A recent assignment for the SF Chronicle's fitness column led to bollywood dancing in a ballet studio on Black Friday, a day in which I survived the surge of people shopping at Best Buy when I was out of a battery. But Dr. Selina Shah was so patient yet had so much energy when she twirled and danced on the chilly studio floor. Here's a clip and an outtake, which is actually one of my favorite photos from this assignment.
At a buddhist temple near the waterfront of Phnom Penh, a monk leads a chant to encourage rain to come for agriculture in front of an alter of grains and fruit.
and then the rain came...
food is everywhere in phnom penh and it smells so good. during the water festival the street venders were out, of course, selling food all night long to the millions that flocked to the capital for the largest celebration next to new years.
It was such perfect timing to photograph an old high school classmate and her partner before I left for my se asia trip as she was due only weeks after. Through facebook, I found out the Jenny was expecting, so I quickly contacted her to see if she would be interested in some family portraits in exchange for a sign model release that i can use for my stock collection. She and her partner participate in Burning Man every year so I wanted to photograph them wearing something that reflect their bohemian lifestyle.
There are several markets here in Banda Aceh, and specifically, everything from the clothing markets that sell tunics and hijabs to the Chinese market and the fish market. Even chickens have their own market.
Lampu'uk, where the 2004 tsunami travelled nearly 7km inland, killing nearly 4 out of 5 of the population and wiping out a generation of school kids. but today, like most Sundays, Acehnese spend their time with family and friends at the very place that caused so much destruction. But still, recovery moves on like the ebb and flow of the tides. Below: families play at the beach and after dusk at the beach.
while most motorbike drivers wear motorcycle helmets, i was surprised to see this one in my take after taking a quick snapshot...
Probably the most colorful classroom i've been in...the walls painted a chalky blue and the afternoon light pouring in from the side window as two schools girls in arabic class singing a Lebanese pop song at an Islamic boarding school in Banda Aceh.
Calls for prayer echo throughout the northern-most tip of Sumatra, Indonesia. Banda Aceh was put on the modern day world map when the city and surrounding villages was destroyed from a 7-wave tsunami that killed 130,00 ppl. Landmarks and monuments are ships that landed on people's homes and unmarked mass graves that hold tens of thousands of people. You really have to be here. The amount of water that flowed into the capital is incomprehensible.
When I heard this quote, it was meant not only literally, but also culturally. Sharia Law, or islamic law, was in placed about 10 years ago, and becoming more strict (subjective term) with the increasing departure of ngo/aid agencies, affecting non-muslims, like the Chinese community, from conducting business during Islamic holidays, and preventing the sale of non-muslim products/items. This quote also has another meaning which I"ll get into much later after I photograph one of my projects.
On my first day, we (my guide, her friends and I) were fortunate to go into the Tsunami Museum, which opened in August, but now closed to the public due to lack of funding to continue beautification projects of the 4-story structure. The Museum cost $5.6 million usd yet there are still thousands of families still homeless throughout the province.
Achenese hang out at momuments such as the giant ship that landed 5 km from the harbour.
Here are a few images from my last couple days in Cambodia. I really enjoyed my time there, especially because I had made a friend, and without her, I wouldn't have been able to see and capture so much of city life. I didnt' get a chance to visit the Killing Fields, but will visit the next time I'm there.
Tuol Sleng Museum - Pol Pot's secret prison in a former high school. One building was so eerie (the second pic) that I couldn't even walk in. If you don't know the country's history, you should. The Khmer have only been free of war for 10 years, and more recently, the shadow of the past looms during war tribunal's of the Khmer Rouge officials. Here's a link to a brief history and timeline - http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/refugee/war_cambodia.html
Apsara, traditional Khmer dance - This 71-year-old woman, who danced since she was 5 year old for the Royal Palace, teaches traditional dance to youth.
And last, my on-going series of cockfighters.
