The Motorbike Diaries: Vietnam Motorbike Photography

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You all know, I am fascinated with the motorbike culture in Vietnam. I’ve taken many hours watching traffic in complete amazement.  I have tried to capture this remarkable phenomenon in photos and video, but I struggle to do it justice. However, the book “Bikes of Burden“ by Hans Kemp does do it justice. Sadly, though, it’s no longer available except as a used book. 

It’s simply a photobook, but it does an excellent job of capturing what motorbike culture is like. His pictures depict what I see every day here. Hans had to log hours on a motorbike to get these amazing shots… his poor lungs!

Vietnam Motorbike Photography

Inspired by the Bikes of Burden, I’ve been collecting some of my recent motorbike photography that will amaze and baffle you. After living here for a year, I’m still absolutely dumbfounded and tickled by what I see the Vietnamese strap to their motorbikes. 

The motorbike culture here is the most unique in the world!  If you don’t believe me, then just check out these photos!

Incredible Things People Transport on Vietnam Motorbikes

Vietnam Motorbike Panning Photography

In addition to simply taking photos of what people carry on their motorbikes, I have also been perfecting my panning photos of Vietnamese motorbike traffic. It’s taken a while to figure out the best settings and lots of practice, but I’m getting there!

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Panning for Photos in Vietnam

I stood on the street corner early one morning in Saigon with my camera.  As the next wave of motorbike traffic sped by, I was ready – the camera viewfinder was up to my eye, and I was ready to get in sync with the traffic whizzing by me.  I’d catch a motorbike through my viewfinder and move with it, essentially twisting until I could no longer keep up.  Then, I would twist back around and find another one to follow.  Many of the riders looked at me, perplexed, trying to figure out what I was doing, swiveling back and forth (maybe a new dance?), But there was a good reason for doing this twist – I was practicing my panning.

In photography, it’s great when you can connect with your subject, but when it comes to panning, you must be in complete sync with your subject.

Panning is when you move your camera in synchronicity with your subject, creating a beautiful, blurred motion background and a clear, crisp, in-focus subject.  Now it’s not just about movement and keeping up with your subject; it’s the settings on your camera that make this possible.  And in my case, lots of practice.

This is your chance to shoot at slow shutter speeds. When I’m shooting motorbike traffic, I normally stick to 1/20 – a setting where I can normally get a lot of blur from moving the camera – but still be able to get a clear subject.  However, my image-stabilized lens does help quite a bit.  You may want to start at 1/60 and try to get the hang of it.  The slower the shutter speed, though, the more blur you get in the background – it’s addicting, I’m warning you.

The picture above with the girl in the yellow raincoat is panning and moving with the subject; however, the picture below is simply a picture shot with a low shutter speed and creates the opposite effect.

I love panning photography in Vietnam because the motorbikes seem to go at a pace that I can keep up with and get some great shots.  Plus, when capturing Vietnam motorbike traffic, you never know what you are going to get. They carry all kinds of crazy stuff on the backs of those bikes!  In Saigon  – a city of millions of motorbikes, you don’t have to wait long for one to come by – you can get a lot of practice in.

So go to your favorite corner, set a focus point in the middle of the frame, and bring down your shutter speed (use shutter priority mode, normally represented by either an “S” or the letters “TV” on the mode dial on the top of your DSLR camera), loosen your twisting hips up, and start to follow some subjects. As you follow the subject through your viewfinder, when they get to the focal point you chose, then you snap the picture.  I normally continue to follow them after the shot just to keep in the flow of things.

Here are some of my best panning shots in Saigon.  I hope you go out and try some for yourself!

How to Capture Panning Photos of Moving Traffic

Step 1: Choose the Right Gear

• Use a DSLR or mirrorless camera for the best control.
• A lens with a zoom range of 24-70mm or 70-200mm works well.
• A tripod or monopod helps if you want extra stability, but hand-held works too.

Step 2: Set Your Camera Mode

• Switch to Shutter Priority (S or Tv) mode.
• Start with a shutter speed between 1/30s to 1/60s for motorbikes or cars.
• Adjust faster for quicker traffic, slower for a more dramatic motion blur.

Step 3: Adjust Focus

• Use continuous autofocus (AI-Servo / AF-C) so your camera keeps the moving subject sharp.
• Pick a single focus point for the subject (like the bike or car).

Step 4: Position Yourself

• Find a spot where traffic moves consistently past you (like a straight stretch of road).
• Ensure safety! Stay off the road and on a sidewalk or safe area.

Step 5: Pan With the Subject

• Track the moving vehicle smoothly with your camera.
• Move your whole body, not just your arms, to follow the motion.
• Keep the subject in the same place in your frame as you move.

Step 6: Take the Shot

• Press the shutter while still moving with the subject.
• Try burst mode to capture multiple frames — increases your chances of a sharp subject with a blurred background.

Step 7: Check and Adjust

• Review your shot: is the subject sharp and the background blurred?
• If too blurry: increase shutter speed.
• If the subject is frozen and the background is not streaked, slow down the shutter speed.

Step 8: Experiment

• Try different angles, distances, and focal lengths.
• Get creative with multiple motorbikes in frame or low angles for a dynamic effect.