When plum blossoms are in the main season, on the peak day, Le Nguyen earns 4-5 million VND by taking pictures for guests, the monthly income is three times higher than normal.
Moc Chau district (Son La) with 1,300 hectares of plums is in the most beautiful flowering season (from late January to mid-February). The two valleys with the largest plum growing area and the most visited are Na Ka and Mu Nau, according to the District Portal.
Nguyen Son, owner of a plum garden in Na Ka, shared that there are more than 10 gardens open for the tourism business. In the blooming season, on average, a garden welcomes about 100 guests per day, doubling or tripling at weekends. Guests of all ages, from young children following their parents to camping to young adults and middle-aged people.
The number of visitors flocked to a large number, mainly taking pictures with plum flowers, so the rental photography service developed accordingly. Quang Kien, a photographer living in Moc Chau, said that the number of people taking photos increased 3-4 times in the peak month. “There are also workers in nearby areas such as Van Ho, Thuan Chau and even Hanoi to work,” Kien said. Nguyen Son said, the number of professional and amateur photographers has numbered in the hundreds throughout the valley. In normal or off-peak months, the photographer just “counts on the fingers”.
Quang Kien said he received two shifts a day, earning about 2 million VND. If taken regularly, he will earn 40-50 million VND in the plum blossom crop. Has 4 years of experience in photographing plum blossoms, but this is the first time Kien takes photos of the service. So he has not compared with previous years but is satisfied with the amount of money earned. “In the high season, I will ask customers to deposit money. In the low season, we work in the spirit of trust,” he said.
Le Nguyen, living in Moc Chau, has 5 years of working with photography. At the peak of the weekend, the number of guests he accepts shoots up to 40 people a day. Most guests go in groups, 4-7 people. Nguyen also has groups of 30-40 people to book appointments. The price depends on the time, the number of guests, on average about 1-2 million VND per session. On three-shift shooting days (morning, noon, afternoon), the income can be up to 4-5 million VND. On other days of the week, the income is also about 1 million VND. On average, the peak month he earns 2-3 times the normal month, and “much higher than the low season”.
Another local photographer, Bui Van Hiep (Wild Horse) said that on peak days, he can shoot for 10 guests, priced from 400,000 to 450,000 VND per person. This is also the average price in Moc Chau, according to a survey from VnExpress. Hiep’s total income in a peak day is about 4 million VND. On weekdays, the income is half. “I make three times as much money in off-peak months, twice as much in normal months,” he said.($1=24,000 VND)
As for Nguyen Moc Duc, 30 years old, an amateur photographer, the income when shooting plum blossoms is not as high as the seniors. Taking pictures with him is a side job, and only taken on weekends, but his income also increased by 10 million VND compared to the months without flowers. “That’s too good,” he said.
According to Quang Kien, the trend of renting photos in Moc Chau has existed for a long time. “In the past, it was mainly pedestrians who stood right at tourist spots to take photos and then print them back. The movement of hiring digital photographers and pre-ordering has only blossomed in the past 3-4 years due to the development. of social networks and the word-of-mouth effect of guests,” Kien said.
Thien An, a tourist from Hanoi, said that hiring a worker is of course more beautiful than taking it yourself. The photographer will advise on costumes, poses and lead to the most beautiful flower gardens. Guests just need to prepare the outfit. In addition, the cost of a set of photos is 500,000 VND for two hours, according to Thien An “not expensive” but the results are “super good, everyone compliments”.
“Taking a phone is also good, but taking a professional camera is better, having a professional worker is better. It took me a lot of time to go to the plum garden to play, so I want to invest a little to have a set of photos as a souvenir,” An said.
Thu Nga, another tourist, said finding a worker was “very simple”. She went to groups, read comments about Moc Chau, beautiful and famous photographers and then went to their personal pages to see sample photos. If she finds the stylist’s style suitable for her, she will contact and schedule a photo shoot.
Although they earn a lot, this is also the most difficult month for photographers because they have to work at full capacity. Quang Kien, after nearly a month of taking pictures, has gone black. “From the day I took pictures until now, the question I get the most is why do you look so black these days. In order to get good pictures for customers, the workers have to take photos at the sunniest times of the day, from 8 am to 11 am. , afternoon from 14:00 to 17:00”, Kien said. Due to a lot of work, he had to move constantly and stand for a long time in the hot sun.
The number of visitors is crowded, but the beautiful time to take pictures of flowers is limited, and the travel distance from the guest’s accommodation (mostly staying out of town) to the remote shooting point, so the photographer can’t take too many photos in a day. “On a crowded day, income is higher, but we have to stay up late, get up early, do post-production for guests, eat erratically,” Le Nguyen said.
As for Bui Van Hiep, the most difficult thing for him when taking pictures this season is the weather. There are days when the sun is hot, you still have to shoot through noon. On rainy days, the road was muddy, he took pictures while taking care of keeping the camera from getting wet. “These days, I’m usually busy from 7am to 6pm, just have time to eat a bowl of rice and then do post-production until 2am. But in return, I earn a lot so I’m more motivated,” Hiep said.
( According to vnexpress )