Equipment and Acknowledgement

as many of you know, I still stubbornly take 35mm film photos. This year I shot 25 rolls of 36 exposure film (900 shots, approx.) in 17 weeks of travel, that’s a way better ratio than last year’s 35+ rolls in 10 weeks. Most of this Rice Farm Tour 2008 has been documented on regular Fuji 400 ASA negative (I can find it anywhere), with my Nikon FE2, a second hand body that I purchased at Adorama Camera store in New York in December of 2006, for $114 or something. It traveled through dusty Highway 6 of Cambodia (www.ricefarmtour2007.blogspot.com), humid Summer of Dominican Republic, corn fields of Iowa and deserts of Arizona and Utah (www.cornfarmtour2007.blogspot.com) and this year’s tour through Northern Thailand and Laos, in the heat and rain and Pee Mai splash. The lenses I brought with me from New York are the Nikon 28-105 F3.5 -chubby, small but a work horse- and the Nikon 20mm F2.8, then in Bangkok I bought a Nikon 70-210 F4 (this was meant to take heroic photos in Myanmar…) good collection of glass, all in compact carrying case


the durability of analog body is not the only reason I travel with a film camera. When you think of visual media more as archival format, digital files are so much more fragile. Yes it may be more convenient for transporting and sharing, and manipulating and deceiving the reality with, but you know, digital files are sooner or later doomed to be collapsed within 7 to 10 years. Imagine the chance that, some 50 years from now, your grandchildren would see your digital picture of your this year’s trip to India. But almost all my photos are on negative and that can last for 100 years


and off course there is the inconvenience of carrying film rolls and developed filmstrips, prints (this year I didn’t make prints, which I greatly missed) and CD’s (didn’t burn CD’s either, for I ordered all the scan to be saved onto my small USB hard drive, which is very fragile but so far every file is intact) and also, film process isn’t that popular anymore, not to mention expensive. In new touristy town like Pai, film process has to wait until the lab gets enough number of orders to run a developer bath, they have no facility to scan negative and the quality of their developing and printing is questionable. And there’s this disadvantage in relying on other people’s skill greatly, unlike digital photo in which you take care of all the post-shooting procedures, I had to rely on someone else to open my exposed film and develop and scan it, sometime I was not fully satisfied with quality of these jobs done. well, after all it ain’t New York… In Nong Khiaw and Mueng Ngoy, northern villages of Laos I also suffered a shortage of film, which in result taught me to choose the necessary moments to use another frame of film


Lek traveled and shared her photography with me for two and a half months. Her equipment is Canon EOS 350D with Canon EF-S 17-55mm and Sigma APO DG 70-300mm. And I still can’t believe that she traveled with a tripod and a digital printer! Although so much weight was added to her tiny shoulders, this printer did make a full use. Especially in remote villages like Mueng Ngoy, she can print out the photos of the villagers she took five minutes ago, into nice postcards


she let me use her Canon whenever I was low on film (in Villages in Northern Laos) or when I need more speed than 400ASA (in the night I can switch her camera up to 1600ASA) or when I simply had to snap many shots (promotion photo for a friend’s textile shop, rock concert, etc.) Two photographers traveling with two cameras, the joy of that is far more than twice as much as if you were a lone photographer with one camera. Having someone else documenting the moment you shoot certain photo, feels quite unique. Above, Lek uses my Nikon to capture me as I try Lek’s telephoto lens, kneeled on the ground…


snap! (Nong Khiaw)


or on our last boat ride leaving Mueng Ngoy, I had my shot with 20mm…


snap!


or here in busy Siam Square of Bangkok, Lek shot this photo of me when…


snap!... I shot this photo of her and the film crew… the fun and possibility of two cameras is infinite, as well as stimulation and inspiration make us try to be better photographers


our friend Miguel Aflalo, whom we met on one of my shows in HIVE bar, Luang Prabang, also contributed good amount of photos onto my journal. Brazilian architect, a quiet observer with a small digital point & shoot, makes completely different expression. It is true that, between all of us traveling friends, digital media makes it so easy to share and swap information with each other. I do think I will soon be traveling with a digital camera, although I want to stay unobtrusive with my cameras, always considerate to the feeling of those who are being photographed, and limit myself with the number of pictures you take at any given circumstance.
Rule 10, ask (in their language) or make sure if they are okay being photographed, and if you can, show the photos to them


my Siam Sie (fortune stick) from Wat Tonkwuean in Chiang Mai (see Chapter 10)says; It’s just like your luck lies on the opposite side of the river. If you could endure through hardship of building a bridge, happiness at the other end will be yours. Be patient when the time comes, you’ll be awarded with good fortunes. The older you get, the happier you’ll be. A widow seems to be the right couple for you because he or she will make your marriage life pleasant, carefree, wealthy and healthy.
All through the four months of my travel, I was always connected near the water, rivers and bridges. In occasions Lek and I walked halfway into middle of the bridge late at night, sat and talked about our lives endlessly. Though I tried my best to help the local community’s youth, education and environment, I have not achieved the feeling that I built any bridge there. At the end of journey I still find myself on this side of river, am I strong enough to build a bridge?, am I wise enough to know how to?, am I courageous enough to cross to the other side?, am I compassionate, thankful, mindful enough when I’m on the other side?

This Rice Farm Tour 2008 has been made possible by loving kindness and understanding of many I have had pleasure to meet on the road. Those who in New York sent me off in peace with little to worry behind, those who took me in and offered me shelters in California, those I met in Wat Rampoeng in Chiang Mai, who taught me how to walk, how to sit, how to observe and to accept, in Pai and many cities in Laos, those with whom I enjoyed playing music together, who offered me venues to play, those whom I taught with, traveled with, cooked with, ate with, photographed with, collaborated in art with… I shall not list all your names here, for that can be just one long list of names rather than me expressing my gratitude. I will forever be in debt of you, and have I got a chance I will do the very best for you in a heartbeat

I extracted certain information and quotes from a variety of sources such as Lonely Planet, Wikipedia, BBC news, Bob Dylan’s lyrics, etc. I would not bother to specify each of them here. There are my subjective opinions and there are quoted facts. I hope I made clear differentiation so you can tell if I’m telling a facts, or my opinion, or even when I’m being sarcastic (which is often). How I spelled the names of places and names of Asian persons can be argued, and it might not be totally consistent i.e. Banglumpoo, Banglamphoo, Banglamphu…