shutter to think

blinded...

"Please, remember me
My misery
And how it lost me all I wanted
Those dogs that love the rain
And chasing trains
The colored birds above there running
In circles round the well
And where it spells
On the wall behind St. Peter's
So bright with cinder gray
And spray paint
'Who the hell can see forever?'"

- the trapeze swinger -
iron & wine

OSI reports on abuse in mental health care and detention centers

In early 2010 I was researching and photographing a project on drug abuse in Cambodia when I stumbled across a detention center outside Phnom Penh, the capital, with my Khmer driver. At the time i had no idea about the history of this center. But I asked if i could come in. the woman who ran the center showed me three rooms: one for men, one for women, and a classroom. The men and women rooms were locked. and the classroom was open. the center was fairly empty, and quite eerie. She allowed me to go into the locked rooms and meet some of the people, who mostly were mentally ill, that were living there. The walls were yellow and there were no beds. they slept on the floor and were kept locked all day long to only be let out to use the latrines or wash. I found out that OSI was in the process of making a report on abuse in mental care facilities, as well as abuse on detention centers, so I contacted them about my pictures. Please have a look/read of these important issues.

 "Treated with Cruelty: Abuses in the Name of Rehabilitation"

"Treatment or Torture?"

2010 SFBAPPA'S 37th Annual News Photography AWARDS

Last night my story on the Cambodian Stampede, in which 450 people died during the annual Water Festival in Phnom Penh, placed Second in the News Picture Story category of the San Francisco/Bay Area News Photographers Association. I'm very grateful for the Chicago Tribune judges for recognizing this tragic story, which received very little attention in the media despite it being the biggest news story in Cambodia since the Khmer Rough and following Civil War. Cambodia is a very young country, in economic development, infrastructure and in age. 80% of the people are under the age of 30. The majority of its population still live in the countryside, although the city is developing and growing rapidly mostly due to factory jobs, and more recently increased service/hospitality-related employment.

Congratulations to all the local winners from the San Francisco Bay Area. Some very incredible work!!

To see my story: A Bridge of Ghosts; A Country in Mourning

Destination: Edit and Outtakes, Koh Kong, Cambodia for the NYT

In the early morning, before the sun rose, I checked my email while still in bed for the possibility of any upcoming assignments or licensing of images I made from the previous week. I was still feeling a little down about not being able to sell images about the Cambodia stampede, that killed nearly 450 people, and felt like the world had forgotten about this relatively young country. With one eye open, trying to dim the light of my laptop, I see an email for a travel assignment from the New York Times. Yay.  After emailing with the photo editor, at the time, about the logistics of the assignment, grabbing breakfast and packing, I was on a six hour bus ride to southwestern Cambodia, to the Koh Kong region, by noon. To note: I am so thankful of Laura O'Neill for assigning me these travel pieces throughout the past year.

The bus dropped me off in the middle of nowhere, but the locals knew that was a stop to the eco-village of Chi Pat. I met my driver and off we went, an hour long ride through the countryside. The scenery was fantastic, even from the bumpy ride on the back of a 1960-something motorbike. The light warm and glowy as the sun began to fall. At the end of the road, or dirt path really, the old driver, who didn't speak english, motioned to me that I was to get on a raft-like water taxi that will take me over to the village. The last time i was on a sort of raft was crossing the Situate River from Guatemala to Mexico with migrants, only this one had better flotation. Whew.

I spent the next couple days hustling and photographing a list of places on my assignment. Most readers don't know the back story to the pictures of an assignment, or how photographers get there. Most don't know that we have very little time to capture the essence of a writer's story, and that can be quite challenging if those storytelling elements are not there when I am. The best part about traveling is the leisure of spontaneity, but when on assignment, esp for the nyt, there is very little time for that. The decisions I make when choosing the places to photograph on the list can make or break the assignment. I try to shoot everything but then it gives me less time to wait for the moments. Things have to happen with immediate serendipity, so I never pre-visualize my images. I have to remain flexible and mindful, which seems relevant, especially in a Buddhist country, but a common practice I bring with me wherever I go.

Read Naomi Lindt's insightful story on Koh Kong because she brings to light some of the fragile elements of the region, including animal poaching and land development that threatens the ecosystem and the loss of 11,000 acres of forest. As foreigners and travelers, we shouldn't act immune to such realities just because we're on vacation.

Jessie DeWitt did a great edit for the NYT slideshow and below are my outtakes:

Destination: Koh Kong, Cambodia Pt II - Images by Lianne Milton

Project on morality and drug addiction featured on Verve Photo

Recently Geoffery Hiller of Verve Photo blog featured a photograph from a personal project I began working on it in 2009 about morality and addiction in Cambodia. I'm stoked to be a part of a very long list of talented photographers, colleagues, and friends in the photojournalism community.

The project is largely self-funded. And i've been back to Cambodia several times to work on a variety of stories, including this one. (The project not yet on my website).

Please click on the link above to read about the photograph and project. And feel free to leave comments here!

archive: the light in my eyes

Wealthy Cambodian youth dance at a club, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

I made this image a couple of years ago when I first started on a project about morality and drug addiction in Cambodia. I "re-discovered" this picture when I recently went back through my takes to see what else I could archive, just in case. This was one of only two pictures I came back with from this dance club. For one, the lights in this club were strobing so intensely that I could barely see. I felt quite old at that point, as I barely managed to function with the club music and pulsating lights. Second, access was really difficult. They do not allow cameras, however one of the club's primary sponsors helped me gain five minutes of shooting time before the body guards and sercurity officers would cut me off. I wanted to photograph a club in Phnom Penh because more often then not these young wealthy kids were high on some sort of drug and I wanted to show that drug addiction does not affect all poor, disadvantaged people. I also wanted to show the economic progress since the civil war in the 80s (and Khmer Rouge), as more young people have expendable income. This picture is an outtake, and decided to use a similar image that evoked more feeling then this one. But I still like it.

My Year in Pictures 2010

Well here it is. I've been procrasting on posting my 2010 year in pictures because I've had such a hard time editing, but thanks to friend and photographer Kevin German who helped pretty much edited my selects from the year. And also because i've been absurdly obssesed with this particular song to go with the slideshow. For me, it sort of articulated the mood of this edit. I ended up having to cut it short, poor song, but in the end it really doesn't matter because its not about the song as it is about these pictures. Right? So if you are over it, go ahead and hit mute. Otherwise, the song is untitled, by an Icelandic band called Sigur Rós.

This is my second year working as a freelance photojournalist. It's been a year of tremendous growth in the way I photograph, what I look for, and opening my eyes up to see beyond the immediate. I especially thank my closest friends and mentors for the support and for pushing my vision. Without an agency, or a collective, or really even any proper marketing, I've managed to successfully obtain new clients, from assignment work to resales. While its great to have the support and annual get togethers, in my opinion, you don't have to be a part of a collective to make it as a photographer. You just need trusted friends, colleagues and mentors. And a home for your archive.

These 25 pictures are a cumulation of assigment and personal work. The resilency of these people i've met and photographed will always make me a stronger person. This year I continued my projects on addiction in Cambodia and Sharia law in Aceh. In Cambodia, I gained rare access to a drug detention center (or re-education center) that had been reported on for human rights abuses. I also had several incredible travel assignments from the NY Times, here in San Francisco, throughout wine country Northern California, Indonesia, and Cambodia. Foto8 featured a collaborative story on dam issues in the Mekong delta, and twice Slideluck Potshow DC selected two stories for their events.

My goal for 2011 is to refine the kind of photographer I want to be; telling stories about people and places affected by politics on a social level. I've always believed in the power of journalism, and the still image. I know that at the very least, it engages people into discussion. I prefer not to cover stories where there are dozens of photographers already there because other just-as-important stories go forgotten. And I don't have to travel (far) but I do, because these journeys have always been a part of my existence, since my first breath of life.

Seventh day prayer

Early Monday morning hundreds of Buddhist monks prayed at the bridge, the site of last week's stampede that killed nearly 450 people. In a culture that is highly spiritual and superstitious, many believe that those die a violent death will then be violent ghosts. Offerings of food and drink and prayer should calm the spirits.

A Country in Mourning -

Below is an audio slideshow of my work on the aftermath of the Cambodian stampede. For licensing please email me - [email protected] - and visit my gallery or search for more images in my archive.

The military, police and event planners denied responsibility of overcrowding on the bridge, which to me, critically speaking, is clearly a failure in caring and preserving the safety of their people. I rarely cover news events such as these. It was very difficult for me to photograph at the morgue as families came to identify their loved ones. Most of the people I photographed (at the morgue) gave me permission to take their pictures. I felt it was only right to ask. 

Since the tragedy on Monday night, hundreds of people have come to the bridge (and island) to watch while the disco lights flicker. One young man called it, "ghost island." For many in disbelief, this has been a way to face the tragedy. Some take pictures. Others just sit for hours watching not knowing what else to do.

Thursday, Nov. 25 marked the day of national mourning. Hundreds of people came to pay their respects and chanted Buddhist prayers. (I am also working on another slideshow with this chanting audio).

*(also please note the music disclaimer in the credit).

A Country Mourns

The biggest tragedy since the Khmer Rouge devastates the people of Cambodia as they try to understand how nearly 375 people died in a stampede on a pedestrian bridge on the last day of the annual Water Festival. While my friends and family in the U.S celebrate Thanksgiving, I photographed Cambodia's national Day of Mourning, where hundreds of people paid their respects, and for many, to see the site where their loved ones died. Here are a couple pictures from the past 3 days...a slideshow is in the making and will post it soon. (**These images are copyright protected and may not be downloaded or published w/o permission, incl. blogs).

1. Family members look for their deceased.

2. A young woman collapses when she discovers the body of a loved one.

3. Police block the Diamond Gate bridge

4. Mourners line up to pay their respects at the bridge during a prayer ceremony

Foto8 picture story of the week

Photojournalism magazine Foto 8 is featuring a collaborative story, produced by writer Fiona MacGregor and myself, on the effects of hydraulic dams in Vietnam have on the lives of ethnic minorities living in Cambodia's Mekong Delta. Please click here to read a synopsis of Fiona's story and my slideshow: downstream

Archive: Cambodia

I'm back in Cambodia finishing up a couple stories, yet trying to maintain my ADD in starting new ones. But in light of my return, I just wanted to share some pictures. I've been a freelance photographer for almost two years now. My income comes from editorial assignments, unpredictable as they may be, although I don't know otherwise, and weddings. This year I was fortunate to afford to continue working on projects outside of my home base.

I've been traveling since I was born. Literally. I was global jet-setter before my first birthday. And I am thankful I grew up in a multicultural home where we celebrated all of our heritages (that means good food). So naturally, my curiousity to see the world grew. But as of now, I'm in my cell-like hotel room with the fastest internet in town, the ethernet, trying to muster up my confidence to head out and finish my stories. At the same moment, trying to figure out how to financially justify why I need to dash off to yet another country, which struggles from two natural disasters.

anyway, lets get back to the pictures (and all images are copyright protected and cannot be used w/o permission):

Location update: SE Asia

film: cambodia

i'm falling in love with shooting film again! for me, in particular, its the format and texture. here's a scene from the angkor area of siem reap, cambodia. what i'm wondering: whats your favorite medium format camera? why? how does it make you work differently? are you running around with a light meter around your neck? This summer I'll be experimenting with more 6x6. even with this holga, from which I shot this frame, the concept of timing and moment is moreso emphasized for me when i shoot film. sadly 220 will be gone. so the idea to make 12 perfect shots (if possible with 120) is a good challenge.

Former crip to breakdancing mentor -- for Brand X Magazine

There are hundreds of stories about American deportees living in Cambodia, a country they were born but fled with their families to the US during the Khmer Rouge genocide. But the story on KK is probably one of the most inspiring. Brand X continues to feature his story:

Breaking free: How a former Crip became a role model for kids in Cambodia