shutter to think

last days in PP

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.

 

part deux of my cockfighters series

We drove 20 minutes outside of the capital in search of local cockfighters. While the sport is legal, gambling, like in Mexico, is not. The light was falling quickly but luckily we (my local friends) and I were able to find a couple of people willing to be photographed. The country is also cracking down on cockfighting, although a tradition, because of the gambling.

So on our way, we drove past a new development for Cambodia: the suburbs, with a rent to own concept. With a rising middle class, some Cambodians who are career professionals may be able to afford something like this. There are new developments springing up everywhere in Phnom Penh, usually where the poorest of the poor live in slums, forcing them to relocate perhaps even farther from the city, or onto the streets.

We then continued onward, passing a old traditional Khmer village for tourists (for both Khmer and foreign) and a pond.

 

 

fall time

here's julien on a log in the late summer (?) early fall sunset through the trees at the UC Berkeley campus. a little family shoot i did on sunday!

portrait of a waitress

missy @ orphan andy's

 

Surfer Portraits

I'm working on a storyboard about a little surf town in Mexico and got distracted in making these images of local surfers for the blog to share. These guys have seen their little fishing village transform over the past 10 yrs to a tourist destination. And now, themselves have gained a little from the tourism, such as providing a business teaching surfing, or taking surfers out on charter boats, and family business of restaurants and bars.

Burro -

Tigre -

Jose Luis -

Chile -

Tarzan -

previous assignments for the Guardian of London

Previous assignments for the Guardian of London. I made the images into triptychs to tell a little story.

August Kleinzahler, Poet -

Suzanne Finnamore, Writer -
 

film production & props

Business assignment on redevelopment plans on the old army base where this Oakland's film industry is located and how they may loose their warehouses, for the SF Chron. Currently they were not building any sets, unfortunately, as its all about timing, but found a quirky spot for this portrait.

http://www.sfchronicle.us/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/07/28/BU86190CQU.DTL&type=newsbayarea

And some outtakes that weren't used:

cockfighter portraits on PDN's photo of the day blog

My on-going portrait series of cockfighters were published today on PDN's photo of the day blog. How exciting! I was in mexico earlier this year and wanting to work on some kind of portrait series, so friend & photographer Holly Wilmeth suggested to follow some local cockfighters.

http://www.pdnphotooftheday.com/2009/08/1856

Cockfighter portraits

I forgot to post these from my portrait series on cockfighters.

talking heads

I"m starting a new project called talking heads and this is my start so far of three young San Franciscan hipsters talking to me how they got into acting or modeling, a recent camping trip, and how Michelle (in the hat) survived a black eye from moshing.

and a backyard quickie: