Losing My Focus

I think I am losing my focus with all the worrying lately about grants, shows and magazine submissions. I need to get back to what's most important, the creation of photographs.

Today I did some research on a garbage dump in Thailand it's in the town of Mae Sot along the Burmese border. Upwards of 200 Burmese refugees scavenge in the dump to survive, they are trapped seemingly forever  scraping out an existence digging through garbage.

Mae Sot is a town of 120 000 people 80 000 of whom are Burmese. Many of the Burmese are illegals being exploited by local business men because they can pay less than the 135 baht ($4.39 CAD) a day minimum wage they would pay a Thai person.

CNN story on Mae Sot garbage dump workers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fs55Mm_08r8&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL7E364A32058A2C89

I need to go to make photographs in places like Mae Sot. I need to learn some Burmese, learn about these peoples lives, and make photographs of what I find. I need to document and tell the stories of forgotten people like this. Later on when I have the photos the show stuff will happen as it has to a degree in the past. I must not lose my focus, making meaningful pictures is most important.

Tonight I am looking again a the book "Gypsies" by Josef Koudelka, these are the types of pictures I need to be taking. I feel that I am ready to make photos at the "Gypsy" level, but I need to put myself in a position to succeed. I need to save up some money and then throw myself in with people I have a deep compassion for, this will allow me to create and tell an important story.