Good Day But F-cked Up!

With my day off from the Muay Thai gym I decided to visit some old haunts in Klong Toey, places I photographed last year. I hoped to meet and talk to some of the folks from last year and make some more pictures of them. I got to slum with limited problems, included in the journey is a 10 minute helmet less motorcycle taxi ride to Mercy Center in the heart of Klong Toey. These helmet less rides through Bangkok traffic tempt fate but I have few options as most drivers do not have helmets for their passengers. Today as we drove into the slum the driver and I spotted an accident on an adjacent road, 2 motorcycles had collided and 3 or 4 people were laying on the road not moving, other ran to help carry them off the busy road (hopefully no spinal injuries that could lead to paralysis).

The good part of the day happened now.  I walked to the tracks where I photographed Khune Som Jit last year lugging 13 4x5 holders, my Linhof, tripod, meter, 3 lens plus other odds and ends. I only got part way up the track before I had a semi drunk man start laughing and doing model poses for me. His name as it turned was Wan Chai 40 years old and a Klong Toey resident all of his life. At first I was a bit frightened to talk to him but I launched into Thai and told him who I was and that I was doing, he calmed right down and acted politely and respectfully. I photographed him and another man in that spot named Lek who later apologized to me for being drunk ( the photos were made at about 12 noon on a Sunday). As I was photographing Wan Chai and Lek a third man approached he seemed more of authority in the area, his name was Same 48 years old, he had a job as a driver and made 5000 baht a month (Thais are pretty quick to talk about personal information to strangers). I told him what I was doing and why and he asked me to come to his home. I made a few photos of the group then went with Same to his slum home. In the slum home my plan was to learn about his life a bit and he told me stories of how when it rained the whole bottom floor of his house (slum shack with slanted floor) flooded and he had to sleep upstairs. I also met and made a few photographs of his gf Jao a older women who seemed very responsible (as most Thai women are), she was making flower strings that could be sold on the street to drivers for good luck (they hang them on their rear view mirror), the flower strings (not sure what they are called) are also given to worship Lord Buddha and the monk hood.

So there I am sitting in Khune Same's slum shack, having shot some of my film I ask him if I can change out my holders and put in new film. He says no problem and talks to me as I set up my changing tent. As I am setting up the tent people from the neighborhood all come a running to see the farang, they all peer in the doorway, 4 or 5 different people. One younger lady who can speak English a bit comes in and is all suspicious of me, what are you doing here? What do you want? she asks me in English. I tell her the truth, "I am interested in learning more about Thai culture (I speak both Thai and English to her but more Thai than English), I am photographing people through out Thailand, I photographed monks last year in Chiang Khong, this year I am photographing Muay Thai boxers (gave her a card to the gym that Khune Gai Su Wit had given me). Her mood was softening, then I showed her my picture book, where I learned Thai, pics of mom and dad, me working security etc. This calmed her right down she smiled and left. I think she was just looking out for the well being of the locals, they must get lots of know it all farang showing up trying to religiously convert folks or exploit them in some other way.

So now the f-ck up part of the story, I put my holders in the tent take out the exposed film then wanting to reload the holders I reach into my bag to get the new new film box, F-CK! its not in the bag, I forgot it back at the room! The day was going well, I was getting people to pose, meeting and learning and I run out of fricking film! I still had 5 unused holders (10 shots) and had promised Khune Same some photos (in 2 months) so I asked him if I could take a few more shots of him, we went out into the light and I did some heads plus head and shoulder shots, I also shot several photos of his young stepson Auh who was 10 years old. Out of film I left Klong Toey and came back to my room, it was only 130pm I could have shot for another 3 hours!!!!!. I ended up making only 26 exposures.

Even thou the forgot film mistake kind ruined my day, I am still reasonably happy.

- I am more comfortable carrying and using the 4x5 in the field to make portraits.
- I am more comfortable approaching and photographingh people in Klong Toey
- My technique is becoming smoother and faster (thou I still stumble about a bit)
- I was able to make some good portraits (I hope) and meet new people in the slum, I also got to go behind the scenes and spend time in a slum house and learn a bit about Khune Same's life.

Hopefully these experiences will help future portraits. I feel hings are progressing nicely, everyday becomes easier. I can see how people like Jock Sturges, Fazal Sheikh and Sally Man can just flow with their equipment. You just need to be dedicated and work constantly with the same tools and the tech part fades away, you can just concentrate on creating the right photo mood, you can just concentrate on what you feel and interact and respond to your subject. Hopefully this all eventually leads to a portrait that has something real to say about the person being photographed.