I was working on the web page
tonight and came upon this image. I do not think I have ever posted it before, I
did post a variation of this photograph where the young mother is looking up
with anxiety. Earlier on the day I made this photograph I had seen the young
girl walking in the dump somewhere, I did not know she was a mother, she
looked so young to me at the time, maybe 14-15 years old. I remember when I saw
her holding and caring for the young baby later on in the family home I was
shocked, she looked to childlike to be a mother, to fragile but yet that was the
case. The lady lying in front of her is her mother, a women probably in her late
40s or early 50s who was in ill health. I ended up photographing this family
quite a bit in both May and November of 2013, this photo is from the May trip.
The family was always kind to me, I gave them rice, some canned fish and
photographs on several occasions. I still have a few color photos I want to give
them the next time I visit. The photos are of the father and mother of the home
sitting together and laughing. During the November trip I also photographed this
same girl without her baby, she has the most joyous smile, I wish I could talk
to everyone in that home and get to know them better. Hopefully during the next
trip I can do a large format portrait of the entire family group.
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| Young mother with child 2, Mae Sot garbage dump, Thailand 2013 |
