Digital Nomad Charts the World’s Most Futuristic Architecture Our world has so many stories waiting to be told. The one photographer Anh Nguyen is telling is of the future of architecture – a story which is unfolding before our eyes all the time. Anh tells the story by making engaging, wide-angle photographs of buildings whilst travelling in different cities and sharing them online via Instagram. Anh puts her signature mark on each image: a single human in the frame – usually a stranger walking by, or if no one’s around, her partner or a friend. We were keen to meet her and discuss what motivates her to create her images. THE PLUS: What’s the concept behind your photographs? Anh Nguyen: I mostly shoot architecture with one person in the picture. I like the combination. It makes the picture look alive and interesting. Architecture is normally cold and it looks very boring sometimes. At the same time, people like you and me wouldn’t normally recognise the buildings we pass by. I want to try and change this. I want people to take a look at my pictures and make them start to think: “Where could this shot have been taken? Is it even real?”. I always do my best to create something different and unique that makes people almost not believe their eyes when they see my pictures. That kind of positive feedback motivates me to keep creating great content. TP: When did you start making architecture photographs? AY: I got into architecture photography in mid-2016. But it started to get serious last year. TP: You feature all sorts of architecture, old and new. Would you say you have a particular taste? AY: I like to photograph old and new architectures because you can see the changes in design and architecture over the years. I mainly shoot new architecture because it looks more modern and futuristic to me. TP: What do you love most about travelling? AY: I always love to explore places which I have never been before! And also to meet new people while travelling. I find it very interesting to listen to their stories about their life, experiences, and achievements – it can also help you to understand your problems better. You get the chance to hear about life from another perspective. I also like to learn more about the culture and history. Because every city is so different to the next. TP: What’s your favourite place you’ve been to and why? AY: My favourite place I have been to is definitely Japan! Because the food is amazing and also the people are super friendly. In my experience Japanese people are very helpful, like when I got lost in Osaka and wanted to find a bus station, and a lady (who doesn’t speak English) helped me and took me to the station! I was super impressed even though she could have been busy with something else or might have been in a rush! My favourite city for photography is Singapore because it has a lot of amazing architecture to shoot! I spent two days there exploring and taking pictures. But sadly I still couldn’t visit all its amazing architecture! There are so many spots shot even though it is a small country. TP: What are your interests outside of photography? AY: Before I started photography, I loved cooking. I would always try to find a new recipe to cook something delicious for myself. But recently I am also interested in videography. Creating a video is a little bit similar to photography because you need to think about the location and a story to film. TP: What would you say creates the identity of a city? AY: I would definitely say the history of a city because it creates its own people (such as through behaviour, lifestyle, creativity etc.), culture and environment. Without these features, I guess the city wouldn’t be alive or it could end up as a city without any interesting facts. TP: Which city do you most want to go to next? AY: I would really love to go back to Japan because I haven’t seen the cherry blossoms! I missed the change last year.
