Cart Pulling People

My last night on the border I did a series of flash with Banarama 2 portraits as people were pulling large wooden carts back to Cambodia before the border closed at 8pm.  I guess if they are late and the border is closed the only way they can cross is if they pay a bribe to the Cambodian border polite of 100 baht. Most of the photographs I made were shot between 6pm and 715pm.

Not sure the photographs will turn out as I was shooting in darkness with a flashlight mounted to the Banarama 2 (CSI like) and focusing on a moving subject moving towards me at 1/125 and about F 8-F11. Will see how it turns out, will probably try these type of moving portraits again next trip as well.

This type of labor is like some kind of ancient slave work, to pull those carts/wagons back and forth day after day must be unbeleivably hard, could not imagine living that kind of life. I am so lucky to have what I have and to be born with a silver spoon in my mouth.

A quote I read from Sebastiao Salgado rings true here, these people might be materially poor but they are spiritually rich. They do not want or require my pity, I can learn from them, I can learn to become a spiritually stronger person. I have the silver spoon in my mouth but do not have same spiritual, cultural and traditional strength they have.

http://www.gerryyaum.blogspot.com/2011/12/quote-sebastiao-salgado.html