experiment.
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Sep 27, 2011, 8:13 am
  Hold tight wait till the party’s over Hold tight We’re in for nasty weather There has got to be a way Burning down the house – Talking Heads    Thu Thiem area in District 2 is undergoing a massive change and over 12000 households have been relocated according to this source. “A new urba...
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Sep 21, 2011, 7:22 am
I had sat aside time for another day trip. Planning to go to Tay Ninh, however, I had to cut my trip short and keep it within half a day. A half day doesn’t sound a lot. Only a couple of hours. If you live in London, less than two and half hours will take
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Sep 12, 2011, 7:27 am
Singapore is a great shopping destination and I travel yearly to purchase additional gear for my studio, either from Cathay Photo or Shriro, sometimes both outlets, as the brands I am using are not available at my normal dealer LeDuc in Saigon. I do not enjoy any sponsorship from any of them, but I ...
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Sep 5, 2011, 2:02 am
July was truly a roller coaster. Pulled two teeth. Definitely downwards. Going on an amazing road trip. Definitely up. Having a motorbike accident on a location shoot in Saigon. Ouch, that’s down. I went down. Got hit by another bike while I was turning. We were doing b-roll for a corporate movie,...
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Sep 1, 2011, 9:23 am
Just turned off the main road and heading towards Da Lat. Small country road, sun is shining, breeze is flowing as we ride along and are enjoying the road to ourselves. Pure bliss. Simply put. No more trucks and buses and exhaust fumes. Only the sound of our bike humming along the road. This would&#...
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Aug 29, 2011, 4:30 am
We had made it to Nha Trang. 14 hours on the road. Found a nice hotel to treat ourselves to a good night sleep before heading off the next day. Been informed that a potential client wanted to meet up in the morning since they have heard we would be up there. 8 am meeting
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Aug 26, 2011, 1:49 am
That’s what we did. Like a British fox hunting party we set out and chased something. That something cannot be easily explained. We had no dogs to help us. They were all at home, barking at any creature that entered the grounds. No use to us. Not that we were fox hunting anyway. We were
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Aug 25, 2011, 1:22 am
Road trip. Those are the magic words. Bringing a smile to my face as I splash water in my face. Been up since 4 am. SMS’ed James to see if he really would make it at 5 am. “Yes”, he texted back. That’s what a road trip will do for you. Even more so when
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Aug 23, 2011, 7:29 am
failing health chewing dried seaweed my teeth grate on sand   Matsuo Basho’s Haiku sums up my feeling of July. What was supposed to be a month where the long planned road trip would take place, became a month full of surprises. As any photographer knows, clients can suddenly change their minds an...
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Aug 19, 2011, 2:26 am
Norway, the model country. One of the best to live in according to statistics, despite high taxes to fund the welfare state in order to maintain equality:  U.N.: Norway Has Best Quality of Life Behind Norway’s #1 Prosperity Index Ranking Ranking: Norway, best place to be a mother Norway ranked Ha...
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Jun 6, 2011, 2:07 pm
It started with a phone call. Most of the time it just does that. A ring. Some vibrations. Then a “hello”, as a command line interpreter, spelling out “Hello World” It was an old colleague of mine. In need of some help. Design help. They had a new project, a magazine, and they wanted a
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - May 27, 2011, 7:04 am
A new blog project to promote up and coming creatives in Saigon. The second project to see the light in 2011. The first one is Saigon Creative, the monthly inspirational breakfast talk. Due to internal restructuring, aSaigonCreativeMorning became Saigon Creative and has now a new website address: ht...
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - May 17, 2011, 11:23 am
Every year the Norwegian community get together and celebrate 17 Mai. The meet up place is the Norwegian consul’s house, and everybody participate to bring Norwegian food for the event, either by import, returning from a recent visit to Norway or receiving visitors or to source the ingredients loc...
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - May 15, 2011, 4:50 am
That’s what we did. We got the inside scoop. A journey of tales. Starting in Milan, where we learned that fresh graduates are being picked up by the fashion houses on next to nothing wages. €200-400 a month and a one year contract. Renegotiable upon end of year. Except that the contract will not...
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - May 12, 2011, 11:27 am
On location, the urbanised jungle, hunting, or rather seeking out items that catches the eye. An exercise of vision in between clothes changes. On location shoots there will always be a bit of downtime between clothes changes and I rather keep the pulse going, trying not to break the concentration a...
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - May 5, 2011, 1:38 am
Famous cities around the world like to have an observation deck for tourists to see the city in all its splendour. Paris has its Eiffel Tower, with an almost infinite queue, that I passed on the opportunity of seeing Paris from above. New York was different, the former World Trade Center had both an...
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Apr 26, 2011, 6:51 am
It’s not the size that counts as Renault Clio’s advertising campaign used to tell us, but when it comes to seeing your work printed out big and put on display on a billboard, then yes, size do matters. We did this ad for Dua Moc brand just in time for Tet and it is still
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Apr 18, 2011, 2:00 am
Sunny Friday morning in Saigon and the Propeller Group represented by Tuan is ready to give a lecture to the early birds. Quite an exchange it was. A cultural exchange. The re-branding of Vietnam. Underground culture. Different from the underground in the past, the ones that everybody knows when you...
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Apr 11, 2011, 1:19 am
While I was setting up and photographing interiors at FV Hospital, I got approached by a man coming out from the maternity ward. He asked me for contact details, told me he just became a dad again, then, that he ran a school and I would hear from him later. Less than a minute. Fast
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Apr 1, 2011, 1:36 am
I don’t think I will ever grow bored at watching the sunrise. How many times in your life do you actually get up early, climb to a vantage point and enjoy the sun rising slowly on the horizon? I don’t do it often enough, that I know. The day feels longer and more productive, or
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Mar 24, 2011, 8:14 am
It’s 5am. Been a breeze to get to the location. Getting up to 23rd floor took longer. The security guard took us the wrong way, we got locked out in the emergency staircase and had to walk down to the 18th floor before ascending again. As the horizon started to gain colour tones we quickly
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Mar 19, 2011, 6:41 am
Getting up early seems to be the norm these days. Previously, while doing an assignment for a five star hotel/resort, we got up early for the sunrise shots. Today was a different assignment all together, however, up early we got. Assembled at six am. Our first video project. Yes, video. Once the job...
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Mar 18, 2011, 5:20 am
Brilliant. Inspired. Moving. It was simply a great presentation and the early birds of Saigon enjoyed it. “I’m lovin’ it” to quote McDonalds, however, it was a far better deal. Unwrap a burger and you get disappointed as it never lives up to the tasty, juicy advertising image that sells you ...
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Mar 13, 2011, 2:25 pm
Sunrays coming through my white mesh curtain. I am waking up in Hanoi. It feels like London. The windows are damp. Outside it’s cold by Saigonese standards, not so by Norwegian standards. Unfortunately, I have spent too much time in the warmth of the south to have the Norwegian layer of protection...
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Mar 8, 2011, 1:40 am
This is what you get by getting up early. Beautiful light. The road to yourself. Yes, it is a Sunday morning. Hardly any traffic. Fast forward 24 hours and you have the traffic jams. Sunday is a day of rest in most countries. Rest can be many things. It can be a stay in bed
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Feb 25, 2011, 2:43 am
I have always enjoyed reading. During my students days in London I could easily add 70 plus books a year. It did help to work as a part-time barista for one of the larger bookstores. A perfect fit. Decent coffee and good books. These days, most of my reading is done online, something my Twitter
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Feb 18, 2011, 7:35 am
A big thank you to Malongo for serving great coffee and The Tin Foil Grill for the excellent food. Enjoy the images below from the event. If you haven’t signed up for the newsletter, please follow this link. Be the first to know the next speaker and secure a seat.
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Feb 10, 2011, 4:04 am
It is time to officially wish the New Year welcome and lets hope it will be as interesting or even more as the year that passed. We ended it with a highlight, if not, the highlight of the year. A helicopter ride to three oil rigs in a day, yay! All buckled up and riding
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Jan 25, 2011, 3:13 am
XO stands for Xe Om, the name for motorbike taxis. However, XO Tours riders are far from your typical guy on the corner motorbike taxi. Mr Tung is the man behind the new tour concept of letting female guides dressed in traditional Vietnamese dress, Ao Dai, take tourists around for a spin. People arr...
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Jan 24, 2011, 9:05 am
…And what would be more fitting for this blog than to introduce the jewellery calendar we photographed for CAO Fine Jewellery before year’s end. Off to a flying start with the butterfly necklace, my favourite from the session. Here’s a view of the calendar and below more samples from the year ...
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Jan 15, 2011, 7:18 am
Friday morning came, so did our attendees and our speaker, Dustin Nguyen. Coffee and pastry in hand, people started the small talk. Mingling around, then moved on to secure a good seat before kick off. After a short introduction, Dustin Nguyen pulled out a chair and started telling. An unplugged spe...
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Jan 12, 2011, 10:18 pm
A new year and new opportunities. Back to Saigon after a Xmas break to Norway, images to come once the editing has been done. From wonderful Xmas food (extra kilos gained) and visits to friends and family it actually feels good to be back. After two weeks of enjoyment, boredom was setting in. Or, ra...
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Dec 17, 2010, 1:47 pm
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! The Christmas spirit is here, even in the tropics. Soon I will be back in Norway, celebrating a white Christmas with friends and family and I thought it would be fitting to show how Christmas is celebrated without the access to snow. There is still a long way
...
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Dec 15, 2010, 7:25 am
Yes, the images are from the morning after, but no alcohol induced elephant visions, only cardboard prints of the mascot for The Big Show. The Big Show has been around for some time. I remember the first show I went to hosted at Pierre’s former restaurant at Thai Van Lung street. Back in the old&#...
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Dec 14, 2010, 2:42 am
This year was the fifth anniversary of the Charity Run event organized by Saigon Scooter Centre. My first time to attend. The event raises money for charity and the full information can be accessed here. This will be the longest blog post in terms of images. Take a look and get a feel of the
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Dec 10, 2010, 5:22 am
Experimentation is vital. It is good. Sometimes it works the way we want. Sometimes not. Nevertheless, we did it. To do is success in itself. The image seen above was taken from Thu Thiem bridge overlooking District 1 of Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon as most residents prefer. It is a long exposure, ca...
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Dec 5, 2010, 8:12 pm
Travel it is. Sunday in Saigon. The normal routine ditched in favour for a trip to the seaside. To Vung Tau. Only 130 km away. Seems close by, until you hit the roads that are still undergoing renovation. Stretches of rigorous suspension testing and a few hours later we have arrived. Quick Italian l...
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Mads M. posted an article on Studio MadsMonsen, Where ideas are captured - Nov 22, 2010, 2:03 am
Ole from Fronterra and one of my friends and clients, once told me something that made a lasting impression. He would often get suggestions from his workers that other suppliers were cheaper to which he always retorted “But are they better?” To him, quality came first. Another friend of mine, Da...
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