MAKE THINGS WITH YOUR HANDS

Recently I had a little exhibition in Chiang Rai Thailand at Prataap Jai which is an art gallery, tea house, cultural, art and movement educational centre . It’s such a special space and I was super happy to have my images displayed there. The vision for their venue is totally beautiful and aligns with how I feel about Chiang Rai. Thats my friend Fai on the flier. She looks so pretty!!

“We aim to provide a clear alternative environment to the typical “bar scene” which is often the place where foreigners interact with Thais. The goal of our work is to enable cross-cultural exchange among foreigners and Thais; to provide a place where foreigners and locals can meet and learn from one another in positive, productive and creative ways. ” Prataap Jai Website.

I think Prataap Jai achieved their goals on this particular night, as ethnicity wise (off the top of my head) there were Lahu, Mien , Akha , Thai, Brazilian, German, American, Chinese, British, New Zealand, Irish and Australians and a few more ethnicities there on the night.

Some of my favorite dudes from the Chiang Rai Photo Club.

My friend Chalit Chawalitangkun ( a photographer  from Chiang Rai/ and uber cool character ) helped us open the night by translating into Thai this small speech to explain how I felt about the images.

"TRIBE AND PLACE - These images are about stories. Long, intricate stories reaching back through families 
and time. We are priviledged to learn from the different ethnicities living in Chiang Rai Province and 
form new understandings of life, our planet and eachother. 
I feel like the people are the riches of this country and well worth celebrating."
 

Nitaya Buayoi who is a local Mien leader ( and a pretty darn intelligent/gorgeous lady ) opened the exhibition with the approval of the Village Headman, who is a supporter of Prataap Jai and even bought along an eight piece traditional Thai musical group for the evening (which was awesome).

P’Nitaya and her son.

The local band.

I haven’t met many people in my wanderings, who when they understand the nature of the cultures in Northern Thailand, dont have a moment where they seem to broaden in their eyes and are taken in by the story of the unique migratory and cultural history in the region. Even if they haven’t been there, it seems to fascinate people because it touches on the part of all of us that wonders how we “belong”.

Below is an image which may shed some light on the fascinating people groups who live in the area and where they have come from. The top province is Chiang Rai and the capital is where I spent last year taking images and learning about different cultures.

One of my favorite things about Thailand is this kind of “Do It Yourself” ethic that threads through almost all areas of life.

I love daydreaming ….looking up …and then realizing that the lamp shades hanging in the trees around me are made of chicken-pen baskets or being surprised by the creative uses of bamboo, from eating it to building houses or musical instruments with it. Within minority cultures in the North there is amazing resourcefulness.

The images I chose for my exhibition were chosen for their educational content and personal meaning. I wanted to give a tiny glimpse of these complex and fascinating people group’s lives. I have included a few of the images from the Prataap Jai exhibition, to illustrate this.

These boys are shooting small stones from their bamboo toy guns. These kids are Lahu and this day was a special festival where a heap of different Lahu Sub Groups met together to share food and dancing and hang out.

This is the dowry of a Hmong woman. I was stayed with a Hmong family  in Nan Province (See map ) and this woman shared some of her story with me and also showed me all of her traditional clothes and dowry.

Nearby in another Hmong village I watched an old woman sew this fabric with these intricate and ancient designs in the doorway of her house. Two boys shot each other with toy guns and played around her. She patiently sewed these tiny patterns. Each people group has unique and specific craft traditions.

The Lahu craft/clothing traditions are very different from the Hmong. The cloth is folded and sewn flat to create the colored shapes. Metal/silver flat buttons are sewn in shapes onto the black fabric. These girls are dancing in a circle.

I love this picture because I was kind of blown away by the older Akha women on this day. They have two types of swing for New Years celebrations. There is this ferris wheel one and a kind of big bungy cord style swing that goes pretty high. All the Grandmas were getting on and having a go. It was totally impressive. The shape in the foreground made of bamboo is a traditional Akha emblem that was/is placed at the gate of villages.

There was images of Lahu, Hmong, Karen and Akha people in the exhibition. I used each of their craft traditions to hang these little explanations from the bottom in Thai and English. The Karen weaving has quite often got raw ends hanging off it so I used this raw weaving thread to hang the Karen images. That little love heart is the sign that some one bought this one. Texta love hearts are so the new black :)

THANKYOU TO Khwan Atthawut (รับงานถ่ายรูปทั่วโลก) for his photos of the night and for allowing me to use them in this blog.

BURMESE FOOD

Last night I hung out with my friend just over the mountain from my house, shes Burmese. When you are the only person of your race it can feel a bit strange. Im kind of getting used to it a bit though.

Anyway so this lady comes running up to me “Ming ga la ba!!!!” (Burmese greeting) and shakes my hand vigorously. I think she may have me confused with someone else but it turns out shes just being really nice. She is the cook and she has cooked for around fifty people , traditional Burmese food. By the time she is finished filling me up and schooling me up on what all the dishes are called Im ready to pass out from so much food. So I forgot to shoot the main dishes stuff sorry, brain fog. There were mainly spicy rice noodles and big pots of stew cooked on wood fires poured over noodles.

But in the kitchen there is this atmosphere of more cruisy food preparations. I like watching how well everyone works together. In fact its one of my favourite experiences with ethnic minorities here in Thailand. It isnt utopia but there is alot of beautiful cooperation that seems to just come natural to some people.

This man is making a Burmese desert called something like “100 layers” its kind of a Roti thats expertly layered and then squashed and fried. Inevitably delish, of course, served with sweetened condensed milk drizzled over it. He studied for eight months to do this. As he flattens it and flicks it over its like a drum beat. Totally precise.

Then there is this fried vegetable. Which with all my efforts I still cant identify. Its served with this “burn-your-face-off-hot” chilli dipping sauce. I thought I heard someone say Naam Xjin which would be Chinese Sauce but I might be wrong. This dish is called Bu Di Jo.

This is Bu Di Jo just cooked.

I find the flow of cultures fascinating. These guys were making Simosas and I was talking with someone about the Indian and Bangladeshi influence on Burmese food. Heres a map of where Burma ( Myanmar )  sits so you can see how it is influenced culturally, China in the North. Thai and Chinese and Indian influences all around.

Some really strong tea that was boiled up in a big pot. It was so strong I got the shakes.

Burmese Simosas

This is the cornflour and legume mix for these hard fried cakes which were also broken up and put over the stews and mixed in amongst noodle dishes. Crunchy bits through your noodles and also with dipping sauce.

Making the 100 layers.

She chipped a tooth. We didnt have a mirror to show her so we took a photo which made her stop crying once she saw it .

DATA LANDFILL

I used to work for a newspaper. Its not a super well known newspaper but Im proud of it and the people that work there. I photographed thousands of people in the the short five years I was there. I think I went through this stage of feeling like it was really mundane work and didnt matter. Because I think I felt like because I wasnt taking any mindblowing photos it wasnt important and I was super proud and arrogant about it at times. Over time as the techy stuff got easier and  I was more relaxed I started connecting with people and I had so many beautiful experiences that in retrospect Im very grateful for the experience.

So today I was thinking about how the mundane becomes exotic in another culture ( Its my first time living in another culture ) . Because of a discussion on Matt Brandons blog. The idea being that a person selling fruit in Thailand is suddenly a much cooler photo to have on your website than a person selling fruit in Adelaide South Australia ( where Im from ). Why are people different to us so fascinating? Why does being in another culture imbue the everyday with this sense of importance and potentially a form of nobility.

I think I had somewhat of a revelation when I realised there are nominal Buddhists here, just like there are Nominal Catholics at home. It seems really obvious and stupid as an assumption that that wouldnt be the case.  Is it what we DONT know about a culture that makes it interesting? I hope not. I hope its like an onion that has layers of understanding.The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton the British Philospher has some really interesting studies on the concept of the exotic.

So getting round to photography. Heres my point and it might be whiney and annoying but …How many “cultural images” are just Data Landfill? Why are they taken? Is it the pretty colors or the wrinkles on the mans face or the cute kids that didnt run away? Asking why someone took a good photo is potentially being a total party pooper but its where I am at so if your reading this then I assume your mildy interested in exploring this topic.

So what if someone is the most amazing cultural photographer, what if they treated people insensitively and manipulatively to obtain that imagery? And what are they going to do with them? What is the purpose of TAKING that persons photo? If it is just because you love doing it than so be it. Personally I find that a good honest answer.

I envy those people. People who have a clear conscience/vision about their images and why they took them. Being here in Thailand has really challenged my views of what using my camera for good actually means. With the power of a Western passport you can travel the world taking pictures. If you have money you can buy very excellent lenses that have very short depth of field. If you go to the right places at the right time you can see the wonders of the world and its people and make images from them. You can put this on a website and call it yours. My question is , what does that do for the world? I personally love seeing images of other cultures than my own so I know for a start it entertains me and makes me curious about the peoples lives. I guess thats a good thing.

This is an open ended question I guess. About why anyone does what they do. What are the core reasons. Job security, Family support, Career Goals. Please feel free to discuss if you want to. As you may notice this entry has a lot of questions in it. Questions not statements.

YOUR FACE LIT UP

Last week there was a nationwide festival in Thailand called Loy Krathong. It was the first time Id seen the golden lanterns floating up into the sky on masse.

I thought it would be the lanterns in the sky that would be the most beautiful thing about the festival but I was surprised that it wasnt. The thing that struck me the most was the emotion on peoples faces as they let go of their lantern.

It was magical. As people let go of their lantern or their little raft “Krathong” they were figuratively letting go of something else. There was a sense of release and joy. I loved watching the faces of the adults transform into children as they let the lantern go.

The Krathongs or little river rafts are traditionally made of banana tree trunk , but these days they are also made of foam or bread. The foam ones are frowned apon of course because the fish in the river obviously dont eat foam and it takes ages to clean it all up. The bread ones break down or are eaten.

“The act of floating away the candle raft is symbolic of letting go of all one’s grudges, anger and defilements, so that one can start life afresh on a better foot. People will also cut their fingernails and hair and add them to the raft as a symbol of letting go of the bad parts of oneself. Many Thai believe that floating a raft will bring good luck, and they do it to honor and thank the Goddess of Water” WIKIPEDIA

MARKETING PEOPLE

Do you sell something for a living? How do you sell what you sell? I noticed so many different techniques tonight. The big sellers were the products where you could see them being made, people gathered to see the process, it engaged them. The tea seller made a full blown dance production with vibrant music and a crowd. (See below)  He was selling a heap of tea, its pretty hard to ignore someone who sets their product on fire.  There is a traveling market set up by the river here in Chiang Rai at the moment. I love all the colours and lights and theres something interesting and raw about the people. They are accustomed to quick transactions, they meet a lot of people everyday.

Were you looking for some nunchucks or some hello kitty?

The image below is a man called Pong I met tonight. Pong is Thai and follows the markets allover the North of Thailand. He sells computer memory sticks and leather purses and a small assortment of other electrical gadgetry. He was a pretty chatty, funny guy and this is how he makes a living. This is what he sells.

This man is Burmese , he sells showrides.

This guy was buying his kid a BB Gun. The kid was pretty stoked.

THIS IS WHAT I MADE AND WHY

Someone recently said to me “Its tough being an artist”. I thought about it and wondered whether that was what I was. I want to flesh that out a bit here on this blog.

I seem not to take as many images for beauties sake or fun anymore. I want to get that back. I want to slow down and see again. Find my voice.

Ive spent the last few years producing images for others (commercially and editorially) and didn’t realise how much the service element of that role engaged me till it wasnt there. I really liked helping journalists (seriously ) and people from the community tell their story, it made me feel needed and purposeful in some way. At its core I believe photography should aim to serve. The International Guild of Visual Peacemakers has been an interesting experience for me because it has helped me begin to question what my photography is saying. Who does it serve? I needed to ask myself this question. The people involved with this site have been generous in helping me to understand this question and how starting out as a photographer I can find my path.

So back to being an artist…. Many people I feel very connected to are those gentle/crazy/passionate folk the world calls artists. They have an image or a song or a feeling floating around inside their head that that they are chasing with an internal butterfly net. When you get them started about what they truly love its liberating and exciting to watch. However this idea that we all must live in “the real world” looms in the background like a teacher with a cane ready to discipline us.

My thoughts of late, as I grow, are that the people that really inspire me are the ones that balance all the uncertainties of being “an artist” whatever that may mean. They are not necessarily the successful people, they are the people who are at peace with the role of an artist in this world. 

Sure everyone has their financial, emotional, logistical struggles but I don’t think this is a solely artistic dilemma. I feel that anyone finding their way in this world faces the uncertainty of decisions and pathways. The artist I believe has to stand still for a moment and say with quiet conviction this is what I made and why. At the heart of saying this I feel there is an element of bravery and vulnerability.

A Bangkok photographer I recently discovered did this gorgeous series on powerlines. If youve ever been to Thailand you would know that the electrical system here is an absolute miracle , the fact that it works is amazing. He created images that are so simple and elegant, in stark contrast to the chaotic system of wires. A simply beautiful series of images which would not be here on earth without this person. http://www.richarddaniels.com/ . You can find the powerlines under PROJECTS.

On the Aussie front there is this photographer Steve Coleman , his black and whites in the snow are so clean and clear . The light is truly amazing and on reading his blog you see he is truly engaged with his craft and even shares his thoughts from his journal regarding his process. http://www.lightinframe.com

As a continue to look at artists and photographers from all over the world , it is the ones who are DOING IT that inspire me. The ones that are engaged, positive, generous and down to earth that encourage me. The ones that are unapologetic , energetic and hopeful that I gravitate towards.

Chase Jarvis is someone whose continued engagement with the online community and his own community in Seattle is a constant inspiration. He is a great touchstone for creatives who would like to see artistic endeavor being lived out in a commercial world. www.chasejarvis.com/blog

Is it hard to be an artist? I think its hard to be a human, its beautiful to be an artist. One day soon perhaps I will pass through a moment in time where I feel for a small moment that I am creating something personal and see that moment for what it is. A gift.

We are so lucky to get to make things with our hands,like children.

FACES OF BURMA

‘However, the detention of other political prisoners and the continued house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi remain of grave concern,” he said in the report, calling for ”respect for the fundamental freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly and association for all citizens, including engagement in political debate and access to the media”. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

When we are so far away from a place , its hard to see the complexities of situations through the media and the many eyes and minds that report our news. Burma is heading into an election in early November. When I went to a border town last week to photograph Burmese people for the video I am making about Burmese Migrant Workers in Thailand, it was fascinating to see the all the different faces of Burma. Amongst the people I photographed there was people groups such as Akha, Shan and ethnic Chinese, all these people are Burmese. The Burmese woman I was with said “We dont know what it will be like after the election, we dont know if it will be any different or safer. I will vote.” We can only hope that the eyes of the world will be on Burma in the next month, so these people can have a chance to voice their hopes for their country.

If you would like to know a little bit more about Burmas situation..take this link

http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/index.php/burma/about-burma/about-burma/human-rights

I CAME HERE FOR WORK

In Thailand there are very many migrant workers from Burma, and to a lesser extent from other poorer South-East Asian countries. As result, the supply of workers for the unskilled jobs which are available to them far exceeds the number of jobs offered by Thai employers. This is one factor which puts the employers in a very strong bargaining position and the workers in a correspondingly weak position.

Cedric Snodgrass ( Burma Digest )

http://burmadigest.wordpress.com/2007/06/13/burmese-migrant-workers-in-thailand/

This is Mee-tum he is a student at the Burmese Migrant Centre School in Chiang Rai, his parents are migrant workers. At the school he has an opportunity to learn Thai, English and Burmese language skills. Hes a little bit shy. Today I watched him interacting with other children, speaking Burmese and laughing and playing. The school is a happy place for these kids.

This is his teacher Somalar , she is ethnic Karen and comes from Yangon in Burma. She came to Thailand to look for work. Some of her family still live in Burma. She is a beautiful , gentle teacher and the children really love her.

When I see these kids I just wonder how we can as human beings decide that one person is of more worth than another. There is an element of prejudice in every society. Burmese people face prejudices in Thailand that are as old as the Kingdoms they come from. This is not for me to judge but it is still so cool to see these little ones getting a chance to go to school because of the work of The Mekong Minority Foundation, which is the Non Government Organisation I am working with at the moment to make a video which may garner support for this school. If you have any brainwaves on ways to help these children continue their education please contact me. Thanks for reading I really appreciate all the people that contact me after reading pieces on this blog.

GOOGLE & THE GESTURES OF BUDDHA

At our fingertips we now have Google to answer even our most inane curiousity. In this case it wasnt inane but quite significant. Ive been living in a Buddhist country for a while now and its easy to just stare in awe at the gilded beauty of the temples without having any real understanding of their meaning.

So after visiting multiple beautiful temples I finally Googled ” The Gestures of Buddha” because I had noticed there was so many poses that he would stand in.

I found out that there is around six main gestures and their meanings are all related to a period of Buddhas teachings.

Here is some images I have taken of Buddhas Gestures. These first images are from a temple on a mountain top which towers over Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand , called Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep also a few from a temple very close to the Grand Palace in Bangkok.

The Dhyana Mudra – This one signifies meditation.

Varada Mudra – Symbolizing Charity.

Abhaya Mudra – Imparting Fearlessness (Reassurance)

This one can be two handed as well ( below ).

Bhumisparsa Mudra : Subduing Mara, Calling the Earth to Witness , the most common Buddha gesture in Thailand, Buddha calls to the earth to witness to his earnest life.

This Buddha stands in Wat Benchamabophit in Bangkok

Vitarka Mudra – Signifies teaching and instruction , this image is also from the Wat Benchamabophit in Bangkok. The below Buddha is in a Japanese style.

The last Buddha gesture couldnt be found amongst my image libraries but Ill keep an eye out for it in my travels, it is Dharmachakra Mudra – Turning the Wheel of the Law in Motion.

So now you can go back to your photos and see what all those gorgeous golden Thai Buddhas were saying to you in the context of their meaning not just their beauty.

UNDER THAI UMBRELLAS

Someone commented to me recently,  “Look at how well this is made, Thai people are amazing!”. Its true. There is so many amazing, skillful craftsmen and women in this country. The level of workmanship in many of the handicrafts is quite mind blowing. Some friends and I visited the Umbrella Factory in Chiang Mai last week and it was actually really interesting. It wasnt how I imagined a factory would be, people were happy , chatting and laughing.

You can see the whole process of the making of this intricate little item which is a Lanna or Northern Thai tradition.

The handles are turned on a lath.

The next section of women were creating the system which opens the umbrella. They were also accurately hand whittling each of these little struts.

Then this lady was applying the first layer of paper.

The next station covered over the edges and put on the second layer of red paper.

The artists at the end of the line paint intricate designs by hand on all the products.

The artists will even paint on your stuff if you would like. Ive never seen anyone paint a dragon as fast as this guy did. He must have done it a million times. My phone is now very “blingy” but I dont mind because I got to watch him paint it which was totally impressive.

OTHERS

The wedding of a fellow NGO worker Sarah (from Belfast) and local boy Prin. I shot their wedding this month.

I think If I was to sum up why I haven’t updated this blog for a few months. It would be “Others”. I have been gifted in the last few months with a new community. Its funny how you could ‘live’ in a place for a long time without having a real community. Thankfully for me Thailand really is a friendly and open place. I recently had the priveledge of going to an engagement party in an Ahka home and it was seriously one of the best days and night Ive ever had. I loved it. They killed the pig right out the front of the house and everybody helped with the cooking and the set up and of course ALL THE EATING! It was so much fun.

My new friend Fai is getting her traditional dress on for her engagement party.

So Community means a heap of different things. Things aren’t always peachy in communities. Sometimes people stay too late after dinner when you want them to go home, Mums and Dads (even Tribal Elders) still say things to hurt their kids, people are mean, racist, gossips and judge others. I personally as part of the community have to own the times I blow it and say or do hurtful things to others, with or without meaning to. As I said, It isn’t always peachy.

But Community in Thailand is a strong and real and as necessary as rice, rain and pigs. Where I live, everybody knows everybody, extended family live together in one house and everybody is connected not just through family but through tribal roots. My village is Karen. Karen girls walked by my house this morning in their traditional dresses and they really are so beautiful and living out their culture every day

Some Akha guys who live in my street.

I don’t know how , but I seem to have been, kind of, accepted here and even as Im writing this my neighbours have come into my kitchen to invited me out to another village and brought me Karen (Tribal) coffee roasted in clay pots by their extended family in a different province of Thailand. People here show genuine generosity, friendship and gratitude on a daily basis. It is confronting and fabulous at the same time. I think being here is changing parts of me. Community forces you to be open and trust. The other night some young guys were singing loudly and drunkenly outside my house. I realised that when I first got here I would have been scared, but now I understand the structure of this community I know that if they were in any way a threat, someone would have gone out and told them to go home to their mothers and their mothers would have found out (maybe at the market) the next day what had happened. I now know that if they were out there singing loudly in the street, it was permitted by someone. Its funny how this understanding shapes our responses.

Joe , Fai’s Mum and Fai at their engagement party.

The other amazing thing about living in Chiang Rai is the interconnected partnerships and values of the NGOs and Charities. I recently met a wonderful, intelligent and vibrant woman from the local university whose vision for tribal young people was as strong as any tribal leader and she was of Thai decent. I love meeting so many amazing people tackling the big issues here in the North. It humbles me and energises me. Today I met some young Americans working here with The Sold Project (Intervening for kids at risk of trafficking), this week I met some Australians who work with Indigenous Affairs at home in Australia and I have recently connected with two groups in my street who are doing really positive projects that assist their Akha Tribal people. There is really good things happening here.

Fai’s Dad in his loungeroom with the lights that his family and community makes to sell.

I am a photographer. I watch and I try to explain things with a camera, but most of all I get to be with this amazing community. Im not making money. Im not advancing my career, Im not even really getting the shots I want most of the time (because its not always appropriate to set up a tonne of speedlights…sadface) .

But I hope in some way despite all my failings, I’m helping my new community.

In other news I also went to Lao, Burma and Nan and Chiang Mai Provinces since my last post hahaha… So many stories. Join my Facebook www.facebook.com/thelightlover to see up to date stories and photos.

DIFFERENCE

THE CHILD OF A BURMESE MIGRANT WORKER.

For the last week Ive been really crook (as we say in Australia). Ive been by myself in another country, sick as a dog, with only a few friends and no solid plan on what Im doing here, but on the upside Ive had alot of time to think.

When I was at home in Australia I don’t think I really had any idea what terms like “emersing yourself in a culture” really meant. But Im pretty sure I cockily thought I did. Have you heard the saying “Eating your words”?

I grew up for the first six years of my life as an outsider/insider in another culture. I was born in a remote and semi-traditional Indigenous community in the desert/coast of South Australia and my brother and I were two of (I think) about five or so non-indigenous kids in the small Yalata community. I now see this experience as the gift it was. Then we moved to New Mexico for a year and my brother told me about how people didn’t want to know him at his school in Albuquerque because he was Australian.(A little white Star Wars nerd in an Indigenous American Community).

It’s a bit of a tired subject but the very use of “Foreigner” to describe people from other countries here is sometimes honestly confronting for me personally. I could be from Iceland not Australia and Id still have the same label. Its strange to be classified in this way and is an institution which is quite un-challengeable even in its inaccuracy. In reality all ethnic minorities are also foreigners but this would not be recognised any more than your average Australian would recognise the Queen of England as their Commonwealth Sovereign. So what is this difference about? It’s a complex question so please excuse my potentially offensive generalisations.

So poetically, here I find myself an outsider in another culture here in Thailand. There is quite a few Ferrung (foreigners) in the city Im living in, don’t get me wrong, but they are a little light on the ground in my village. In other words Im pretty sure Im the only single white girl living in a house by herself here in my village. In Australia it would probably be called a suburb.

I’m living in a Karen Village on the outskirts of Chiang Rai..  This Karen group are a people group who have (so my neighbour says) come here to Chiang Rai in the last 100 years. He says that the old man over the road knows all about the history of their village coming here from Burma. Maybe Ill try and chat/interview him at some stage. Sitting on my porch chatting with my Karen neighbour the other night he was very clear about his ethnicity in relation to other ethnic groups. This is where the term “Hilltribe” falls in a heap. Karen people see themselves as Karen people not necessarily as being lumped in with other distinct ethnicities even though there is tenuous connections. I guess in a similar way as an Australian I always find it strange to be called European even though Im of European decent of course.

The big thing I wanted to say with this blog post was that , difference seems to matter in an underlying way wherever you are in the world. I had no clue (and probably still don’t) what it is like for ethnic minority groups to live in Thailand and call it home. To make the distinction, ethnic minority people like the Karen (my village) are people groups who are not indigenous to this country. They have migrated here over many years and life is not necessarily easy for them here. The Karen are discriminated against in this country and in Burma yet they hold so much of the countries allure for tourists and travellers. This is the tragedy of their losses of culture.

So I came here and I didn’t realise what it would be like to be the odd one out and how obvious it would be in my village. How much ongoing personal pressure it puts on you to be unable to speak the language and just communicate on a basic level with your neighbours or people you meet for your basic needs. My Thai does get a little better everyday but its still totally inadequate. Its much more challenging for me than I thought. At home asking someone for a photograph is intimidating. Here , without sounding negative, it is excruciating.

So what am I learning? Im learning patience and planning and to be the at the healm of my own ship. Within your own culture its easier to decide on a path I think because you somewhat understand the variables. Here I need to be so clear of what I want and why, or else you just end up eating intestines because its what everyone else is doing. I don’t care what anyone says I think intestines are gross and unless there is no other option I aint eatin em.

I wonder what areas of their lives and cultures ethnic minority groups give up when they come to live in Thai society? I wonder in what ways they feel different? Perhaps I will ask some people how it feels to be different here. Would that interest any of you?

By the way I am in no way comparing my little trip to people migrating to this country but its these thoughts about place and difference that run through your head when everyone in your street calls you “the foreigner”.

I wonder what its like for people of distinctly different cultural background to arrive in my country. Is this how people feel? Imagine what it must be like with a declining exchange rate, no support and no networks. Without sounding preachy ,next time you see a Sudanese person at the bustop in Adelaide why not say Gyday?

Please comment on this blog and share your thoughts or experiences. I would love to connect over these issues.

Around 12.5 percent of the population of Chiang Rai province are ethnic minority people. They come from many ethnic groups such as Akha, Karen, Lahu, Mien, Lisu and Hmong. Also Chiang Rai supports people from Burma, China and Lao.  

WRONG TURN TO BAN DOI

 It’s a 8pm policed curfew in Chiang Rai so I’m home but I’m not sure there could be a nicer or more pleasant place on earth right now. I am sitting on the balcony of my house, which is at the base of a large conical shaped, jungle-covered mountain in a suburb (or village) in Chiang Rai Thailand. The rain is pouring down and it is washing the world clean after a bright skied and hot day in the city (I’m sunburnt).. I hope the rain keeps the militant ‘red shirts’ inside drinking beer and chilling out tonight instead of blowing up ATMS like they have been in the city this week.

 Today I continued my explorations of the villages surrounding Chiang Rai. I accidentally took a wrong turn and ended up bush bashing my way on some slippery back roads on the motorbike till I found someone to tell me I was in the wrong village. Some giggly, teenage girls I met had a tiny bit of English and Thai and I had a hand drawn map.

There was a lot of laughter when we all realised how far away I was from where I was meant to be (mainly on their behalf: but I guess they don’t see a foreign girl loaded up with camera gear ride into their village very often, so it was fun for them). They were swimming in a tank when I met them so I followed the drenched girls on their motorsi to the place I was meant to be.

 

The Akha Church in Ban Doi was running a program for local Akha (tribal group) kids and I took some photos of them singing a cute little song about saying hello in Thai and Akha. Its really interesting how many of the ethnic minority groups don’t speak Thai or have access to learning it. I’m finding it hard enough to live in a country where I don’t speak the language let alone being poor, looking for work and raising children as families do here.

MAE CHUNG COW = PEACE ?

Every community, Im sure,  has its issues, but Mae Chung Cow a Karen (tribal group) village in the Chiang Rai province of Northern Thailand certainly has ALOT going for it!!  I am travelling there to stay over night with a group of around 20 delegates from China, The UK, Lao and Burma,  who are taking part in an environmental conference/training with an international aid agency.

The road is pretty windy and red clay, apparently its not much fun if it rains so we are hurrying to the village in the dark trying to beat the rain.  The man driving my car says as we pass through another village. “Okay that’s the end of electricity and phones, we are now at the end of the world”, with a tongue in cheek smile.

THE ROAD INTO THE VILLAGE IN THE MORNING.

 

THIS GUY TOTALLY LOVED THE CAMERA. CAN YOU TELL?

The village is nestled between the mountains and is surrounded by forest on one side. Some of the forest is under Government jurisdiction and some is protected by the community. We walk up into the forest with the ‘Head-man’ of the the village. This area is protected by the Karen people. They are allowed to hunt and gather food here and use wood for their own village but are not allowed to commercially exploit the forest.  This apparently sits well with the Karen world view as it relates to the environment and water hygiene. The head man tells us that without the forest his village would not have such a healthy water supply.

 

AN AREA OF KAREN MANAGED FOREST. CRYSTAL CLEAR WATER AND BIRD CALLS.

The forest is beautiful and I could have stayed in there all day. Another Karen man was telling us about the different plants and their medicinal properties, the Karen are really into the herbal medicines that grow in the forest and have been known to teach the other tribal groups this knowledge. The guy shows us a place on the trunk of a tree where people have been scraping off the bark and I find it very amusing as he says in broken English “ H1N1” which is the vaccine for influenza I think.  I could have saved a lot of money at the travel doctor with that information. 

THE HEADMAN OF THE VILLAGE FOUND THESE MUSHROOMS WHILE WE WERE WALKING.

We sleep on the floor of a big wooden house. I sleep like a baby and am woken by the sound of someone feeding the pigs downstairs in the still pitch black morning. The village has one farmer who is quite a green renegade who is anti mono cropping slash and burn and cash-cropping and shows us his fish farm, his piggy bio fuel production facility and his gorgeous multifaceted fields planted with many different types of fruit and food crops growing at different rates.

Mae Chung Cow is certainly a place I would like to return to during my time in Thailand. 
 

SOME KIDS AT THE DAY CARE

SAM SOW SEWERS- MAE YAO

TRYING IT ON TO SEE HOW IT LOOKS

These women are learning to sew traditional handicrafts on machines as a potential diversification of their ways of earning a living, in a village I went to today. The women live in the village of SamSow in the MaeYao District of Chiang Rai.

On the way back down to the city on the windy 4WDrive track we stop to look at some beautiful parts of the river. I want to come back and do a formal portrait here.

We pick up some people in the ute to give them a ride as far as we can. My friend  says we have to be careful who we pick up as they can be bringing Opium down for sale.  We stop at the Karen (Tribal group ) elephant village for a break and watch the tourists riding down the river on a big grey beast. I get told off for getting too close to the elephants.

KAREN WEDDING

Being invited to a wedding where you don’t know the bride or groom is a bit strange but Im up for it . So on a Saturday morning I pile into the ute with my neighbours family and head to Hoi Kom a Karen ( Tribal Group ) Village.

People dress traditionally for the wedding which is nice. The Karen traditional attire is certainly less eccentric than some of the other tribal groups. The men and women wear similar woven shirts and sarrongs on the bottom. The single girls wear white dresses and the married women wear black.

 A Karen wedding is usually organised so that a heap of people can come. They have no definite numbers and afterwards myself and about two hundred other people go down to some big tents and enjoy a big feast together. There is about five foreigners at the wedding. The food is so good, green fish curry and an amazing red curry.

 

THE HAPPY BRIDE AND GROOM

This my neighbours kids playing a group version of paper scissors rock. Its like a play off and when you lose a hand you put your hand in the middle and then theres some other confusing stuff that happens that I didn’t understand :)

SEEYA LATER SANDALS

Today I went to my first few Highland Villages. In the Wawee district of the mountains west of Chiang Rai. The area supports people from a few different ethnic groups. We stopped to talk with some farmers who are members of a group concerned with land management and agricultural practice. 

 

I decided to ask a girl to take me over to photograph some people working across the way but didn’t realise we had to walk through a small river. It was fine and not too deep (cameras safely in my backpack) and the girl showed me how deep it was before we crossed. I thought it was amusing how unprepared I was for this little walk across a field. My sandals instantly said goodbye to the world. I think I might frame them as a reminder of my first village. 

 

So it is stinking hot in the paddocks and the people till the fields by hand and here they were planting corn. I think because it was reasonably close-ish to the city I thought maybe it would be less subsistence farming but it was an old school village all right. I saw a woman wearing a massive silver pendant and I was so happy. I love seeing people identifying so strongly with their culture.

DEAR ALAIN – THIS IS BANGKOK

(A letter written on an airline sick bag)

Dear Alain De Botton

I have fortunately never needed this bag for anything but letter writing. I am on an Air Asia flight from Bangkok to Chiang Rai in the north of Thailand. I bought your great book The Art of Travel in London and have been passionately reading it since the runway at Heathrow. The first chapters could not have been anymore poignant and and perfectly suited to my current situation. Perhaps I am… seeking the exotic. However now I have reached an amusing chapter regarding ‘possessing beauty’ and as a photographer it seem I need to tell you a story. Actually two stories. …

1) The irony of your analogy of how the tour guide used images of Van Goghs paintings to bring to life the Provence landscape was that the images would have been produced by some sort of photographic process. This raises interesting questions about possessing beauty , does it not?

2) The quotes from Ruskin regarding the photographic process being inferior to that of drawing or painting I found a little light in the non-bias department. I would say personally that the use of a camera to create an image or possess beauty is no more or less subjective than the use of a pencil and paper.

This is a question I ask regularily and I have formulated a sort of reconciliation in my heart and mind regarding it as it relates to my profession. This is, that my camera and I are unique. We aren’t any one else and never will be.  My images are an extension of my seeing and this makes them entirely personal yet potentially publically accessable also.

I feel that it makes as little difference who takes the photo as it does who draws the picture. The beauty and memories possessed by a child’s drawing is at once equal to a Van Gogh in my eyes. The both bring joy. One of them however is a highly skilled work. Perhaps this is a twee thing to say but I saw an amazingly funny and witty childs drawing today.

Anyway here goes…

Last night I checked into what could be my last fancy hotel in a long time .It was beautifully air conditioned and  I could finally sleep after a restless overnighter from London.  When I woke up I realised my room had a balcony and went outside. I literally gasped because the sunset was on fire. Burgandy plumes in the distant sky and columns  of clouds behind the skyscrapers. Having recently been diverted multiple times by our friend the Icelandic volcano I immediately thought it looked like an eruption of smoke, ash and fire. Id also just had a vivid dream about volcanoes so with all these connections in my mind I made the decision to try and make an exposure which would in some way capture and remind me of this beautiful moment. Light, to me, takes as much examination as a person who is drawing a sketch and making decisions which areas to highlight or bring to the fore. What tones do we desire in our image to represent our thoughts?

It is simply not pushing one button, although it could be., however the scene rarely looks the same in the camera as it does with your eyes. Your camera is not a human eye after all.

The best and most delicious thing about this moment was that as I walked out of the door onto the balcony, the heat and and smells and sounds of Bangkok wrapped themselves around me so entirely.  I had forgotten what I loved about this country and in a split second it was back. .. all that gentleness , cradled in chaos.

But here, my friend, is the best bit. As my room was a parfait 24.5 degrees and it was 36 degrees outside and ridiculously humid my lens fogged with the temperature change. I was simply not the same person with a camera inside as I was outside. My camera was different. I was different in Bangkok. The cold sterile world inside refused to release its hold without a period of acclimatisation. Another person may have left the camera outside for a while to settle and defog but in that moment the camera and I together express my experience so acutely that I was moved to keep my image of Bangkok. I think Ruskin missed out on some good things when he gave up on the daguerreotype.

 

Im landing now, its bumpy. Out of the window are patch-worked green and summer brown rice paddies being burnt off with small fires. Lines of red roofed houses, orange flowering trees and hazy mountains in the distance. Its sort of nice to not understand what anyone is sayng, to be peacefully absorbing less information. Attached is the silly little picture I took in DinDaeng Bangkok on a hotel balcony.

Thankyou for your intelligent and charming book. It landed in my life at such a gracefully appropriate moment. I have been wondering why I came to Thailand. Curiousity perhaps?

Yours Sincerely

Nat Thompson

AN INTRIGUING OLD LADY IS LONDON

BRICKLANE BEAUTY

Landing in London after Dubai was a timezone/temperature/culture shock. Each country has its own forms of conservatism. It is against the law in Dubai to show any affection to your partner in public. As you may know some Australians were recently imprisoned for kissing. It seems there may be a law in the London against smiling at people or interacting with each other in any friendly way. (INSERT IDIOTICALLY HAPPY AUSTRALIAN ANNOYING PEOPLE :)

I was a bit surprised since its evident that there is so much rich cultural diversity. It would follow that some people are friendlier than others but it seems that as a whole Londoners keep their eyes averted and their smiles for their friends only.  That being said….. WHAT A BEAUTIFUL CITY. The Covent garden area really is the heart of a stylish old trollop of a city. She is like a older lady who wears too much make up but she totally pulls it off. I loved watching the snappily dressed types rushing somewear important and the groups of European school kids climbing all over the huge lion statues in Trafalgar square.

 

MY FAVORITE SHOP IN THE WHOLE OF THE UK!! SPECIALIZING IN DICKENS!

I spent a day with Paulina, a friend from Melbourne who I studied Commercial Photography with . We went to a gorgeous exhibition at The National Portrait Gallery of the portraiture of photographer Irving Penn.  He was a seriously classy portrait artist and photographed some absolutely amazing people. What struck me most about the exhibiton other than the technicality of the work was the work he did around character and expression. I saw a woman on the wall and her very expression made me want to know who she was and what she was about. It turned out to be Simone De Bouvoiur and now I am reading her two part biography.  The expressions he has captured reach out from the wall and make you wonder. It was a delicately nuanced and totally slick exhibition. Paulina and I totally nerded out analizing the lighting and the printing. It was so great to speak with someone so passionate about images.

I also visited the Tate Modern to see the Surrealists ( my lovely friends Dora Maar & Man Ray etc) , Renaissance drawings and an anthropological African Bronze statue exhibit at the British Museum and some other London treasures like Bricklane for Indian Food and Monmouth Coffee Shop.

BRICKLANE ARTWORK

DREAMY APERTURES IN KENT

Being slightly unprepared for the story-book beauty of the English country-side, Kent was a lovely surprise.

While I was in Kent I made some portraits of my friend Naomi who was celebrating her 30^th birthday. The forest was a small conservation area right next to the barn we were staying in and was filled with wildflowers.

Naomi is quite photogenic I think and we are old friends so it was easy to play for a little while and get some nice pictures that capture this stage of her life.

It may be laziness or just that I love the 50 mm , f1.8 lens so much, that it never seems to come off my camera these days. Whether I get it “right” or “wrong” I think 1.8 is a dreamy aperture.

ADELAIDE – MELBOURNE – DUBAI

” A DV-CAM, FIVE LENSES, A LAPTOP, ONE CAMERA BODY, BATTERIES , POWER CORDS AND FOUR FLASHES STASHED IN SOCKS! “. 

Flying out of Adelaide I tried to inprint on my mind all the places and people I love.  As many of you would know the plane does that big swoop out over the coastline. Looking down you see the jetty at Glenelg jutting out into the gradiating blue sea, skaters on the big metal halfpipe near the airport,and the city centre like a tiny fun-filled pocket towards the north and then before you know it your swallowed in the clouds and on your way to Melbourne. From Melbourne I board the fight to Dubai in The United Arab Emirates, pop a valium and sleep restlessly next to an Omanian IT Guy.  We don’t speak much. Hes wearing glittery embellished flared jeans and is going home to spend time with his family.  I like his style.

In Dubai I haven’t arranged anywhere to meet my friend Tracy and I haven’t seen her for twelve-ish years. We rode racehorses together at Cheltenham and Morphettville Racecourses in our tweenage years. Stuck in the hundred strong customs line with a dead phone and no meeting place. “Woo-hoo, There she is!”. Tracy works in client relations with all the international jockeys trainers and owners at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai. I think it would be fair to say its quite an impressive racecourse even in it’s stages of construction. Here is the artist’s impression of its future self. 

IMAGE FROM MEYDAN RACECOURSE PROMOTIONAL CD USED WITHOUT PERMISSION

At the moment it has the centre grand stand (in the shape of a falcon) and the track that is fully operational. As a South Australian (we have water restrictions) I guess the first thing I think about when I see the artists impressions is “Where is all that water going to come from?.”  Dubai is a crazy place. Its on the coast but feels a bit like its on the moon. A city with all the things that modern man desires and all the madness and beauty rolled up in a strip of skyscrapers and ornately decorated cement, winding overhead roads.

THE BURJ ( CURRENT TALLEST BUILDING ON EARTH) FROM THE DESERT.

Tracy and I go straight out to see the horses. She keeps her horse and rides other peoples horses for them at The Emirates Equestrian Centre which is a way out in the desert. The sand is a creamy beige colour and sort of reminds me of an Australian salt flat. There are camels wandering by the side of the road and some sort of big white antelopey/deer/buffalo type animal called an Oryx. Tracy says that flying down the road at night she sees them in the middle of the road and they look like a man in a white tshirt from the back. From then I instantly forget their name and call them “The Tshirt Cows”. Black camels surprised me. They look like the ones that didn’t get out of the building in time…like poor ,burnt little suckers.

 

We rode out the first night a little way and the sun was setting low on the horizon, dark red and covered with a tthick haze. It was like no sunset Ive seen before. I don’t know what I expected but it was cool to see the little animals out in the desert like ground hens and hares and lizards. Tracy saw a huge lizard recently with bright blue sections on its body. I think her last name should be Erwin as she is constantly trying to catch serpents of all description in the desert sands. “You can take the girl out of Australia……….”

TRACY ON HER HORSE AT EMIRATES EQUESTRIAN CENTRE

United Arab Emirates stables are an interesting cultural experience. I wasn’t aware of how many Indian and Bangladeshi people work in Dubai. All the grooms at the stables are from elsewhere. So are the riders. The riders are French, German, Australian, American, English etc . The riders are from developed nations and the grooms from a different world. There is a respect that is evident between the majority of the riders and the grooms and the horses are very well cared for.  I wasn’t used to someone else doing all the work, like washing the horses down after exercise etc. In Australia the majority of riders do their own care for the horses. The grooms were really friendly and easy to chat with and here is some pictures I took of  them while we were at a  dressage competition at the big central riding club.

Tracy and Clinton also took me on a little adventure towards Abu Dhabi to the horse stud of a Sheik. The stud was mind blowing. Every stable contained the kind of magical horses which little girls and boys dream of, it was quite overwhelming. The stallion stables, which contain the fathers (sires) of all the racing, endurance and breeding horses were palatial. The architecture was reminiscent of a 40s “arabian nights” movie set , with a tiled courtyard , central fountain and tall square wind tower turrets. Oh to be a horse! Unfortunately for security reasons there was no pictures allowed to be taken of the horses or the stud. Arabian Horses are big business in Dubai and the gates of the stud were manned by guards with machine guns in Humbers. We had to give up our ID to enter and have our car inspected on leaving and we were guests. Just a tad intimidating.

We spent time with Tracys friend who lives on the stud and also with some crazy Arabian dogs called Sulukis. We took them out in the desert for a walk and they chased a hare faster and longer than Ive ever seen a dog go. Apparently its quite an efficient process when they catch one but this time they missed out on their kill.

We spent so much time riding horses out in the desert that I gratefully missed most of the cheesyer and tackyer parts of Dubai. We did go and lurk about in a few malls for an afternoon and I made an important gear purchase. Two sweet new flashes for my work. Thanks Dubai!!! They have some mad malls in Dubai. One has a snow boarding mountain and another an ice arena and a massive fish tank .

CHILDREN THROWING SNOWBALLS

Tracy rides dressage horses and in a side note, parts of the competitions are called “The Kur”. This is a performance to music, which you may have seen in the Olympics. So while I was in Dubai I helped Tracy to choose and edit a piece of music (in GaragebandJ) to ride to in The UAE Dressage Championships. Since then I have heard the exciting news that Tracy took out the Championships on a horse called Picarda. Congratulations to Tracy who is a hard working, instinctual and dedicated rider. I was privileged to be able to witness the level of horsemanship that Emirates riders attain.

STATE ELECTION

“Wake up in the morning feeling sad and lonely, Gee I gotta go to school” Degrassi Junior High

 A day in the life. Third to last shift at the paper!!

South Australian State Election coverage

She washes her car, because it looks like it has been in the Dakar Rally and its embarrassing.

Talks on the phone to a journalist about todays jobs while in the carwash.

Sets up one Speedlight in carpark and photographs Robyn ( New MP ).

Shoots some with 80-200mm Leaving space for text and headlines with an option of vertical or horizontal.

Yes Journalists , Photographers do listen sometimes!!

Then shoots a few different ones with the 12-24 and two flashes while not getting run over by a car. Realises for the 5th time that month that her sensor is FILTHY!! Realises again that submitting raw captures is a humiliating and all at once motivating experience as the whole paper will see how gross her sensor is and secretly judge her:)

Straight from the camera baby!!

Has another coffee (3rd) while waiting for next politician. 

Shoots Rachel (New MP) with her 50mm.

Speedlight on slave in the background and one on a stand on the right. 

Shoots Rachel getting to know her new electorate.

<<INSERT OTHER BORING BITS OF THE DAY HERE>>

Drives peacefully back through the city of Adelaide thinking about how beautiful it is and how she will miss living here. ‘

Then turns the corner and curses the film crew who decided to shoot an add at the front of the building and block off the whole street!

Grrrrrr shakes fist!!

Then Hels Orr and Nat Thompson go on a Pizza run for tired/hungry journalists.

On the way back to the office they meet this cool guy and his giraffe and Nat asks to take his picture.

Then we spend some time uploading some images to the Newsmachine system back at the 4th floor. 

Making sure to give the Sub-Editors some choice so they dont strangle her with a USB cable.

Maybe later she had a little cup of tea on the roof garden with her partner in crime and fellow photographer.

They try to look normal in a photo but don’t succeed, as usual. 

Thanks for coming Adelaide …. and goodnight!

FEB+ADELAIDE=BIG FUN!!

In case you didnt know The (lil ol) Messenger moved into the (big bad) Advertiser building in the city centre last year to form one multi/mega/world-dominating media power. Haha. This is me working alone on the fourth floor on a friday night (loser ) with one of my images I found randomly on this nice wall thing. The news never sleeps!

Nat has been a busy little bee in February. Adelaide kind of sprung to life. The Fringe Festival and The Adelaide Festival started, which means lots of going out and soaking up the beauty of the city, art , music , f riends. This is just a super time of year for visually orientated people in general!! Heres some happy snaps.

For “Lightlovers”  ..The Northern Lights ( Adelaides grand old architecture lit in gorgeous  changing projections) is almost too much beauty to bear!!

Ive been to too many artsy things to list ( its hard being so majorly cultured) so Ill just stick with the photography stuff eh?

My best chilling out ,having a cup of tea and a sneaky smoke fellow photographer and friend Steve Coates left the paper for interstate pastures  . I will miss him a million. This is the classy gift we gave him.

Adelaides Galleon Theatre Group have started another production and I made some images for their promotional postcards and posters.

I was also lucky in February also to do some work for my lovely gal-pal Heidi Linehan who runs Heidi Who photography,  www.heidiwho.com  at the epic new convention centre at Wayville Pavillion.

The TAFESA Student Graduation was held in February, for the students I had the priveledge of teaching last year. The graduation event was held at The TAFESA Croydon Campus  (or The Centre for Printing and Visual Communication….yep thats a long one) . The graduation being held at this venue is sort of historic as the Commercial Photography Course will be moving to Tea Tree Gully TAFE midway through 2010 so its the last year for the old venue. 

Nat Thompson, Tamarin Faller , Emma Dodd , Kate Antinew

 The students work was of a beautiful standard this year ( Im biased) and I felt proud as punch clapping them all as they graduated. Emma Dodd was awarded The Student of the Year which I thought was well deserved as she worked so hard and her images were of a high standard…and she looks pretty cute in this picture.

Two students from the Commercial Photography Course are returning to their home countries now , so its a little sad to say goodbye to Banharn Nambuddee and Kyung Tae Jang who have been such fun guys to hang out with. We had a goodbye BBQ for them recently as Jang headed back to Korea in late February. Heres our little mob.

(Photo by Corrine )

Oh Yeah I also photographed US rapper Lupe Fiasco this month which was a big treat. Since I signed a contract regarding the images ( this is pretty normal for international acts) I think the picks will get published on his Twitter, but I cant really post them on here. Oh well . It was all the fun you can have for three songs with no flash!! xx

ALL THE BEST ! – MESSENGER JAN 2010

Adelaide has so many amazing people  (fullstop) .

To me they are the riches of the city. Over the five years I have worked for The Messenger Newspapers I have met so many amazing, surprising and downright magnificent people. I have been inside houses filled to the roof with rubbish and others filled with expensive artworks and Versace furniture. Small businesses struggling to stay afloat and corporations with glass and marble and well groomed receptionists (its a strange fact that you always end up at these places when youve just done a job at the local recycling plant or the dog pound and you look like youve been dragged through a bush backwards).

Its not just the places in Adelaide that I have enjoyed exploring, though that is really fun…I have met some treasures!

Paralympians, Olympians and the under 12s little athletics. International , National and Local Artists , Curators , Critics and the finger painting year four class. Authors , Politicians , Laugh Doctors , Psychics , Snake Wranglers , Environmentalists and happy drunks (see social pictures) . 

But some things just break through the shell and touch you, like Auntie Rosie who was one of the last remaining Kuarna elders who could remember Port Adelaide when it was mangroves, campfires and her land. R.I.P.

or

Mem Fox who stepped out of my childhood and in front of my camera with her whacky sense of humour and possum magic smile.

Brett Lee and Ricky Ponting gently teaching a little girl to bowl on a suburban school oval.

Keiran Modra, Paralympian cyclist , whose dual seated bike I got a very scary and fast ride on in the backstreets ( note to self …what seems like a good idea at the time…isnt always, but people will enjoy your screams).

The former major of Port Adelaide who I got the giggles with and she let me put on her robes and took my photo in them.

The Rabbit Association guy who convinced me to hold and cuddle about ten different rabbits.

Chrissy Amphlett from the Divynls who scared the hell out of me…then gave me a book and told me I did a good job :)

What makes these people tick?  A need to communicate something? To be acknowledged? To succeed perhaps? Whatever that means!!!

After meeting a person for somewhere between ten minutes and an hour to photograph them, I quite often say as I leave  ” All the best with your ……….”  Perhaps with your grief, happiness, success, failure, disease, dilema, polylemma, frustrations, dreams, endevours, aspirations, devastations, protests , celebrations . All very the best!!

Here are the people Ive met this month….no dont be silly just the ones where I liked the photos! P.s Photographers see if you can see the piece of equipment I used in the background of most of these shots??? Colour change for Febuary. me thinks :)

Film Maker – Weekly Times

Actor ( Mr Badger ) – City Messenger

OAM Recipiant and Surveyor – Portside

Fringe Performers – City Messenger ( Yellow Cellophane backlight)

Japanese Drummers – City Messenger – ( Yellow Cellophane backlight)

Caberet Performer – City Messenger – ( Yellow Cellophane backlight)

OAM Recipiant – City Messenger – ( Yellow Cellophane backlight)

Classical Guitarist – City Messenger – ( Yellow Cellophane backlight)

Artists in Residence – Vibe Section – ( Yellow Cellophane backlight)

HI , YEAH IM JUST ON A HELIPAD RIGHT NOW…MAY I CALL YOU BACK?

I am a massive nerd and I love seeing how things work. Helicopter rotors tilt forward and this is how it gets forward propulsion. Obvious to some , but I learnt that today. Allong with what some of the crazy looking controls do….

 ” Yeah dont touch that” , said the massive-man-o-muscle, Star Force Policeman as I played with the buttons.

I love getting to go into the weird and wonderful parts of Adelaide that many dont get the priveledge to play in. Some of my favourites are Italian clubs (Nona-fests), Cinema Projection Rooms , Hospital Science labs , Bushfire Patrol Cars, Massive Sailing Boats and now this Adelaide Helipad….

Oh Yeah and heres the photos…

MESSENGER OCTOBER 2009

Below are my favourite people and stories from shooting for the Messenger in October. Summer presents new challenges for editorial photographers. Finding shade to shoot in outdoors or trying to manage a heap of light that you dont want, like crazy bright sun. The old Nikon Speedlight flash batteries are getting a high impact aerobic work out:)

Sneaking into a classroom at Thebarton Senior College to shoot this image of a teacher and student, I was intrigued at the content of the lesson. Looking around the room there was people from all over the world and they were talking about how their cultural attitudes and beliefs about work differ from those they are facing in Australia. It was fascinating to listen to the ‘twenty something’ Japanese man speaking about how it seemed to be okay to change jobs here which was something he was learning to understand.

Rose Grower – Guardian

Artist – Guardian

Flinders Uni Drama Students – Guardian

Songwriter – Guardian

These guys were super fun. We parked the cars in the middle of  Wigley Reserve ( with Council permission of course ;)

and pretended to be from Grease the movie for a while!

FRANKIE MAGAZINE & THE CITY MESS

My friend Matt Ho is the feature of an article in the gentle/pretty/fabulous Frankie Magazine

( which lots of people I know patiently wait for every month!!).

( Cover of the issue my image was in. USED WITHOUT PERMISSION. NOT MY PHOTO ON COVER)

Matt found his whole biological family on Facebook ( after 30 odd years of not knowing them) and since it was adoption week recently a few different publications have been interested in his story. The City Messenger did a story on Matt if you would like to read it try…

http://city-messenger.whereilive.com.au/news/story/online-to-find-a-family/

I have photographed Matt so many times over the last ten years its actually a bit ridiculous. So it was with happy ease that we did a quick little shoot at TAFE one night . Here is the handsome Matt Ho.

Ring Flash Attachment on Canon On-Camera Flash

Soft Box and Beauty Dish as Key Light

Ring Flash Attachment on Canon On-Camera Flash

He is probably talking about coffee…

Below is my image in the Magazine.

WHEN WORK ISNT WORK ITS JUST NICE

This shooting trip to the Grampians Horse Riding Centre and The Grelco Run B&B in Victoria we were building on the images we took a few years ago. The website now generates 80% of their bookings and I guess this means that Cameron was on the right track with his mountain of marketing ideas. It is a quite random set of skills to combine the riding and the photography, but since I dont get a chance to ride much anymore I feel really lucky to partner with Cameron and Sandra in showing people how great their dream/business is.

Alex …the ultimate horse ….plenty fast but not crazy.  Or as he became refered to …My little tripod.

The area has recently had alot of rain ( a welcome change after the bushfires ) and for the first time in a fair few years the lake at the B&B is deep enough to be stocked with fish and for people to watch their children playing in the boat while sipping a glass of wine on the shore.

So Angus and I went fishing for the action shots…alas the fish were elusive. 

Little Angus helped us so much over the few days we were shooting. The camera loves him.

At the end of one of our days of riding all the riders and few of Cameron and Sandras friends had drinks at the B&B. 

It has this awful view :)

Since I stayed at the cute little flat right next to the stables this year I could get up early and go and talk with the horses. The light in the morning is so gentle and golden. It was idyllic. 

The images from this trip can be seen at http://www.grampianshorseriding.com.au/.

 

GET ON THE BANDWAGON

So shooting bands is fun. Heres some fun I had one time with …..

The Black and White being all urban.

and The Dark Lights with Cellophane

And Move to Strike … with token flamingo

And Squeeker

Forest madness….xx

 

STROBIST AND COMMUNITY THEATRE

When your Mum asks you for a favour , you probably should do it because , you know, she gave birth to you and everything!! Lucky for me I have a super cool Mum.

She is involved in a Community theatre group who quickly needed a little promotional image for some papers and magazines for their latest play, Cactus Flower. Below is the image of the actress who played one of the leads.

SOOOO whats the story with Strobist. Well its probably the best resource on the net for location photography tutorials and discussion and learning. I know thats a big call but if you are at all interested in shooting with “strobes” or small portable wireless battery driven flashes then its THE place to get your info.

The coolest thing about it is that its all about doing the best you can with what you have. They make alot of their own gear by jibbing up things out of velcro that would probably sell for $50 at a camera store, but are just a tiny piece of plastic. There is some really amazing , skilled and top notch photographers contributing to this site who all seem to enjoy a similar “can do, make do” attitude. 

www.strobist.com

So when youve got a quick little shot to do , with no time. Its all about STROBES and cellophane!

Take a drab cream wall , fire a strobe onto it with a $1 piece of yellow cellophane , put some random piece of purple cloth in there to make it more colourful and a strobe with a softening umbrella on her face and bingo youve got a cute little ten minute picture.

Below is with and without the cello. I love cello.