Ao Dai clothing photography in Hanoi: one red dress, a temple and fashion photography in a location setting

Name: La Lente Photographer
Address: Epping, NSW, 2121, AU
Telephone: 0414 442 440
Price range: $

One red Ao Dai, old stone walls and a crowd who thought she was a tourist attraction. Why a location setting sells a dress better than a plain wall.

By Paul D’Ambra · May 2018

Home - Business - Ao Dai clothing photography in Hanoi: one red dress, a temple and fashion photography in a location setting

Woman in a red Ao Dai standing before a large stone gate with a red banner.

Close view of a woman in a red Ao Dai holding a blossom sprig, her face under a conical hat.

Woman in a red Ao Dai holding flowers in front of a rice field and hills.

Woman in a red Ao Dai posing with one hand on her conical hat against a dark stone wall.

Woman in a red Ao Dai walking along an old tiled wall, her dress swirling.

Woman in a red Ao Dai standing in front of kneeling performers in yellow and green costumes.

A taste of the shoot. More photos are in the full gallery further down the page.

This is Ao Dai clothing photography on location: one red Ao Dai, photographed around a temple and the streets of Hanoi, Vietnam. It's a good example of what I mean by fashion photography in a location setting. Instead of a plain backdrop, the outfit sits in a place that suits it, and the place helps tell the story of the clothes.

Ao Dai clothing photography around a Hanoi temple

The Ao Dai is Vietnam's national garment. It was first the outfit worn at the court of the Nguyễn Lords at Huế in the 18th century, and it has changed over the years. In the 1950s, Saigon designers tightened the fit to make the version most Vietnamese women wear today.

A dress with that much history suited an old setting. Carved stone gates, dark stone walls, weathered tiles and hedge-lined brick paths gave the red dress something to stand against. The bright red against old stone drew plenty of attention. Many passers-by seemed to think she was a tourist attraction in her own right.

Woman in a red Ao Dai standing in a stone archway looking out to the hills.

Woman in a red Ao Dai leaning against a stone gate post.

What I photographed

The whole set is one outfit: the red Ao Dai with its floral pattern, worn with a conical hat. I worked in soft, natural daylight and moved through the site, so the same dress appears against many different backgrounds.

Full-length shots show the whole cut and length of the dress, from the front and the back. Shots in motion, walking along a tiled wall or towards a gate, show how the fabric moves. Wider shots put the dress in its setting, including a temple gate, a courtyard with costumed performers, and a rice field with hills behind. Detail shots come in close on the pattern, the hands and a sprig of blossom.

That mix matters. A customer buying a dress wants to see the fit, the movement and the detail, and a brand wants a feeling to go with it.

Woman in a red Ao Dai smiling with her arms out behind a bed of yellow flowers.

Woman in a red Ao Dai watching costumed performers in a temple courtyard.

Dress photography for designers, boutiques and influencers

This kind of shoot suits dress designers, boutiques, clothing labels and influencers. The photos work on a website, on social media, in a lookbook and on the product pages of an online store. Location shots give your range a mood that flat-lay and studio photos can't, and they make your feed look less like a catalogue.

My business photography in Sydney includes a commercial licence, so you can use the photos across all of those places.

Matching the dress to a Sydney location

The same approach works for almost any dress. The trick is to pick a place that says something about who the dress is for. Here are some ideas for clothing photography in Sydney.

Bridal

Heritage sandstone streets and old church grounds, or quiet gardens with soft light. Long trains need space and a clean background.

Formal and evening wear

Grand sandstone buildings, harbour foreshores at dusk, or a city laneway with some texture. Low light suits darker fabrics and sheen.

Cultural and traditional dress

Places that respect the garment: heritage buildings, temples and cultural centres, or gardens. Ask for permission before you shoot at a place of worship.

Resort and summer wear

Beaches, ocean pools, harbour foreshores and coastal walks. Early morning gives soft light and fewer people.

Boutique and designer collections

Laneways, cafés and local shopping streets, where your customers live and shop. A few streets close together give you variety without losing time.

Whatever the location, plan for full-length shots, movement, details and a few wider shots of the setting. Shoot in portrait and landscape, so you have photos for a phone screen, a website banner and an online store.

Clothing photography in Sydney

Business photography starts at $495 for up to an hour, with up to 10 edited photos and a commercial licence included. See business photography prices for what's included.

Shoot details

Where
Around a temple and the streets of Hanoi, Vietnam

Photographed
One red Ao Dai with a conical hat

Style
One outfit, full-length, motion and detail shots, natural light

Suits
Dress designers, boutiques and influencers

Business photography in Sydney →

The full gallery

Woman in a red Ao Dai and conical hat walking towards a carved stone gate.

Back view of a woman in a red Ao Dai walking towards a carved stone gate.

Woman in a red Ao Dai reaching out beside a stone gate with a red banner.

Back view of a woman in a red Ao Dai with her arms out in a stone doorway facing a green field.

Woman in a red Ao Dai and conical hat walking past an old stone wall and wooden door.

Back view of a woman in a red Ao Dai holding her conical hat in a stone hall.

Back view of a woman in a red Ao Dai holding her hat in a dark archway.

Back view of a woman in a red Ao Dai holding her hat in a dark stone hall.

Back view of a woman in a red Ao Dai looking out of a large wooden window.

Back view of a woman in a red Ao Dai on a brick path between hedges.

Back view of a woman in a red Ao Dai holding a conical hat on a hedge-lined path.

Woman in a red Ao Dai holding her conical hat in the middle of a hedge-lined path.

Side view of a woman in a red Ao Dai on a brick path lined with flags.

Back view of a woman in a red Ao Dai holding a conical hat by a hedge.

Back view of a woman in a red Ao Dai holding her conical hat beside a hedge.

Back view of a woman in a red Ao Dai with her conical hat beside a trimmed hedge.

Woman in a red Ao Dai and conical hat looking up on a path lined with flags.

Woman in a red Ao Dai and conical hat behind a bed of yellow and pink flowers.

Woman in a red Ao Dai with a floral pattern standing in front of a flower bed.

Woman in a red Ao Dai and conical hat leaning on a stone railing above a flower bed.

Woman in a red Ao Dai and conical hat at a stone railing in a leafy garden.

Woman in a red Ao Dai and conical hat beside a stone pillar in a temple garden.

Woman in a red Ao Dai and conical hat looking down beside a stone pillar.

Woman in a red Ao Dai posing with one hand on her hip against a dark stone wall.

Woman in a red Ao Dai with arms raised to her hat against an old tiled wall.

Woman in a red Ao Dai with both arms raised to her conical hat in front of an old tiled wall.

Woman in a red Ao Dai smiling with both hands on her hat against an old tiled wall.

Woman in a red Ao Dai and conical hat walking away beside an old tiled wall.

Woman in a red Ao Dai with a floral pattern walking along an old tiled wall.

More photos from the Ao Dai shoot in Hanoi. Click any photo to see it large.

Need photos of your clothing range?

I can photograph your dresses on location anywhere in Sydney, matched to the places your customers love, for your website, socials, lookbook or online store. Business shoots start at $495 with a commercial licence included.

See business prices →

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