I had a photo idea while I was walking my rounds. I keep thinking what I can show at the Toot Yung gallery in Bangkok. I came up with this "Go Go Dancer". This is how I see it, digital colour vertical portraits of go go dancers from the bars of Asia. Each picture would be of an individual dancer, in her bikini (no nudity) and wearing her number, just as she does on the stage for her customers. I would probably have to shoot it in a studio set up, maybe we a ring flash, or some kind of soft box setup. I am unsure of backgrounds, I am thinking something gaudy, silvery, goldish, shiny backdrops. The portraits need to be detailed, garish, sexual in a sad way and very honest.
If I did 10 different dancers, and then printed them very large, bright glossy colours with the incredible detail of digi (learned of that from Larry's work). I would do all the printing and framing in Bkk. I could have something here, a bit of documentary style work, a bit of high art. I could tell the story of the worker in a documentary way and yet still make higher end looking fine art (Larry Clark meets Helmut Newton). Doing a project like this is very achievable for me, I would be working in areas and with people that I have worked with extensively. If I could do it with the ring flash and carry the whole studio and all my camera gear in a backpack, that would be great. I could then set up in almost any room and make pictures anytime. I might even consider shooting the project in the Philippines, not Thailand.
An alternative series title might be "Go Go Girl". I could include some background info or just go with the persons nickname and age. Possible background info might be, how long they have worked the bar life, what part of the country they come, how big a family etc.That sort of infomation would help personalize and humanize the worker and lead to more empathy from the viewer.
As always more thought needed on this.
Note* This is the 100th blog of the month, a record! That's a lot of blogs. I never written 100 in one month, not in the 8 or so years I've been doing this.
If I did 10 different dancers, and then printed them very large, bright glossy colours with the incredible detail of digi (learned of that from Larry's work). I would do all the printing and framing in Bkk. I could have something here, a bit of documentary style work, a bit of high art. I could tell the story of the worker in a documentary way and yet still make higher end looking fine art (Larry Clark meets Helmut Newton). Doing a project like this is very achievable for me, I would be working in areas and with people that I have worked with extensively. If I could do it with the ring flash and carry the whole studio and all my camera gear in a backpack, that would be great. I could then set up in almost any room and make pictures anytime. I might even consider shooting the project in the Philippines, not Thailand.
An alternative series title might be "Go Go Girl". I could include some background info or just go with the persons nickname and age. Possible background info might be, how long they have worked the bar life, what part of the country they come, how big a family etc.That sort of infomation would help personalize and humanize the worker and lead to more empathy from the viewer.
As always more thought needed on this.
Note* This is the 100th blog of the month, a record! That's a lot of blogs. I never written 100 in one month, not in the 8 or so years I've been doing this.
