Photography Secrets- Long Coc – Tran Tien Dung

After nearly 10 years of wandering around, through various shooting locations, some easy and some difficult. With a nature that loves to share (or perhaps disliked by some and considered as teaching others), but I will still write for those who love me! Because I firmly believe that those who love me will understand me! And I live for the people I love! Hereinafter, I will start sending to everyone a series of articles Revealing difficult shooting spots! The posts will be shared on my personal page and on the Photography Passion Journey Group. I really hope everyone will support and interact so that the article can reach as many people as possible! Thank you sincerely! And to not waste any more time, let’s explore the first spot in the journey together!

– Long Coc: The conical tea hill

• Difficulty: 7/10
• Beauty: 9/10 Shooting angles: Many (Sunset/Sunrise/Setup/Silhouette/Night)

1. Long Coc is over 100km from Hanoi, and it takes about 3 hours to get there with relatively easy routes. You should plan your time to arrive early for your shooting purposes. Besides the travel time, you need to add extra time for walking, as most shooting spots are quite far and require a long walk if you don’t have a motorbike.
2. What to bring to Long Coc: Good hiking shoes, socks to prevent insects, long sleeves and pants regardless of the weather (morning, evening, or night) because Long Coc can be quite hot during the day and a bit chilly at night. There are also many mosquitoes and leeches (although there are fewer now). A suitable hat to protect against fog and sun. Pack light for easy movement as Long Coc is quite vast.
3. Photography equipment: A wide-angle lens (from 12mm will give you amazing shots with the fresh green tea leaves in the foreground) and don’t forget to bring a telephoto lens from 200mm for beautiful layers. A drone is a very important device to have here. Recommended filters are GND (from 3 stops) and a tripod. For those who intend to shoot star trails or Milky Way, you might need a lens dew cap. A CPL filter can create very special effects when light reflects off the tea leaves, sometimes causing color flares. However, a good CPL filter can help cut light and preserve the fresh green details.

4. Long Coc’s golden hour: The period when you are most likely to encounter fog in Long Coc is from July to October, especially towards the end of the cycle (other times are possible but quite rare). The most beautiful photos of Long Coc are of tea hills hidden in the fog and bathed in bright sunlight. So, what are the prerequisites for fog?

   • Rain: The amount of rain in late June and early July is usually very good for light fog in Long Coc. You should go if there is a rain forecast. Heavy, short-lived rain is the first sign.
   • Humidity: If you can check the air humidity in Long Coc, days with humidity between 60-70% are more likely to have fog.
   • Cloud layers: This is crucial if you want to see “sunlight”. Usually, high-altitude clouds are from 0-20%, low-altitude clouds are below 50%, and ideally, there are no mid-level clouds. This increases the chances of fog hunting for those who want to capture it here (Reference apps: Windy, Ventusky…).
   • Wind: This is a bit spiritual, but usually, days with a gentle breeze are quite beautiful. On windy days, it’s a gamble, but sometimes you can get interesting scenes of fog rolling in and out, which is great for video and timelapse.
5. Tea harvest time is also a crucial factor! To get a fresh green tea color, you must go before the locals harvest and prune the tea bushes (an activity to promote more buds for the next season). The most beautiful time is about 1-2 weeks before the new tea leaves are harvested. That’s when the color is at its best (the photos below were taken after the harvest, so the color is dull and can’t be enhanced).
6. For shooting the Milky Way or other nighttime photography, the fewer clouds the better. Even on nights with high-altitude clouds, the conditions can be great, but heavy rain in the late afternoon can cause the entire tea hill to be submerged in night fog, making it impossible to shoot. The weather in Long Coc at night is quite cold and there is a lot of fog that is harmful to health. Additionally, mosquitoes in Long Coc are very active at night! Photographers should prepare thoroughly and bring mosquito repellent, etc. Also, there is no food available at night, so everyone should bring some snacks and water.
7. Potential dangers: Vehicles can skid on the grass, and you can slip and fall in the tea rows due to carelessness. There have been cases of people unfamiliar with the terrain getting their cars stuck in the tea rows. The old tea branches are quite hard and can easily cause minor injuries (scrapes). There may be snakes or leeches in the tea rows.
   P/S: Please keep the shooting locations clean and be a civilized photographer!