Friends In The Gym Neighborhood

I have branched out in all directions from the gym, like a spider spreading his web : ) Hopefully its a nice friendly spider web, of sharing, understanding, joking and making good photographs.

I go back day after day, talk to the people, learn about their lives, talk about mine and try to gain their trust. I want to understand who they are as people and hopefully they will trust me enough to allow me to make their photographs. Everyday that I go back it gets a bit easier, people are more friendly and more trusting.

Today I met a very nice younger girl named Boh 21, she asked me detailed questions about my life, I also met her family and the family of Ring Pit a boxer at the gym. Other people frown when I walk by, and do not want to have anything to do with me. I try to stay clear of the people who want to be left alone but also try to smile, be friendly and show the proper respect if I get the opportunity.

I photographed a number of young boys today, they asked for some Popsicles after the photos were made and I bought them a treat, they were sweet but hard to work with always fidgiting and making faces (not good when your shooting at 1/4 of a second). They were nice  and polite thou and called me loong (uncle) in Thai (Thai people always call older people a respectful name, father, mother, uncle, aunt, or just pee for an older person, or even khune father, khune mother etc Khune = mister or miss).

It is tiring going back day after day carrying the camera, the film holders and spending hours talking trying to gain peoples trust. When I am making the photos thou, I feel joyful, learning about the lives of the people here is also fun. I just wish it was not so damn hot! (32C today) and that I had someone to carry the camera gear!

Tomorrow I will go to the airport to fill out the paper work for my stolen camera gear (waste more time on this mess!). Then later in the day if I can I want to go back and photograph some more slum shacks along the canal. I noticed a place farther down from where I photographed before that might yield some good images.

The day after tomorrow I already of a man lined up to photograph he lives accross from the man I photographed today Khune Jood. He is disabled (uses a walker even thou he is only 37) and seems to have some mental handicap of some kind, but is a very friendly man who spoke to me today as I walked by his shack, we ended up talking for 15+ minutes.