In the Heart of the Market, Pakse, Laos, 2005
The power of contemporary advertising merges into the flow of an age-old marketplace at Pakse. I saw several incongruities in this scene – the older women walking below a huge ad targeted at a younger generation, the rickshaw moving past a parked motorcycle, and the nature of the place itself, a city of tents and awnings that looks much the same as it must have looked 100 years ago. Yet it is a booming marketplace, a maelstrom of activity, and I tried to capture that feeling in this image as well.
18-JAN-2005
Cutter, Huay Xai, Laos, 2005
Protecting her eyes from the bright Asian sun with an umbrella, a woman does some trimming in a Mekong village market. I was not as interested in what she was doing or what she looked like as I was by luminosity of the backlighting, which passes through the umbrella and abstracts the woman by turning her into a silhouette. A market is a place of thousand small acts happening at once. As a photographer, I try to find those acts, do whatever I can to isolate them and abstract them, and make them symbolize the nature of the marketplace itself.
Bovine Visitor, Champasak Province, Laos, 2005
Strange things sometimes happen in marketplaces when you least expect them. It is important to recognize their possible significance when they happen and take full advantage of them. This animal suddenly came running by me at a full trot, right in the middle of a rural market. Most cattle in Laotian markets have long since become steaks and chops. This bovine visitor, however, was very much alive. I saw the incongruity of its live presence and made this shot, seconds before it brushed past me. Perhaps such things happen all the time here and the locals take it for granted. But I didn’t. I seized an opportunity to make an incongruous image.
22-JAN-2005
Produce Stand, Luang Prabang, Laos, 2005
This woman looked as if she were lost in a very healthy dream. I was attracted to the richness of the colors and textures that surrounded her, and to the sense of patience I felt in her demeanor. This image is not about either buying or selling. Instead it tells the story of the marketplace that is seldom told – it’s all about waiting.
22-JAN-2005
Bean Cutter, Luang Prabang, Laos, 2005
Once again, it was the color of this picture that struck me first. I liked the warmth of the tones of this skirt, as well as the Laotian design of the fabric itself, and built an image out of it by moving in on the hands as they sliced the beans. The skirt not only symbolizes an aspect of Laotian culture – it serves a practical purpose as well. It incongruously catches the trimmings. Other photographers would probably have included the whole person, including her smiling face. I decided to abstract the image, and feature instead the skirt and the incongruous cuttings resting in its folds.
07-FEB-2005
Slumber in the Market, Chinatown, Yangon, Myanmar, 2005
Customers were few at this vendor's stall in Yangon's Chinatown. There was enough time for these women to get some obviously needed rest. Once again, it is the incongruity of the situation that makes it a worthwhile picture situation. A sense of place comes through in the detail – only in Burma do women paint their faces with Thanaka, a yellow paste that softens the skin and blocks the rays of the sun. I also like the fact that the sleeping woman clutches her purse under her arm – another incongruity. You never know when someone might need change!
22-JAN-2005
Hands of a Butcher, Luang Prabang, Laos, 2005
I found the decorated fingers of this young woman somewhat incongruous -- only seconds before I made this picture, she was slicing slabs of bloody meat at Luang Prabang's market. The key to this image is the similarity in color between her fingernail polish and the raw meat. The incongruous detail of the rings contrasted to the meat also helps express the idea, as does the calm, relaxed posture of the hands resting in the woman’s lap. The marketplace is full of incongruities. It is up to the photographer to find them, and bring the incongruous elements into juxtaposition. By abstracting the woman with my frame, I was able to call more attention to them, and emphasize the point at hand. (Pun intended.)
22-JAN-2005
Counting Kip, Luang Prabang, Laos, 2005
Lao currency is called Kip -- counted out in the marketplace by the tens of thousands. It's no wonder this lady appears uncertain. (I never could keep the exchange rate straight.) Whenever I am shooting in a marketplace, I am looking for the moment of transaction. Money changing hands often brings revealing reactions such as this one. There is incongruity in this situation as well. The woman accepting the money is wondering with one hand while receiving payment with the other. The customer doing the paying is nonchalantly shelling out what appears to be a small fortune.
Fast Food, Vientiane, Laos, 2005
Vientiane's streets are markets as well -- lined with vendors selling goods of all kinds. This vendor sells soups made with fresh vegetables while keeping her daughter occupied.
It was the translucent umbrella that drew me to the scene. The little girl could not take her eyes off me, but had no idea what I was doing. Her mother was trying to tell her, but it was beyond her comprehension. I found this interaction quite charming, and use the lovely umbrella with the soft golden light coming through it, along with the cooking utensils and the fresh produce, as context for the mother-child relationship.
Fishing Net, Champasak Province, Laos, 2005
A fishing net for sale in a Southern Laos marketplace offers an abstract beauty of its own. Its translucent coloration, and incongruous masses of detail stimulate the imagination. I often will look for unusual products for sale in the marketplace and photograph them in ways that offer more questions than answers. To make this image work, I removed as much context as I could. Only the two wooden bars remain of the marketplace itself, along with its earthen floor. Everything left is fishing net, which, once removed from its normal usage, can become just about anything you want it to become.
Thanaka Logs, Chinatown, Yangon, Myanmar, 2005
A young woman gets some reading in while waiting for people to buy her Thanaka logs, which come from a small tree grown in Upper Burma. Women cut the bark off the log, grind it on a grinding stone, and add a few drops of water to make a yellow paste, which is then applied as makeup, just as she has. The paste dries to a yellow powder, which conditions the skin and provides protection from the sun. To tell this marketplace story, I needed three elements. The woman, who sells and uses the product herself, is the subject. The fact that she reads while selling is incongruous. The logs are the context for the image, as well as the face paint, which in this case is very subtle yet still visible in the detail. It was also important that I was able to relate this woman to her task against a black background, which provides good contrast.
Finding the Vendor, Chinatown, Yangon, Myanmar, 2005
This seller of packaged goods in Yangon's Chinatown has virtually vanished amidst his wares. Once again, it was color that drew me to the scene, and incongruity that sealed the deal. The man is small, the display of goods huge, and vivid in its colors. It seems to never end. The man seems to take it all in stride – his expression is quite ordinary and far different from the extraordinary nature of his display. The two customers, who I shot from behind, represent the viewer’s perspective. It is the viewer, after all, who is next in line.