Learning About Indonesia

Time to learn more about Indonesian history and culture. Thinking of starting a new photography project-series there. Need to try to understand things better first and move forward carefully.

Link: UNB Exhibitions Advertisement

 Little advertisement for the last show.

HAPPENING NEXT

Quote: Charles Bukowski

 

UNB Buys 2 More Photographs

 

Studying Indonesian

Spent the night working on Indonesian and learning more about Islam. Need a nap, tough on the 58 year old brain!!

Indonesian!!

 Possible photo trips to come.

Quote: Edgar Allen Poe

Recently a writer told me, “No offence but you’re crazy!”:)

Quote: Aristotle

 

Indonesia? Might Be Visiting

Miss traveling. Thinking of going to Indonesia. Never been there before. To that end am learning a few words. THANK YOU in Indonesian is DUH-REAMAU KGAU-SEE.

There is a garbage dump with people working it outside of Jakarta. I am trying to learn more. I might try going there, making photos and helping, thou it would be difficult.

Bantar Gebang landfill, Jakarta, Indonesia

Quote: Gary Winnogrand

Always loved this quote. I have thought of it often when making Ambrotypes. I sometimes just want to see what something looks like when photographed on glass. Quite often this is my inspiration.

 

Doll Story In The Coming Issue Of B&W Photography Magazine

I believe the story of this young girl and her doll will be told in the coming B&W Photography magazine story. Please consider getting your copy when it comes out.

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from the Facebook/earlier blog story

Note* This story is part of the ongoing social documentary photography-humanitarian project, FAMILIES OF THE DUMP, in Mae Sot Thailand, which was started in 2013. We do photography that is then used to raise money to buy, headlamps, boots, medicines, food, tools, candy etc. The donations also include donated hats, boots, and toys (where this story comes from). Burmese refugee families have been working and living in the garbage dump just outside Mae Sot Thailand for over a decade.

Note* The doll in this story was donated by a young child in Canada. She wanted to give her toys to children at the dump, she has done this 2 times over 2 different Thai trips. I work with the young girls mother who arranges the transfer of toys and also has donated funds (4 or 5 times) to buy things for the families.

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 10, 2020

Giving Away A Doll Story

Wrote of this dump 2019 giving away a doll story before but thought I would share it one more time. Sitting in my guardhouse in the snow of Canada it came to mind once again. Memory flashbacks to the people in Thai happen all the time to me.

So, I am in the dump and see the little girl at her dump shack home who I will give the doll to. I reach in my camera bag and take it out. Then I make doll walking, talking noises as I hand it to the little surprised refugee Burmese child. She is absolutely thrilled! After I gave her the doll, I realize I need a photo of her with it so I can show the toy donating child in Canada and her mother (they can see where their donation went). The little Burmese girl thou is hugging the doll all backwards, she has this sort of happy, hugging doll, death grip, thing happening. I do not have a good angle to make a photo, I will not be able to show the folks back home. It is important they see the good they did, I need to do something! I cannot ask her to turn the doll around as that is beyond my Burmese speaking capabilities. So, I reach in and TAKE THE DOLL BACK!! The poor child looks at me with 'ABSOLUTE HORROR!!!". I am not going to give her the toy, I am taking it away!!! I can still remember her face; it was disappointment times 10! I then turn the doll around and hand it back to her and the picture below is made. She thought for a second the toy was not hers to keep. Thinking of the face she made, the sudden expression change from joy to shocked disappointment still makes me giggle. Anyway, she smiled again, and all was good. One of a thousand dump stories.

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Plan Of The Week: TEARS OF A BUTTERFLY Photo Book

Plan of the week!

Makeup a rough draft binder version of a proposed photo book called TEARS OF A BUTTERFLY. The book would be a volume of photographs along with stories on the subjects and the making of the pictures. Sort of a photo story book of 200 or so pages.

Of course, no real publisher would print it but I could self-publish. I could do up a semi decent desktop publishing Blurb book. TEARS OF A BUTTERFLY could be placed at future exhibitions for gallery visitors to browse through.

Not sure this will happen. It would probably take years to complete. But it is a productive, positive way to use my spare time during night shifts. One can hope it gets done 😊.

Maybe it could be one of those very personal books that gets published for real after your death.

Some possible photos to talk about, some stories to tell.

Titian

Picked up an interesting read from Value Village last night, $7.99 CAD. I knew nothing of Titian, now know a bit more. Lovely printed book.

Reading an art book on a cold winter day in January. Gotta love it!

New Submissions To Come

I have nothing other than the B&W magazine story coming out in the next months. NO EXHIBITIONS are scheduled! Nothing, Nada!

I hope to be doing some new submissions to mags and galleries in the next few months. First I need to update everything. I also need to redo/update the PDF files for the Thai projects, adding the 2022 work. Some of the old film work from these projects remain undeveloped (Families, not sure about Under the Freeway).

I am not far enough along to submit AMBROTOS KANATA yet, more ambrotypes need to be made, more and of better quality. I might be able to do submissions of.  MY FATHERS LAST DAYS or the Japanese series KODOKU. Some of the KODOKU images remain unseen/unedited (not sure where the files are). I could also try reprinting and submitting the SEX WORKERS ON WHITE series, this time on Platinum.

Winnipeg Flash Photographic Festival Advert

Updating my CV today (added one exhibition and being published in 3 mags). Found this, thought I would post it, in case I need the information in the future. From the April 2022 exhibition.