My thinking on my coming 7 week trip continues to evolve. Because I did not get my leave of absence, I need to focus on what I hope to accomplish and use the time I do have more effectively. My current thinking is that I will spend more time in Mae Sot. Mae Sot is the main area I planned to work on for my "Forgotten Laughter" portraits, so why not spend more time there?
I will be shooting the 5x7 extensively on this project and in Mae Sot I might be able to rent a motorbike which would make transporting the camera, tripod, food gifts more easy. If for example instead of spending my original planned 10 days there, why not spend 20 or even 30 days in Mae Sot. I could explore with the motorbike, travel extensively in the area and make photographs of the people I find, especially the Burmese children living in poverty. I would be able to do extensive portraits for the "Forgotten Laughter" book if I do 20 or 30 days in a row in Mae Sot.
As a bonus to my time there, to sort of fill in the spaces between photography I could go back to school! I am thinking of paying a teacher at the dump school to teach me Burmese. I could go everyday and study for 1 or 2 hours, learn to read and write in Burmese, which would be very interesting and would also eventually lead to more access, more understanding and better photography (just like learning Thai has helped me so much). I love languages, so why not give Burmese a serious go?
On the home front, I continue to try to learn Burmese as best I can on my own (very tough sledding). I am continuing my work outs, hoping to get into better physical condition. Losing my bike is a big negative on the getting into shape front, I might have to try running (more easy to hurt yourself) or swimming to make up for the lost cardio bike riding time. I am also working extra shifts to pay off my silly camera purchases. I will get a new passport, a Thai visa, buy an air ticket in the coming months and get all my gear and film, bags/suitcases together. Everything should be aligned and ready for action well before my departure date.
This 7 week trip will be followed soon after by a 5 week trip. On my return to Canada in December I will have a short down time before I need to redo everything for a late February photography trip. I could possibly be going to Burma (especially if I learn some language skills), Cambodia or the Philippines. I want the book to include portraits of children from many Asian countries as child poverty is not only a Thai problem. The work needs to be universal in nature, across borders, languages and cultures.
I will be shooting the 5x7 extensively on this project and in Mae Sot I might be able to rent a motorbike which would make transporting the camera, tripod, food gifts more easy. If for example instead of spending my original planned 10 days there, why not spend 20 or even 30 days in Mae Sot. I could explore with the motorbike, travel extensively in the area and make photographs of the people I find, especially the Burmese children living in poverty. I would be able to do extensive portraits for the "Forgotten Laughter" book if I do 20 or 30 days in a row in Mae Sot.
As a bonus to my time there, to sort of fill in the spaces between photography I could go back to school! I am thinking of paying a teacher at the dump school to teach me Burmese. I could go everyday and study for 1 or 2 hours, learn to read and write in Burmese, which would be very interesting and would also eventually lead to more access, more understanding and better photography (just like learning Thai has helped me so much). I love languages, so why not give Burmese a serious go?
On the home front, I continue to try to learn Burmese as best I can on my own (very tough sledding). I am continuing my work outs, hoping to get into better physical condition. Losing my bike is a big negative on the getting into shape front, I might have to try running (more easy to hurt yourself) or swimming to make up for the lost cardio bike riding time. I am also working extra shifts to pay off my silly camera purchases. I will get a new passport, a Thai visa, buy an air ticket in the coming months and get all my gear and film, bags/suitcases together. Everything should be aligned and ready for action well before my departure date.
This 7 week trip will be followed soon after by a 5 week trip. On my return to Canada in December I will have a short down time before I need to redo everything for a late February photography trip. I could possibly be going to Burma (especially if I learn some language skills), Cambodia or the Philippines. I want the book to include portraits of children from many Asian countries as child poverty is not only a Thai problem. The work needs to be universal in nature, across borders, languages and cultures.
