Award winning photos

I just received word that these two of mine are amongst the professional category winners at the 4th Annual Photography Masters Cup.
One image, from my book Bikes of Burden, received a honorable mention in the professional "photojournalism" category and the other, featured in my upcoming book Ecstatic East, made the nominee list in the professional "people" category.

Bangkok Burning

Black smoke rises from burning tires


Then smoke from Central World shopping mall


Towards the end of the afternoon

Looking out from my little balcony towards the west this afternoon a curtain of ominous smoke had been drawn, obscuring the high rises that usually puncture the sky from my view. The final crackdown on the red shirt protesters main stage had taken place.
Tonight there is a curfew. For me there is no difference from yesterday or the day before that or indeed for much of the last 2 weeks as the cast on my right leg has prevented me from going out and photograph the tragedy unfolding.
Running is a skill I have temporarily forfeited. Maybe it was meant to be. People have been shot and killed, photographers no exception.
Now the curtain of the night has fallen over the stage that is Bangkok.
It doesn’t mean the play is over.

Not Here Anymore, Not Quite There Yet.

© Hans Kemp 2010

Jungle

Spent a few days in Kaeng Krachan National Park. It was nice to be out of the city where the only tall structures surrounding me were evergreen trees and the only sounds that filled the air were emitted by birds, insects, langurs and gibbons.
Photographing wildlife has never been my thing and as far as I can remember this was my first attempt. Can’t say it is easy but I might give it another shot as Thailand has many beautiful forests.



Back to the urban jungle that is Bangkok right in time for another red rally.



Thousands of motorbikes roared and honked along the streets on Saturday. Exhaust fumes saturated the air already hot and humid trapped between concrete, glass and asphalt. Just my thing…… or maybe I should buy that new 800mm f/5.6L IS USM after all.

Not Here Anymore, Not Quite There Yet.

© Hans Kemp 2010

Colorblind

I have been seeing red this weekend. A lot of red. Supporters of ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra have descended on Bangkok in an attempt to force the current government into calling for fresh elections.
Chances of that happening though are slim indeed and guaranteed to make me see yellow as that is the color favored by the current governing party whose supporters are not opposed to throwing their own street party if deemed necessary.
Those who favor neither side in the meantime have chosen to wear pink.

The reds are being paid to demonstrate or so the yellows say. It gets confusing. We’re all getting paid here. Some get paid to shout, others get paid to keep quiet. You can call it bribes in the first instance and salary in the second. Bangkok is affluent, consumer driven; the latest gadgets have a way of silencing people. So one way or the other there are masters that control us to say or not say what they want or not want.

The Bangkok sun today was shining merciless yellow and hot. I got burned while taking photos and now my arms and face are turning red. Temporarily I hope.

Not Here Anymore, Not Quite There Yet.

© Hans Kemp 2010

The Road Ahead

One of the projects I hope to get off the ground this year is the creation of a gallery with iconic images from all over Asia where visitors can browse and order high quality prints to decorate their homes and offices. I have started making a gallery with some of my images first and you can take a look by clicking on the link to the right where it says "order art prints from my images".
The gallery will continue to expand and eventually will include images from other well known photographers aiming their lens at this fascinating continent.

The road ahead is not known and not knowable but riding a faithful steed and illuminated by the last rays of the setting sun who really cares?

Not Here Anymore, Not Quite There Yet.

© Hans Kemp 2010

Dawn

An image for all of you on the eve of Christmas 2009.
The poem is from Emily Dickinson:

Not knowing when the Dawn will come,
I open every Door,
Or has it Feathers, like a Bird,
Or Billows, like a Shore

Not Here Anymore, Not Quite There Yet.

© Hans Kemp 2009

Carrying Not Only Cambodia

It’s been really quiet on this page. Not because nothing has been happening, quite on the contrary, life has been so eventful that at times I felt the only thing left to do was to stick to the Zen Master’s adage: "He who knows, does not speak. He who speaks, does not know."

Now I will be the first to admit that generally I do not know much and am therefore condemned to a life of uttering strings of syllables which, with some success I hope, are meant to amuse and confuse you, my dear readers. To bring forth a glimmer of a smile on your countenance would be all that I could ask for my words to produce.

My photos, on the other hand, I hope will have a more profound impact. It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words but what an insult to photography that is!

And so without further ado I am pleased to announce the forthcoming arrival of my new book: Carrying Cambodia.

Not Here Anymore, Not Quite There Yet.

© Hans Kemp 2009