[LRFlex] Julian's Intro and Thai customs...
- From: David Young <dnr@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: leicareflex@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 04 Oct 2004 08:23:19 -0700
Good Mornin' Julian!
As for the website, actually I am not a Brit. I just used the UK web
address, because it was the cheapest URL to get at that time - when I was
in the 'experimental stage' to set up my own website. And it stuck. I am
originally from Malaysia, living in Singapore, now temporary posted to
Sweden. :-)
Now, that'a a round-about-way to get there!
I was in Singapore and Malaysia on my way to Thailand, a couple of years
ago. Both are lovely countries!
I liked the pictures on your website - Faces of Thailand.
http://www.horizon.bc.ca/~dnr/thailand.htm
I have been to Bangkok, but always had the hesitation of taking these
close up of the faces of the people of Thailand. You did a very nice job
of capturing those expressions.
In Thailand, I always asked permission to photograph people... if only by
smiling and motioning first to the camera and then to them. I was never
refused. What they didn't realize was the power of the 90 and 180mm lenses
I was carrying.
But you hesitated... because, hailing from Malaysia, you knew!
For those who don't know, the Thais have the concept of "Suwai" (not sure
how to spell it in English) - or, "Beautiful". If a restaurant owner needs
to put a stone under a table leg to keep it from rocking, he will wrap the
stone in an old piece of newspaper. You see, the unadorned stone is
ugly. A wrapped one, Suwai.
The Thais prefer photos in which the subjects are far away from the camera,
so that you cannot see the wrinkles and pockmarks that we view as
"character" in a face. That way, they are all "beautiful", at all stages
of life.
Not knowing this, I did my usual shots of people, cropping tightly with a
90 Summicron.
The last day in Bangkok, I whistled around the school where we'd stayed (as
guests of the owner... Rose's daughter had taught there) giving copies of
my photos to the various people we knew. The response was uniform...
"BIG FACE!" they said. And although they were polite to me, I am sure they
threw all the photos away as soon as we were out of sight!
A lesson learned.
And one photo that I have noticed (in the silence - before this
introduction), is the photo of titled 'Grandfather' taken in Japan. To me,
it captured the moment so beautifully - so aptly entitled 'Grandfather'.
Thank you. It's one of my favourite shots... taken way back in 1973.
Thanks for your kind comments.
----------
David Young, | égalité, liberté,
Victoria, CANADA | fraternité et Beaujolais.
Personal Web-site at:
http://www.horizon.bc.ca/~dnr
Leica Reflex Forum web-page:
http://www.horizon.bc.ca/~dnr/lrflex.htm
Other related posts:
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