Betty, Muryle And Other Things

Photographed Betty and Muryle at 3pm, went well some good photos there I think. I had the flash equipment and the a/c going full tilt without any problems, hopefully thats a sign of things to come.

I am going to try to photograph 3 ladyboys tomorrow, Betty alone, Muryle alone and a third ladyboy Ae alone, I need to confirm things with them yet but that's my hope.

Was on a high when making the photos but am crashing badly now after so little sleep in the heat filled room last night. I am going to head to bed and try to get 10 hours or so.

One thing I noticed is that I still enjoy making the sex worker on white photos with the 8x10 Masterview but I think I have moved a bit past these pictures. Being out in the bar world last night looking for people to photograph was tiring, and not as interesting to me as in past years (its a pretty ugly place to be). After spending time in Klong Toey and photographing people of all types, learning about their lives, spending some quality time with them, doing the sex worker portraits again does not have the same appeal as it used to. If I do another one of these white background sessions it might take me a few years possibly 4 or 5 to get motivated. I might change my mind when I develop these negs but I doubt it. Being alone talking to my subject one to one is great but being out in the world of the bar wears me right down, it tires me out.

I want very much to start shooting available light portraiture with the 8x10 cameras (Masterview, Deardorff), that seems the next logical step in my progression with the work. If I could get those big beautiful negs like Jock Sturges and Sally Mann do, now that would be something! That would be important and lasting work.

Guess I should load the film before sleeping, that will take an hour or so but I can pass the time dreaming of the "Common Lives" photography project. Then I can go to sleep with a relaxed heart.