Sean Reid on Street Photography: Meaning?

[sean_reid]

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Sean:

 

I've now printed all the newest pictures and selected the ones for the book project: there are 114 in all, 58 shot with the M6 and 56 with the GR-D. I've prepared half of the JPGs and hope to complete the rest tomorrow. Hence, a few questions:

 

1. I'm going to put this up on a server for downloading, but thought that it might be more prudent, rather than posting the url here, to ask people who want to download the files to send me an e-mail requesting the address. What do you think?

 

2. I was thinking to put the JPGs into a PDF file, but then thought I could just zip the JPGs and upload them. I've started the file names with numbers, which will keep the JPGs of the photos and chapter titles in the correct sequence: on the Mac I would view the JPGs using Preview, which allows a slide show. Do you have a preference to get the book project as PDF file or as JPGs?

 

—Mitch/Bangkok

 

1) Your call. The latter might be a good idea.

 

2) JPGs are fine for me. Not sure what others might prefer. PDF sometimes degrades picture quality.

 

Sorry for the delay, buried in work.

 

S

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[Simon Larbalestier]

I had the pleasure of seeing a dummy book of Mitch's a few months ago before many of the images were posted on the Flikr site. Seeing the images in the book format rather than the internet presentation is much more fluid and poetic. The high contrast of some of the b/w images work well against the sublte colour images from the 28 on the M6.

 

I've also seen Mitch's prints which retain very deep blacks but still with plenty of shadow detail and a long tonal range of grays.

 

IMHO The images aren't sterile in any way but they are very selective in the information they display. A wide lens pulls in quite a lot of background data but often the shots are of a single person in what would be normally very busy area or they are close up shot which again portrays a single person in an otherwise empty but normally busy environment - a hard thing to do in the hustle and bustle of Bangkok streets especially in cafes and and street food stalls!

 

hope it's ok Mitch but i'm posting a link to two of your shots as an examples

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10268776@N00/232655384/in/set-72157594271568487/

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10268776@N00/242315599/in/set-72157594271568487/

 

I work in a very different way to Mitch (where the emotions of the person are very important and help define their charactor within the setting i have photgraphed them in)

but i can apprecate and identify with Mitch's wish to make photographs that are more poetic in their meaning.

 

 

On another note which i felt i should address here seeing as its become part of the thread:

 

Wayne

 

speaking as someone who is both married to a Thai National and documenting the implications of HIV/AIDS in Thailand you're comments on Thai women seem a little harsh.

 

yes, i think your photos counter-balance the 'exotic' and also the 'sleazy' view of bangkok. you show a lot of quite nice, ordinary women. that's why i think a book called 'the good women of bangkok' would perk a lot of interest. it's something different.

 

that's putting out a book based on the present social realities. in practical terms (knowing a lot about the book business) it would, perhaps, get beyond your friends and fans.

 

i guess what i'm saying is i'd like a book based specifically on bangkok. i feel urban hysteria could be pictured anywhere. what makes this city special to the world? the image of the sex trade.

 

wayne

 

 

hi mitch,

what i do see is a lot of women and girls going about their business in a slightly (could be emphasized more in cropping and printing) threatening atmosphere. aids and prostitution are rampant in bangkok and a very definite line drawn between the good and bad women (most sex workers come from the provinces so they can send money home to poor families).

wayne

 

 

This idea of trying to make some sort of distiction between a good and bad Thai woman seems arcane in that by making these references there is suggestion that their job defines who they are not their own personal charactor. The fact that some of these girls put themsleves at very high risk to enable their younger or older sibling to attend University Degrees and put their needs of their family above their own needs should be recognised and appreciated in my eyes.

 

Fortunately Mitch isn't interested in trying to portray this.

[Guest malland]

I absolutely agree with Simon's statement. Although I was a bit surprised by the statement referred to I decided not to react.

 

—Mitch/Bangkok

[Guest stnami]

Simon I can see how your work contrasts with Mitch's as well as how you can relate to their structures.

There is some great images on your site. I haven't been back to Cambodia since 96, it was pretty quiet then. In a way I don't want to return and have my experieces ruined due to the upsurge of tourism,I am still forever gratefull for the kindness of the people.

[Guest malland]

Sean:

 

I've now uploaded the JPGs of the 114 photos for the Bangkok Hysteria book, of which 58 are taken with the M6 and 56 with the GR-D, and have sent you an e-mail with the url and password.

 

For anyone interested in looking at this book project, please send me an e-mail by clicking on my name and I'll e-mail you the url and password.

 

—Mitch/Bangkok

[smokysun]

hi simon,

 

i apologize if i offended. i wasn't speaking for myself and i agree with you. my intent was not to personally judge these women, but to echo what i felt both the thai society itself seems to say about them and also the western view of it. this is definitely not my distinction. in fact, i'm embarassed that it might be taken as so. what i felt mitch conveying to me is ordinary life going on.

 

again, my apologies.

 

wayne

[Simon Larbalestier]

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Hi Wayne

I accept your apology.

I think from my limited experience of Thai culture (which i find extremely complex) - that your comments reflected a western approach not a Thai one. The concept of the family unit - working together with a single aim (even if the sons/daughters live elsewhere) is still regarded in the highest possible light. Tourists who hang around the surprisingly ever popular Kao San Road or the visit the streets of Patpong, Soi Cowboy or Nana Complex, before hoping off to one of the many beautiful island resorts- will not really have the time or opportunity chance to see this.

 

 

Stnami thanks for your comments on my site - the longer term projects are better seen on the Anarchy Images website easily navigated if you enter "Larbalestier" into the keyword search.

 

Siem Reap and Phnom Penh will have changed a lot since your last visit i'm sure (Siem Reap changes every time i return) For such a small town it now boasts something like 108 major hotels ???? and a new airport to cater for the influx of tourists. However if you were to visit the provinces of Kampong Chhnang, Kampot and Kampong Som where the impact of tourism is minimal to non existant i think you'd see little has changed.