Another Spring Afternoon

"My lover has gotten married."

The humorous nickname given to Chieu Xuan by the Hanoi photography community is taken from the title of a very famous film she once participated in. Chieu Xuan's role as Na in this film helped her win an award. Best ActressBest in 11rd Vietnam Film Festival. "My lover is getting married" refers to her infatuation with her "new love," photography, to the point of almost "betraying" her acting career.

Chiều Xuân officially began using a camera as a creative medium two years ago, during the COVID-19 pandemic. "I had too much free time and nothing to do, so I got into photography. I'm slow-paced, and since I'm only just getting involved with technical equipment at this age, it took me longer to learn than most people. Things that a young person learns once, I had to learn three times – I literally broke a sweat trying to master them.""She said humorously."

Chiều Xuân is an actress who often surprises people. I was once shocked when she decided to learn French in her 40s to study directing in France. I've told you about the difficulties she faced learning the language in several articles, but one detail that impressed me the most was her saying: even though she's been there for several years, she still doesn't speak it fluently, but she doesn't mind. Even though she was the oldest in her class and was scolded by her teacher to the point of tears, she wasn't bothered. If you don't know something, just learn it; what's there to be ashamed of!

With a "learn if you don't know" mindset, despite her seemingly unhurried demeanor and slow, recitative delivery, Chieu Xuan is an actress who "moves slowly but always moves forward." This is due to her thirst for knowledge and the constant desire for self-improvement as an artist. Chieu Xuan not only learned French, but later also English and German.

There are many things you learn that are "useless," even your directing career hasn't been fully utilized, but Chieu Xuan has never regretted the time and effort she invested. "It complements both my work and my life, in one way or another.""That's what she said."

Returning to her new passion, photography came to Chieu Xuan almost as a gift. It helped make her time confined at home due to the pandemic more meaningful.

She would sit and diligently study the techniques, how to use Photoshop, how to adjust lighting and focus, and before she knew it, the translation work had passed. When life returned to normal, she took photos as if she wanted to preserve all the warm and beautiful moments of life.

She frames it in individual photos, then, whenever she has free time, she shows it off to her online friends, as a way of expressing her attitude towards life, her perspective, and her worldview.

"So warm, so gentle, so feminine, Ms. Xuan's photos are just like her, you can see it right away.""That's what photographer Tran Thanh commented."

Photographer Chieu Xuan

Although a newcomer to photography, perhaps due to her sensitivity to framing, Chiều Xuân's works always have a very tight composition, with light often subtly spreading along a border, yet illuminating the entire scene.

Chiều Xuân explained that photography is a moment in cinema, something she's no stranger to, and that it's another way she expresses her love for film.

Most recently, the work Sunset over O Quy Ho Pass Chiều Xuân's photo surpassed over 50.000 other photos to make it into the top 50 of the international photo website Agora. Chiều Xuân has also won numerous other similar smaller awards. For example: the photo Carrying heavy loads Her photo was selected as the best photo of the day by The World Wide Street Photography Club; Sunset is not lonely. Chiều Xuân's work was selected for the street photography collection of The World Wide Street Photography Club. Phoenix Flower This photo was chosen by photographers and the audience in Sigma Vietnam's flower and plant photography contest. Ballet It was selected for exhibition in Bangkok, Thailand... Most interesting of all is the picture Long Coc tea hill on a misty day Accepted for listing and sale on Getty Images (the world's largest online photo archive).

""I can't believe that one day I would also participate in these kinds of competitions so comfortably.", Spring afternoon sighs.

I used to think that someone like Chiều Xuân, with her "old Hanoi" style—walking slowly, speaking slowly, and laughing slowly—would only be interested in photographing flowers, plants, and still life. However, her favorite subject is street life. During the lockdown, even when she went to the market once every four days, Chiều Xuân would bring her camera so she could capture any moment she liked.

She explained:For me, street photography is a continuation of the stories in cinematic films. If film is staged, then street photography is life in its myriad forms, unfolding naturally and spontaneously, just as cinema always strives for authenticity.

Everyday life is full of colors, which is what art aims for. They are everywhere, but the important thing is whether people see them, whether they are lucky enough to encounter those precious moments.”

As the mother of two "very fast, very dangerous" daughters, Chieu Xuan says she always has to try to keep up, to avoid falling too far behind her children. Therefore, playing with young people, helping young people, and interacting with young people has become a necessity for her.

Previously, in the list of 4 short films by young directors released for free on the YouTube channel Film Box by the Center for Young Film Talent Development and BHD, many were surprised to see a veteran actress like Chieu Xuan agree to take on a very small role in the film. I'm a bastard. by Nguyen Hoang Nhat.

The film, a dark comedy, tells the story of a young director eager to make films with bizarre scripts that are less than 30 minutes long. Chiều Xuân's role is only a few minutes long, yet she still accepts the role. Later, the film won the Golden Lotus Award – once again proving the actress's discerning eye. My mother-in-law.