In
a sentimental past photo mood tonight. Am remembering old friends,
family and photo adventures. Here are few photograph layout pages for a
books that never happened (and probably will never happen). All of these
pic layout pages are from the blog. I included some stories behind the
photos...
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A
series done in 2007, 2009 and 2012 documenting the sex workers of
Pattaya Thailand. All photos made in studio with a 8x10 camera on Tri-x
and shot with a 4 speedotron flash heads. Jiji the ladyboy worker on the
right was a kinda friend who I photographed numerous times, pre and
post breast implants (which she paid for herself).
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| This
photo dates back to when I was 21. It was made in a West Oakland USA,
jazz club washroom. The man in the picture had just shot up with heroin
(using my black sock to tie off his arm). He was ex army ambulance
driver, only met him that one time. He gave me advice on what to do if
someone in the club ODied on drugs (involved placing ice on sensitive
body parts). He also suggested I push someone that overdosed person out
the front door to avoid any legal problems with the police. Boy was that
a different world for a 21 year old nerdy overly clean cut and very
naive Canadian kid who never drank or smoked. |
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| Very
early shot. I might have been 19 or 20. Photo is of BB King when he
came to my town of Edmonton in a not so famous phase of his career. I
got to photograph him by myself, directly underneath the microphone with
a wide angle lens on my old Canon A-1, Tri-x. Shot a bunch of rolls
with no problems at all. |
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| One of the many dump babies, Rolleiflex and Tri-x. |
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| This man had such haunting eyes. He was just wandering the garbage watching when I made this photo. Wonder what he has seen in his lifetime. From "Families of the Dump" Rolleiflex 2016 |
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Dump child, Rolleiflex. Thinking of taking a Rollie this coming May trip to do more close portraits.
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Contact sheet and dad in July 2015.
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| 2
more of dad. The right shot is when he was in hospital after his
diagnosis. This was the 3rd hospital room I visited and photographed him
in. I tried to visit dad everyday that last 13 months, did not quite do
that, but visited him almost everyday. Wish I could visit him again.
Wish I could just hear him say "Gerald" again. |
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Dad
in 2014 for "My Fathers Last Days". The photo on the right he was
watching TV. At left is a contact sheet of various pictures, all on
Tri-x shot with 35mm Leica cameras (R and M).
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| Dad in around July 2014, a hot last summer. |
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Dad
during his last year. My father was always open to be photographed, he
let me in to see everything. There were many times thou that I was to
emotional to lift the camera and gave dad his privacy.
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An
old man of 70 in Klong Toey slum Bangkok, around 2011. When I returned
several months later to give him his photo he had died. I gave the photo
to his friends.
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| Young girls who live on the edge of the garbage and family in their dump shack. Photos made with a 5x7 Linhof on Tri-x in 2015 |
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| Some
35mm Leica shots made in 2015 and 2016 (I think). The man on the right
is the groom, I photographed him for the first time in 2013 at his
wedding. He now has 3 children. |
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| Here
is the groom again from around 2016. The boy on his right is Chemeeko,
the cutest child you can ever imagine. The baby is his young daughter. I
have not met his 3rd child yet,. Will probably be able to meet #3 child
soon when I return to the garbage and the work there. |
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| The dump has both old and young. |
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| Garbage
trucks dropping off some new waste for everyone to dig through, 2018.
Photo made digitally on a Canon 5D Mark3 (ASA 10000) with a tripod. |
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| More
of the "Families of the Dump" pics made in 2018. The left family was
brand new to the dump. They arrived 1 month before I left last trip. The
family had almost nothing, there were 8 or so people living in this
little lean to shack. Did more donations to them than others. The family
in the right is eating some food before the garbage trucks arrive. |
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| In
the left photo are a young husband and wife who wait for the next
garbage truck to arrive before working. Right a family waits. |
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| From
a Leprosy home in Nepal. This very old gentleman was in a room by
himself. sitting on a concrete floor. A sad man at the end of his life.
He seemed to be getting good care, that was able to help him with his
disease. |
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| Spoke
of the top photo earlier, the bottom is young baby being held by her
mother. The dump is filled with babies, could do a whole series of
photographs just on baby faces. One constant I have seen in the dump, is
an incredible amount of love directed at the babies. Mothers are always
all smiles when I make pics of their kids! |
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The
photo from the top was from 2013, the young boy was being cared for by
his slightly older sister (you can see her hand and foot on the left).
Younger babies-children in the dump do not wear diapers of any kind.
They usually just walk around with only a shirt, no pants or underants
and do their business most anywhere, the parents clean up after.
The old man in the bottom photo is form Klong Toey slum in Bangkok, a
drinker. He seemed sad and all used up during the short time I spent
with him. |
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| 2
5x7 film shots from 2015. I have become quite close to the mother in
the photo. Last trip did lots of donation giving to her family. The
little girl on the far left is her oldest daughter. |
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| I
photographed my father for over 13 months after he was diagnosed with
Pancreatic Cancer. The photo on the right (8x10 film Camera) was done
soon after dad was initially diagnosed with the disease. The last shot
was made a few days after he died on Feb 22, 2015. I asked dad if it was
OK to photograph him in his coffin and he said "Yes a few as memory."
This series of photographs "My Fathers Last Days" was the last thing we
did together as father and son. |
