Tuesday, June 2, 2020

Old Sex Worker Portraits

Just an online grab of various photos made before 2012, when I was photographing workers in the night scene of Thailand. Photographing the nightlife world drew me to the country originally, then I fell in love with the people, the culture and the country.

I have the names of most of these good people, but need to check my unorganized records. I was friends with many of the workers and photographed some over many years, including Long and Nit (pictured). Wanted to exhibit, show the work, raise awareness about their difficult lives but could find a gallery that would exhibit the photographs. The white background b/w stuff was exhibited in New Orleans and Edmonton but other b/w color images never were. Lots of the color negs lay forgotten in binders, never printed, never shown. I let those people down. 

After 2012 left that scene burned out by the ugliness of it. Went on to photograph in slums, dumps etc, after that, much easier to deal with emotionally.

Male gogo bar worker, BODY SELLERS, Thailand 2010

Workers, BODY SELLERS, Thailand 2007
Transgender worker in short time room, Male gogo bar worker, BODY SELLERS, Thailand 2010
Transgender freelance worker, BODY SELLERS, Thailand 2009
Worker on bed, BODY SELLERS, Thailand 2003

Freelance worker, BODY SELLERS, Thailand 2010
Transgender worker, BODY SELLERS, Thailand 2012
Long gogo bar worker, BODY SELLERS, Thailand 2009
Laughing worker on bed, BODY SELLERS, Thailand 2003
Nit, BODY SELLERS, THAILAND 2007?
Worker, BODY SELLERS, Thailand 2010
Male freelancer,, BODY SELLERS, Thailand 2010
Nit, BODY SELLERS, THAILAND 2003?

Freelance worker, BODY SELLERS, Thailand 2010
Long go go bar worker, BODY SELLERS, Thailand 2008
Ann Freelancer, BODY SELLERS, Thailand 1999
Nit, BODY SELLERS, THAILAND 2005?
Long 25, Worker, Thailand 2007