RingFlash Blad Tests

Played around with exposure and development using the ring flash with Blad and 80mm.




Dad 77 years old.

Cambodian 35mm Stuff

Shot this on one of my 2 days in Cambodia this last trip. One is of an outdoor barbershop another if of a mural I found in a partially destroyed Buddhist temple building. Not sure who painted the mural or why it was there, it seemed to depict, murder, rape and torture.

These images were made with a Contax G2, the automatic features of this camera made me feel uncomfortable, I am hoping the Leica range-finders will allow me more control and be more fluid to use.

Possible Projects

Been running many story ideas over in my head the last few days. Things I might try to do in the future, not sure how much of this I can do and how much is fantasy but every photograph, every photographic project starts with an idea.

1) Khon thai, photos of thai people from all levels of society.
2) Rural Cambodia, photographs of people I meet on motorcycle trips through Cambodia.
3) Rickshaw driver in Phnom Penh his life story.
4) Cambodian street children, their lives their story day to day in the Phnom Penh.
5) Long or Bla's story, photographs of their lives.
6) Slum life, photographs of people living in Thai slums.
7) Refugee camps, life of various people/family's in the camps (Burmese refugees around the Thai border).
8) Bangkok at night, photographs of everything that happens in the wee hours in one of the busiest cities in the world.

Quote: Edward Steichen

"The mission of photography is to explain man to man and each man to himself."

Quotes: W. Eugene Smith

"Photography is a small voice. at best. but sometimes one photograph. or a group of them, can lure our senses into awareness.... Someone, or perhaps many, among us may be influenced to heed reason, to find a way to right what was wrong."

" Each time I pressed the shutter release, it was a shouted condemnation hurled with the hope that the pictures might survive through the years, with the hope that they might echo through the minds of men in the future. causing them caution and remembrance and realization."

"I have never made any picture, good or bad, without paying for it in emotional turmoil."

"I can never photograph without love,...I create only when I have the spirit and spirituality of life that love gives me"

"I believe if you stir human emotions, much can come out of it. I don't believe you stand a chance of changing many of the important wrongs in the world unless you reach through the emotions that stir the brain."

Leica Range-finder Tri-x Tests Continue

Went out shooting with a friend. I tried developing these films with the same dilution/time/temp as W. Eugene Smith did. The grain is noticeably smaller than the Rodinal developed negatives.

More New Sex Worker 2009 Photographs

Oew 33

Bla 21

Quote: Ralph Gibson

"A strong photograph is something that impels the viewer to bring a lot to it. The perception of the photograph becomes the creative act."

Quote: James Nachtwey Photojournalist

Why do you shoot what you shoot?

"I think the raising of people's consciousness is the first step toward creating public opinion and public opinion creates an impetus for change. It creates pressure on decision-makers, the powers that be, who make choices that effect the lives of thousands of people. Helping create the impetus for them to move in the right direction, through public opinion, is something worth doing."

New Sex Worker Series 2009 Photographs

Bla 21 Female Freelance Sex Worker, Thailand 2009

Jiji 28 Ladyboy Sex Worker, Thailand 2008

New 2003 Bargirl Series Photos

Finally got around to developing these Bargirl Series Photos from 2003.

Num 25

Nit 22

Naung 38

Excited

Been involved with photography for over 30 years now but the excitement continues to grow. Tonight I am working in the darkroom developing film and printing, my head full of photographs I want to make in the future, full of ideas. Photography is so exciting, so rewarding, fills me with so much purpose. There is nothing I would rather do with my life.

Prints For Sale on Ebay

Trying to sell some prints on ebay to help fund a return to Asia to make photographs for the "Khon Thai" project.

http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=p2769.m38.l1313&_nkw=gerry+yaum&_sacat=See-All-Categories

Bla 21 In Her Room

These photos of Bla were made in a room she shared with another lady, the room rented for around $7 USD a day. All the outside guests who visited also had to pay a fee to a man out front who ran the place. Bla brought her customers to this room for shortime sex, she told me sometimes the men left without paying her. I remember during the shoot a cockroach scurried across the floor and Bla pushed it out the door with a tissue. Shot this with a Contax G2 plus flash, Tri-x developed 1/50 in Rodinal for 10/11 minutes, 20c, with very little agitation. Not sure I like the heavy grain, have to think about this some more. I also shot some medium format and color photographs that I will post later.

Leica/Rodinal Tests

Been working with Leica Range-Finder cameras along with Tri-x and Rodinal. I am trying to get a certain grain and look to the negs/prints. The idea would be to work with this camera along with the Razzle camera making portraits in rural Thailand and Cambodia. Here are some first attempts.

Ladyboy Sex Worker Headshots 2008

Nit 2008 Color Contact

This contact strip is from 2009, the third time I photographed Nit. She is in a shortime sex room she has used many times with her customers.

Quote: Daisetz Suzuki-Zen Teacher

"If one really wishes to be master of an art, technical knowledge of it is not enough. One has to transcend technique so that the art becomes an 'artless art', growing out of the unconscious."

My Photographs Online At Cousin Corrine

Noah from the New York based site Cousin Corrine was nice enough to post some of my photos. The site is filled with diverse work from many compelling photographers. I especially like the work by Alec Soth and Pieter Hugo, stunning!

Cousin Corinne will also be publishing a magazine shortly.

http://www.cousincorinne.com/

Quote: Lisette Model

"Don't shoot till the subject hits you in the pit of your stomach."

Quote: Brian Wallis, Chief Curator ICP

...and really (that) is what art history or the history photography is all about: encouraging a way of reading images that helps people understand better their own lives and culture.

Oh Yeah I Can Use That Thing Afterall

Funny how you plan to use something in the future and then for years nothing happens, finally your very happy to have that thing that was in the way for all those years.

Years ago I bought a condenser enlarger from a school that was selling their stuff to go digital. The darn thing sat in in my darkroom taking up space for 5 years. I could never find a negative to print in the enlarger. The reason I bought it was so that I could do high contrast work with it if I had the need, I could go higher contrast with the condenser head than I could with my Saunders LPL enlargers.

Today I finally found some negs that it works with. I am printing the b/w ring flash heads of Bla and Da with this enlarger.

Now if I could just figure out how to make good photos with some of those odd camera purchases from the past, I'm set!

Mao Portrait-Portrait

Some portraits with Chairman Mao.

Da 6x6 Portrait

New Gallery

Set up a new gallery on the web page "Sex Worker Series 2009"

http://www.gerryyaum.com/sex%20worker09.html

Bla 6x6 Portrait

6x6 Sex Worker Portraits

Developed a few of the 6x6 sex worker b/w stuff. I shot the 6x6 photographs mostly in color but did a few b/w also.

Arts Deadline Link

Submission deadlines.

http://www.artdeadlineslist.com/

Quotes: Yousuf Karsh

"The size of the camera, of the film, must not enter into the question at all. Who cares whether a book is written standing or sitting, with pen or pencil, or on a typewriter? It is the result that is important. In whichever medium an artist feels more at ease, that is the medium he should use to express himself."

"The most important skill for a photographer to develop, is that of being able to see his subject through his eyes before he sees it through his camera."

Submitting Work

Well am doing my best to get a one man show somewhere, anywhere! I made 4 submissions to the VAAA and one to the Truck Contemporary Art Gallery (Calgary). I am also thinking of submitting some older images to the Milner gallery here in the city (lobby of the main library).

Sent out emails to 3 different places last night asking about submission requirements. I also got a book online (Photographers Market 2008) that gives me the names and addresses of many American galleries, hopefully that will lead to submissions and work being shown.

I have rooms filled with negatives, time to get a few of these photographs actually showing someplace.

Quotes: Elliot Erwit

Speaking about digital manipulation.
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"Obviously manipulation is totally unacceptable to me in photography. Photography has to do with what is, not what you manipulate or conjure up."

"A manipulated photograph is no longer a photograph, if someone wants to do that why don't they just learn how to paint or something?"

"If they do call it a photograph they should have in huge letters saying, this is not a photograph this is a manipulated image."

"The basic quality of photography is that it should be believable. People that take pictures and manipulate them would like you to believe these are real photographs and that's wrong."

Sebastiao and Ansel

Well I finally made to the Salgado exhibit in Berkeley, and was pleasantly surprised to get a “two-for”, as there was an Ansel Adams exhibit running too! I hit the Salgado exhibit first. What did I think? In a word, “Wow........”. I was stunned by the images. I did not bother to count them, but there must have been around 250 of Salgado’s images on display. There were several images where traditional rules of composition were broken; like feet cropped off at the bottom of the frame, building tips cropped at the top, and people posed with their faces centered in the image... And they were still incredible, powerful and moving images. All were printed to 16X or 20X, and the darkroom work was masterful. This is a “must see” exhibit in my book. I love the work of Ansel Adams too... And it hurts to say it, but I’ll add this comment at the risk of committing heresy: after Salgado’s work, the Adams images on display seemed like simple postcards...
Cheers,

-- Jack Flesher February 21, 2002

Studying Cambodia

I continue to learn a word or two a day of Khmer. Today learned Money/Loy, Skull/Low-Lia. Also reading several books on Cambodia. Started the best book I have read so far, it was written by Dr Haing Ngor (actor who played Dith Pran in the movie The Killing Fields)and Roger Warner. The book is titled "Survival In The Killing Fields" It is stunningly good, very informative and thought provoking. I just read a early section that brought me to tears.

Haing Ngor was an incredible man, he became a doctor, survived the killing fields of Cambodia, won a oscar for best supporting actor and then went onto a second career as actor. He was also a champion for human rights and worked to help the Cambodian people.

He died back in 1996 when he was shot by a street gang member outside his home in the Chinatown area of Los Angeles. Three gang members had all ready robbed him of his Rolex which Mr Ngor gave up willingly but when he was asked for the locket he wore around his neck it was refused. The gang member then shot and killed him. The reason Haing Ngor refused to give up the locket was because it contained the lone picture he had of his dead wife, a wife he had lost during the Khmer Rouge period along with most of his family.

The Time I Have Left

Been thinking a lot about the photographs I want to make with the time I have left in my life. I am now 45 years old, if I take care of myself and with some luck I should be able to shoot in the field for another 25 years maybe 30.

What type of photographs to make in the time left?

Photographing people is a given but what peoples? Where? The Khon Thai project? Photographs in Cambodia? Should I try to go to Africa or Central/South America?

Photographs that show the human condition, that document peoples lives, that are honest to life is what I should strive for.

I might have to make some sacrifices in my personal life to chase down these goals. I have to find the money to allow me the freedom to shoot what I want, how I want.

I am running out of time got to get the photos made, need to concentrate my efforts.

Yearly VAAA Submission

Well got the yearly submission into the VAAA. It has sort of become a tradition for me to be rejected by this gallery. Think I have been turned down 6 times now including 4 years in a row.

Actually made 4 submissions this year all with "Sex Worker" themes, will probably be rejected again but who knows, no harm in trying. I also am going to make a submission to a Calgary gallery, The Truck Contemporary Gallery of Art. Hopefully they will be a bit more open minded and less fearful in regards to the subject matter.

Would love to get this work shown, will probably move in a new direction on next years trip to Asia.

Khon Thai Preview?

Was looking through some of my old negs today in the darkroom, I wanted to make up some postcards to send out to friends. I found some images taken back in 1996, the photographs were portraits made in rural Thailand. I think that I might be working in this way (hopefully a bit more fluently!), next year when I start making the khon thai photos.

Quote: Edward Weston

"Photography's greatest difficulty likes in the necessary coincidence of the sitters revealment, the photographer's realization, the cameras readiness. But in comparison. In the very overcoming of the mechanical difficulties which would seem to restrict the camera lies its tremendous strength. For when the perfect spontaneous union is consummated, a human document, the very bones of life are bared.