Photographing Lý Sơn: composition with care

Sea glare can overwhelm a phone's exposure. Try a frame that includes rock texture or a shaded foreground, and check the image before leaving. Wipe salt spray from the lens with a suitable cloth. If the horizon looks washed out, change your angle or return in softer light rather than stepping closer to breaking waves.

Choose firm ground before taking out equipment and keep bags clear of walkways. Do not climb Tò Vò, approach a cliff edge or stand beneath unstable-looking overhangs for a wider frame. Leave room for other people. A longer lens, crop or lower viewpoint is often a more useful choice than an exposed position.

Request permission before photographing a recognizable resident closely or entering a garlic plot. Explain whether a portrait is for personal memories or publication. At temples and ceremonies, ask whether photography is appropriate and keep away from the ritual area. Declining a photograph should be easy; buying something is not consent.

Do not move fishing gear, produce, offerings or household objects to improve a composition. Avoid blocking workers while reviewing photographs. Drone operation requires its own applicable permissions and site checks; a quiet field is not automatic authorization. Save a few contextual notes so later captions identify places accurately without inventing a resident's story.