Image via Complex Original
Sydney, Australia is one of the most photographed cities in the world because of landmarks like the Sydney Opera house, but there is so much more to the Harbour City than that. 22-year-old photographer Vinh Pham spends his free time snapping shots of what he calls the "unexplored playground" in his backyard. Pham describes himself on Instagram as an "explorer, looking for treasure," and he goes to great heights and depths to find it.
Inspired by American Instagrammers who shoot their cities with a "top down view," Pham tries to go off the beaten path, looking at the place where he was born and raised from every angle. "I've always believed that you don’t need to travel to be inspired," the young explorer told us. "Simply by slowing down and taking a different route, the exotic and unexpected can be found on your doorstep." We asked Vinh Pham to share a few of his favorite photos with us and to describe what he captured in the frame, while also telling us a little about Sydney and his passion for photography. Check out the 11 photos that he shared below.
“This was taken on Flinders Lane in Melbourne. A big part of Melbourne is owed to its hidden gems of lane way cafes. I happened to stumble across this bustling tight lane and wanted to show that every nook and cranny is taken up by ornaments, tables, cafes, diners, and passers by.”
“Having lived and grown up in Sydney my whole life, simply exploring the hidden gems or alley ways and abandoned sites was not enough to me. I wanted to see what Sydney was really like in its entirety, and I was fortunate enough to meet graffiti artists who granted me access to their underground culture.”
“Sydney is known for its wacky weather of heat waves and thundering storms, but it's quite rare to see a storm front rolling in slowly to encompass Sydney.”
“A big part of my growth on Instagram is due to the community and the ability it has to connect all of us to one another through the collective passion of photography. Here I got to meet Noel, who I had been following for a while. This is a snap of him at his favourite spot in Bondi Beach.”
“Having been a solo shooter for a long time, I started experimenting with my images by adding a human element to it. I find that adding a person gives a sense of scale and accessibility to the location.”
“I'm not much of a morning person, but I occasionally do pack up the bags early and go for a short day trip, breaking out of the urban jungle to explore the surrounding National Parks of Sydney.”
“Having walked down this road for 3 years to and from work, not once did I consider stopping for a moment just to take in the grand scale of my city. This image is a reminder to sometimes take a moment to stop and explore our surroundings.”
“Rarely do I show people's faces in my images. The reason I don't is so that my viewers can envision themselves as that person, to show that anyone can go on adventures, road trips, and explorations.”
“With the majority of this image being shot upside down into a giant puddle of water, it shows that sometimes all we need to do is to just shift our perspective from the traditional way of seeing. The slight tilt of the head can alter the entire image.”
“Wanting to explore Sydney in its entirely starting from the underground. Then I started exploring rooftops because I wanted to show everyone what the city of Sydney looks like from up high, without barriers.”
“A big part of taking photos for me is the thrill of chasing images like these. The constant fast-paced moments, from cowering underneath barriers from security cameras, to scaling down high walls really makes urban photography such an adventure in my home town.”
