Wandering Light

New site, new blog

2009-11-12T00:03:00.003+07:00

Wandering Light has come to a close. Shut down. No longer at this address at least. Please join me on the new Luceo Images web site: www.luceoimages.com There are a ton of new and exciting features. You will be able to access the blogs of all the Luceo photographers. But if you would like to go directly to the new Wandering Light page you can find it here: http://www.luceoimages.com/blog/kevin-german/ There are already a few fresh posts and much more to come including a post on my recent trip to Mt. Everest Base Camp.

Thank you for following my journeys through the years ... I promise there will be many more to come!

- Kevin German

Current Location: Vietnam

2009-07-13T11:08:00.000+07:00

Local number: +84.948.757.223

The blue and purple tint

2009-07-13T09:44:00.002+07:00

Staring at a safety card barely poking up between the barf bag and the inflight magazine. I've seen the flight attendant perform the safety ritual countless times before. But this time I wonder if I would really remember any of it facing an emergency.

The cabin lights soon dim as we climb high into the clouds. A window seat is rare as I usually prefer the isle, but tonight I am too tired to care. Thoughts of past and memories of what is to come steal my attention.

Blue and purple tints break my concentration and I turn my head. Mangled lines of light forced into the shape of a child's drawing of a mountain. Every flash shows the reflection of myself in the window. I notice 29 years of lines around my eyes mimicking the forked lighting.

When did I grow up?

A childhood photograph of myself presents itself in my mind. I know the photograph well but I do not know myself at that time. I lay on my stomach next to a card house made from my mother's recipe cards. I am smiling.

I wish I knew what I was thinking at that moment. It's after a school day because I am still wearing the reminants of a Catholic school uniform. Gray cords and a white polo shirt. The same wardrobe for 8 years of my life.

I distinctly remember shopping for school clothes with my family every year. The event would take place in the school gymnasium I once thought was so large. Rows of folding tables would form geometric isles. The same items on every table just in different sizes. White polo shirts, gray cords, gray pleated skirts that landed well below the knee and the dreaded navy blue sweater vest.

Another flash brings my mind back to present. What was the point of that thought?

I continue to stare out this window fixating my eyes on the point where the next light will form. I am always wrong. I live in a world where I'm always anticipating and manipulating the light. But this is beyond my comprehension. It fascinates me.

The sound of a doorbell rings and a reddish hue glows through the symbol of a seatbelt being fastened. I feel my body fighting to find balance as the plane is turbulent. But my mind is elsewhere.

The man to my left clinches my side of the arm rest. He accidentally presses my seat recline button and I drift in reverse. He turns to me and awkwardly motions an apologetic movement. I nod.

I wonder where this man is from. He is not Vietnamese nor Cambodian. My eyes search for signs. The first three letters of his Vietnam entry card under nationality read "Fil", and I smile. My first time leaving the United States was to the Philippines. The new found excitement for traveling I once had seems to have faded a bit in recent happenings.

The plane finds itself once again and the man releases a heavy breathe from his lips. The blue and purple tints grow dimmer now. I miss them already. The journey home is faster than I remembered. Or perhaps I was just lost for most of it.

Current Location: Cambodia

2009-07-07T21:50:00.001+07:00

On assignment in Siem Reap, Cambodia. I can be reached on my US number: +1.360.450.5810 or by email: kevin@kevingerman.com

Bali leftovers

2009-07-07T13:00:00.003+07:00

Sid and Lisa

2009-07-07T12:49:00.001+07:00

Current Location: Bali, Indonesia

2009-06-30T16:15:00.002+07:00

On assignment in Bali. I can be reached on my US number or my local number: +6287860821548

Gina

2009-06-23T19:58:00.000+07:00

I had a wonderful visit with a good friend in Sacramento last week. She is always missed while I am abroad. Thank you for everything!

Recap

2009-06-22T22:38:00.000+07:00

I'm not even certain what day it is. My trip back to the States came and went within a 9-day span that included two trips to San Francisco and Sacramento and one trip to Virginia. Eleven airports and 45 hours of flying. But it was all worth it. And more importantly I got the chance to meet up with the members of Luceo Images for our biannual meeting.

The gathering came at the tail end of an inspirational LOOK3 festival in Charlottesville, VA. Two 14-hour days excitement and frustration. What direction should we take this cooperative? I've often wondered what went through the minds of the founding members of Magnum Photos. The four photographers - Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, George Rodger and David "Chim" Seymour. I know what they wrote but it would have been wonderful to have been able to listen in on their discussions.

Bresson wrote a politically correct mission statement of Magnum, "Magnum is a community of thought, a shared human quality, a curiosity about what is going on in the world, a respect for what is going on and a desire to transcribe it visually." But the unspoken, unwritten, is what I am in search of.

So on day two when we were all tired-stricken from hours of planning, I asked why everyone agreed to meet in Atlanta a year and a half ago when David Banks called each of us.

Watching as Matt Slaby searched for his words and listening as David Banks spoke about being a part of something bigger than himself. We jumbled down words and incomplete sentences as fast as they were blurted out.

Community of photogs that fosters growth, pool resources, support each other's work, project, standards, fosters growth, strength in numbers, being part of something bigger than myself, community, set the bar for each other, actively involved in your own destination, passion, outcome less important, breathe easier/dream bigger, nontraditional, evolve, sustainable, authenticity, authorship, see beauty in everything, complete control.

Maybe it's something that words really can not describe. But for the first time I do feel a part of some thing important. Some thing that will put photography and story telling first. Untainted by politics and money ... only by our own souls. The decline of a medium is leaving so many wandering aimlessly. Photographers that once changed thoughts, lives. The profession, the world has changed and we as story tellers must change with the movement. Lead it.

Bike in a box and John Trotter

2009-06-11T23:37:00.003+07:00

On my connection flight from Charlotte, NC to Charlottesville, VA I was pleased to run into my friend John Trotter. He looked about as bad as I felt after traveling for the past 27 hours straight. He is doing back to back seminars, just having taken a redeye from Las Vegas attending the NPPA multimedia workshop.

When we landed, I asked if he wanted to share a taxi. He grinned and pulled this hard shell suitcase off of the conveyor. I watched for the next 30 minutes as he put together his bicycle and then rode off. How cool is that?

Current Location: USA

2009-06-11T07:44:00.003+07:00

Actually San Francisco Airport awaiting a connection to Charlottesville, VA for LOOK3. I can be reached at: +1.360.450.5810.

Overnight FedEx to send my camera and lens to CPS: $89.54

Shower and a shave: $15

One checked bag with US Airways: $15

Bottle of water: $1.99

Being back in the States: ~~Priceless~~ ... heck no! Haven't even left the airport yet and I've already spent more than $100!

Back blogging I

2009-06-10T12:22:00.003+07:00

The members of Luceo Images met six months ago for our biannual membership meeting. We hit the streets of NYC and met with editor after editor. Now six months later we are about to meet once again. So much has been learned about this business since then. Each one of us has grown in our own ways.

We will be debuting a multimedia project at LOOK3 which got top billing next to The New York Times, The Washington Post and MediaStorm, among others. Later this month we will be launching a complete Luceo Images web site redesign. As I ended my posting six months ago: I am excited. Here are some of the photos from our last meeting together.

Return

2009-06-10T12:09:00.003+07:00

That word always has a nice connotation to me. Return. Maybe it's because I think of coming home to friends and family. Or maybe just to something I am more familiar with in general. Today it means two things. I am about to board a plane back to the States. And the second is that I am returning to blogging.

I have missed this forum deeply. And I have finally gotten my head back into the right mindset.

The States visit is purely business. I am meeting up with Luceo Images, my collective at the LOOK3 photography festival in Charlottesville, VA. If anyone else is going, please stop by and say hi. We will then meet for the Luceo biannual meeting to discuss new business.

And lastly I will be in San Francisco on Thursday, June 18 to speak at the closing of my exhibition on Vietnam. Please stop by if you have time!

Details:

Where: San Francisco Exposure Gallery
Address: 801 Howard (near the corner of 4th Street across from the Moscone Center)
When: Thursday, June 18
Time: 7 p.m.
Parking: 4th and Mission streets
Cost: free
RSVP: none

SFBAPPA PhotoNight is a very casual get together. It's a pot luck - so please bring something to share to eat. SFBAPPA will supply drinks. No alcohol for any students under 21.

More info,
Jessica Lifland
SFBAPPA PhotoNight Director
jess@jessicalifland.com

Karna Kurata, Gallery Manager
kkurata@yahoo.com
Ariel Zambelich , Gallery Manager
ariel@arielzambelich.com
San Francisco Exposure Gallery
www.exposuregallery.org

Edge Asia

2009-06-08T17:11:00.001+07:00

Recent commercial shoot for Edge Asia's new building in Saigon.

On assignment for Forbes Magazine

2009-06-03T12:31:00.000+07:00

Up in Hanoi on a shoot for Forbes Magazine.

Vietnamese Film Industry II

2009-06-01T12:04:00.000+07:00

More from the set of "Clash" and Vinawood.

On assignment for CNN Traveller magazine

2009-05-23T12:32:00.000+07:00

In Mui Ne on assignment for CNN Traveller magazine.

Vietnamese Film Industry

2009-05-17T00:02:00.002+07:00

I have been doing a lot of work for my commercial business this past month. In order maintain a sustainable business I am finding that I am having to create more of a balance between commercial and editorial. This, however, has kept me in Saigon and away from my other projects.

Since I am here, I've decided to begin work on a documentary about the rise of the Vietnamese film industry. This is a very fascinating time right now for film. Movies are being taken to the next level as more and more western influences infiltrate Vietnamese culture.

But it's much more that just that. The people of Vietnam are embracing these new actors. Foreign actors even. Sons and daughters of the very people who fled Vietnam during times of war. These children of refugees are forging a new road for their children.

I am currently shooting on the set of the new movie, "Clash" or "Bay Rong" - the Vietnamese title. This film is starring two of Vietnam's biggest stars, Johnny Tri Nguyen and Ngo Thanh Van.

Exhibition: Justin Mott & Kevin German

2009-05-07T10:44:00.003+07:00

I have the pleasure of sharing my first exhibition with a good friend and even better photographer, Justin Mott. He has been living and working in Vietnam for the past four years. The exhibition opens Thursday, May 7, from 6-9 PM at Exposure Gallery in San Francisco. The exhibition runs from May 7 - June 27. Unfortunately Justin and I are currently working in Vietnam and will not be able to make it to the opening. Full details of the exhibition:

VIETNAM
Featuring photography by
Justin Mott
Kevin German

Opening Reception
May 7, 2009 6-9 PM

Exposure Gallery
801 Howard St. @ 4th
San Francisco, CA

Regular Gallery hours:
12-5 PM Saturdays

Some more

2009-04-29T11:15:00.001+07:00

I didn't go any where. Only my inspiration left. Nothing kept me from posting other than myself. But how do you go on writing from the heart when it's just not there? So there you have it. I will post more soon. But I'm trying to figure out a few things first.

no more

2009-04-16T00:41:00.000+07:00

PLEASE VOTE FOR JUSTIN MOTT'S DOCUMENTARY NOW!

2009-04-02T09:39:00.004+07:00

So my project on Abortion just isn't getting enough votes. I have rallied about 200 so far and I'm short about 400 before Friday's midnight deadline. So instead I would like to focus your votes on my friend Justin Mott's wonderful story: IN HARMS WAY-Exploring the Bond Between Humans and Animals

http://www.nameyourdreamassignment.com/the-ideas/jmott78/in-harms-way-exploring-the-bond-between-humans-and-animals/

His documentary will explore the bond between people who dedicate their lives to looking after animals in harms way around the world. An elephant orphanage in Kenya, Dog and orangutan sanctuary in Borneo, and many more.

So please vote for Justin's story as soon as you can. He's currently in 32nd place and you need to be at least in the 20th position to move on to the final panel of judges. You can vote for more than one documentary so you can always hit mine up with a vote while you're there but I am currently in position 81. Here is my link:

http://www.nameyourdreamassignment.com/the-ideas/kgerman/abortion-in-vietnam-higest-abortion-rate-in-the-world-im-sorry-child/

IMPORTANT - PLEASE VOTE NOW - ENDS FRIDAY!

2009-03-31T15:28:00.003+07:00

http://www.nameyourdreamassignment.com/the-ideas/kgerman/abortion-in-vietnam-higest-abortion-rate-in-the-world-im-sorry-child/

I found this site only today about Name Your Dream Assignment. I think it is a wonderful idea for photography grants. The award is $50,000 to work on the winning project. The catch is that you need to be in the top 20 from viewer pics by Friday to be considered by the panel of judges. Yes in less than 4 days, I need more than 700 votes. We can do this.

For this grant I am entering my project idea on abortion in Vietnam, what I am calling, "Xin loi con - I'm sorry child". Population control is a very important issue that I am passionate about photographing and educating the world about. Below is a link to some of the work I have been doing on the subject already in Vietnam.

http://archive.kevingerman.com/c/kgerman/gallery-show/G0000KnH_GFyBNUA

Please take a few minutes to register and support my project.

Thank you,

Kevin

Lacey and Austin

2009-03-30T14:22:00.002+07:00

I had the please of photographing the wedding of my friend, Lacey and her new husband, Austin, this week in Washington state. I wish them all the luck in their new lives together.

Current Location: USA

2009-03-25T14:27:00.000+07:00

In the US from March 25-April 7. I can be reached on my US phone number: 360.450.5810.

Annual Report

2009-03-19T14:33:00.002+07:00

I have been in Hanoi and Da Nang this past week working on a company's Annual Report. Here are some out takes.

Fixing Thang's Heart

2009-03-15T00:23:00.005+07:00

I've spent the past few days following nine-year-old Thang around as he goes in to the hospital for open heart surgery. At 17 kilos, he's so small for his age. His favorite class is Math. He loves dogs but doesn't like monkeys or girls. His surgery was a success and hopefully his recovery will be swift.

I will be doing more work on the heart surgery topic for the NGO. They plan on having an exhibition in NYC later this year in hopes to raise more money for more operations.

Thang's mother is overwhelmed while Thang awaits surgery outside the operating room.

What's in my bag?

2009-03-10T15:23:00.004+07:00

I get a lot of emails from people asking how I pack for my trips. I find myself traveling a lot since I moved overseas and every trip is a bit of a challenge making sure I have the right amount of gear without becoming hindered by the weight of my packs. Below is a photo of the gear I took with me for a 10-day trip to Cambodia.

1. Think Tank Photo Shape Shifter: I can't stop talking about this backpack. I think the people over at Think Tank have some of the best customer service around. If you have any issues with a bag or if it's just not working for you, you can exchange it for something else. This bag can fit a ton of gear and your computer into it.

2. Think Tank Photo Skin 50: Another product from Think Tank. This is a small bag with a built in rain cover. I can usually fit two lenses in here at one time plus my digital card wallet and a note pad, pen and extra battery. Even room for business cards on the top.

3. Canon 5D II: This is my main camera body.

4. Canon 5D: This is my backup camera body. I usually only bring this along when I am on assignment for a client or when I am on a personal project and am gone for more than one week.

5. Canon 35mm f1.4: My main lens. I use this for the majority of my work.

6. Canon 135mm f2: A very sharp telephoto lens that works great with extenders and macro tubes. Very versatile.

7. Canon 24mm f1.4: This lens is one that don't always bring with me. It's an optional one. But when I need it, it's great.

My other optional lens that depends on what kind of photography I want to focus on is the Canon 85mm f1.2. Beautiful portrait lens but very heavy.

8. Canon 1.4 Extender: As I said above, this is a great partner to the 135mm f2. And I feel confident that if I need to run to another country for a spot news event on the fly, I will have enough lens to do most anything.

9. Petzl Myo XP LED Headlamp: A headlamp has always been something that I've skimped on price. The $30 light has seemed to get the job done. But on a recent trip to Cambodia, I had to drive a motorcycle 200 kilometers in the dark with a faulty headlight. My first trip back to the States, I picked up this headlamp from REI. Power is very unreliable in third-world countries. I have already had to take a few showers with the assistance of this headlamp in a windowless room while the power was out.

10. Leica M6: A great film camera that I try to take with me to shoot some black and white personal work.

11. Monster Power Outlets To Go 4: A great little travel power strip. I combine this with an Asia plug adapter and I'm good to go to power all my needs out of one outlet.

12. Canon 5d II battery charger + 3 batteries (1 battery in the camera)

13. Non manufactured Canon 5d battery charger + 2 batteries (1 battery in the camera)

14. Hoodman RAW FireWire card reader

15. Apple iPod shuffle With Sony Earbuds that double as my Skype headset

16. Extra b&w film

17. Extra lithium AA batteries

18. REI Travel Wallet: I keep this wallet in my pack. I keep my various country denominations that I am traveling to. I also keep the different country SIM cards that I swap in and out at the borders or airports. And lastly I carry extra passport photos in different sizes for any official documents I have to fill out. This wallet also serves as a place to store my receipts.

19. Two U.S. Passports. My regular 10-year passport and a second 2-year passport. You will have to apply for the second passport. More information can be found here. This is important to have as some countries may deny you access if they see a visa in your passport from an offending country. Also there are times when you may have your passport held up at an embassy and you'll need to go some where else at the last minute, or worse yet apply for yet another visa for another country at the same time.

I had this problem while trying to get into Burma after the 2008 cyclone. My passport was in the Chinese embassy getting my visa for the Olympics when the cyclone hit Burma. By the time I got my passport back one week had passed. I flew to Thailand and attempted to get my visa for Burma. While my passport was at the Burmese embassy in Thailand, the earthquake hit in China. So I was late in gathering news on all fronts.

20. I always try to stock up on travel toiletries including deodorant and hand sanitizer. Also I bring about 3 ft of rope line and ear plugs for bus rides or noisy hotels.

21. My toiletries kit. I try to keep this as small as possible. I cut my toothbrushes in half and also my razors. I use Nalgene travel bottle containers from REI. I have never had a problem with any of these spilling or leaking. REI stocks them individually as well.

22. First Aid Kit. I assemble this on my own. I know what sort of accidents I am prone to more. Also which medicines I prefer. I carry a supply of different antibiotics as well. Too many times I have been stuck in the middle of no where and I've have to treat myself.

23. Generic clear goggles. While traveling throughout Asia, I find that the main and easiest form or transportation in many countries are motorbikes. When you have to travel at night, these goggles are priceless.

24. Think Tank Photo Pixel Pocket Rocket CF card wallet. I bring three 8-gig cards and four 4-gig cards with me.

25. Outdoor Products Aqua Sling: This may seem like an overkill for some people but it's tiny and cheap and it's really handy. Everyone sells bottled water everywhere. It's much easier to buy a bottle of water then to keep something like CamelBak filled up. This is a light, simple solution to carry the bottle while keeping your hands free enough to make pictures.

26. DVD Wallet. Picked up this Photoshop neoprene DVD wallet at some point ... don't remember when or where. But it's handy when I want to throw in a few DVD's to watch on the road. It also stores my Apple boot disks and blank DVD's in case I need them.

27. Travel Neck Pillow: This has many comfort purposes. Last week I found myself sleeping on the floor and this pillow just made the night's sleep much more comfortable. Not to mention the long, long bus trips from city to city. A good investment.

28. Apple computer charger to go along with my MacBook Pro 15 inch computer that is not pictured.

29. More travel essentials. Sunscreen, Insect repellent and Dramamine.

30. Guide book. I tend to prefer Lonely Planet myself, but any guidebook would be beneficial. There is so much information in there that will really come in handy in a pinch. Not to mention the small dictionary in the back of each LP book.

31. Small notepad and pens.

32. USB 2 "A" Plug to USB Mini "B" Plug. Very common cables that can really get you out of trouble when everything else goes down. You can download images from your camera with this cable. You can power many electronics from this cable. Just a good backup when you need it.

33. REI Flash UL Pack - Hands down one of the best light weight packs for your money. This pack has been discontinued but the replacement pack looks pretty cool here.

I roll it up and take it every where with me. It was my summitting pack on Mt. Shasta. It gives me the option to pick up extra items during my trip. On many occasions I've even carried my lap top in this bag.

34. Sea To Summit Lightweight Dry Sack: This doubles as separating my dirty clothes and as a dry bag in heavy rains.

35. Motorola RAZR V3 Cell phone: I don't necessarily recommend this phone, it's just an old one I used to have that I got unlocked in Vietnam. I also some times carry a spare check unlocked phone. Communication is difficult so you can never be too prepared.

36. Other World Computing Mercury On-The-Go Pro portable hard drive: Great backup hard drive that features a FireWire 800 connection.

All of this pictured fits into the Think Tank Photo Shape Shifter along with my MacBook Pro 15 inch computer. There's even room a few days worth of clothes. However for this past trip to Cambodia I had planned for 10 days worth of work. So I used the REI Flash UL bag for my clothes and the Shape Shifter for everything else.

Here is a list of other items I use on a regular basis when I travel:

- Therm-aRest ProLite 3 Long: It's not the most comfortable but it is very small and when that matters, it helps to have this little guy.

- Therm-a-Rest LuxuryCamp Sleeping Pad: This is more than twice as big as the ProLite 3 when compressed. But it is an amazing sleeping mat. I brought this with me when I was working on my Olympics piece in Beijing. I slept on a concrete floor for 30 days ... this mat made things that much easier to do so.

- Cocoon Ripstop Silk Bag Liner/Travel Sheet: Another great comfort in a compact bag slightly larger than my fist. When I was shooting in Panama, I slept a few nights outside in a hammock wrapped in this travel blanket. It was breathable enough to cover my face as well to keep the mosquitoes out. Most of my travel is in hotter climates so I don't have a huge need for anything heavier duty.

With that said I did bring with me a down jacket that also compacts nicely to SE Asia, in the case that I have to fly to a colder country. Along with that kit, I have thermals and gloves and a head beanie.

- Getting into Jackets now, I have tried so many rain jackets and have been repeatedly disappointed. I live in a tropical climate that is known for its heavy rains so I end up putting these jackets to the test. Luckily I have always bought my jackets and more expensive gear through REI. REI also has amazing customer service and will take back anything. So I have returned every rain jacket that I have purchased there over the years and finally bought on of their most expensive jackets with my store credit. The Arc'Teryx Theta AR Jacket. I haven't got the change to test this out yet but I hope it lives up to it's price tag, otherwise it's going to be sent back.

Moving on to clothes, I usually bring a combination of cotton and a wicking material items. However, I mostly prefer cotton.

Footwear - I almost always travel in flip flops. This is the main choice of footwear in Asia and I have grown accustomed to it. However, when I'm venturing into unknown territory and I think I may be doing some heavy hiking, I bring my Merrell Chameleon Evo Mid Gore-Tex Boots. I brought these with me to Burma, and China and on a few trips to Cambodia. They are very comfortable boots.

Other bags that are on my travel list and just depends on what kind of trip I am taking include:
-
Gregory Ekko: In my eyes, one of the best backpacks ever made. I am, however, quite partial to Gregory products. My first climbing pack was the Gregory Palisades. When I'm really traveling deep into unknown territory and not sure where I'll be staying, this pack holds most everything I need. I can fit my lap top in the bag and still have room for my gear and clothes. It's still small enough to pass as a carry-on for flights.

- Think Tank Photo Airport International Roller: This is a fabulously designed roller for photography gear. They have three different sizes. I own the middle of the road. This helps me transport larger quantities of my gear back and forth. It's mostly used when I fly back and forth to the States.

- REI Wheely Rolling Duffel: I love this bag. And I love it even more because I got it on sale for $99. It has a strong frame and has tons of room. This is a bag that I use when coming back and forth to the States for long periods of times and or when I need to bring back a ton of gifts.

- REI Duffel Bag: They have several sizes of these canvas duffel bags that built very strong. You can compact them up to very small and then use them when you need to pack large amount of gear that doesn't need padding.

Additional random gear I bring with me depending on my needs:

- Edirol R-09HR Recorder

- Sony ECMMS907 Digital Recording Microphone

- Aqua Tech Rain Cover: Again I live in a tropical climate and during the rainy seasons I never leave home without this.

- Pentax DSmobile 600 Scanner: This is an extremely useful item for my mobile office. I am having to sign contracts for clients quite often. This eliminates the need of an expensive fax transmission. I also scan in every single receipt and log it in to the program ReceiptWallet.

Below is my lighting kit for commercial and corporate work.

1. Photoflex LiteDome Q39 Softbox, White Interior for Flash Only - Medium - 24x32x17" (61x81x43cm)

2. Bogen - Manfrotto 6' Retractable 5 Section Lightstand with 5/8" Mounting Stud, Black Anodized. (#3373)

3. Chimera On Camera Speed Ring for Canon Flash

4. Photoflex Strobe Connector Basic

5. HonlPhoto Gel Kit

6. HonlPhoto Speed Straps

7. Canon Speedlite 580EX Flash: The important thing about these flashes is that they are the first in the speedlite line to have a pc sync port which comes in handy to fire the flashes via cord or remote.

8. HonlPhoto Speed Grid

9. Lightware Stand Sack

10. White bed sheet for backdrop or reflecting light

11. Photoflex LiteDome Q39 Softbox, White Interior for Flash Only - X-Small - (30x40x23cm)

12. Homemade sync cord instructions on the Strobist site.

13. Lee Filters sample pack: More information here.

14. HonlPhoto Speed Snoot and Gobo

15. The second part to number 4.

16. Manfrotto 026 Swivel Lite-Tite

17. Misc. pc connecting cables

18. Bogen-Manfrotto Super Clamp

19. Photek Umbrella

20. Generic tool bag used for clamps and cables.

21. Miss-matched Pocket Wizards

22. Misc. flash shoe mounts and a pre-trigger cable to remotely trigger Canon cameras.

23. Generic clamps

24. Generic screw mount for placing flash units in desired locations.

- Not pictured I also use a few reflector discs. Also gaffer tape.

These are pretty much my setups for two different types of photography when I travel that I have accumulated over the years. This is an ever evolving process. I'm always up for suggestions so please feel free to offer up examples of what works best for you.

A moment for my friends

2009-03-10T09:28:00.003+07:00

I know so many people who have been laid off in the US newspaper industry. It's just so sad and frankly a bit frightening. I am happy I left the business when I did but I still feel for my friends and coworkers. Today my old newspaper, The Sacramento Bee, let 128 employees go. Among the losses are my close friends in the photo department, Randy Allen, Brian Baer, Florence Low and Scott Lorenzo. I wish you all the best of luck in your futures in this troublesome time.

Yahoo has an interesting article about the 10 major newspapers that will either fold or go completely digital next.

Journalism is just so damn important. After the ashes cool, it will rise again.

Current Location: Vietnam

2009-03-09T21:27:00.001+07:00

Back home in Saigon. Current numbers as usual: USA: +1.360.450.5810 and Vietnam: +84.948.757.223

Miss Landmine 2009 II

2009-03-08T20:05:00.002+07:00

I have written very little about this project. Partly because I was so busy the last time I was in Cambodia and I had several technical difficulties with my camera going down on me. But this is the second installment of the project. The final installment will be the actual competition later this year.

We spent the majority of this trip in the northern part of Cambodia. A few days of shooting in Angkor Wat provided a surreal juxtaposition with the women in the competition. Such a beautiful area that I hope to return to on my own time.

Here are a few out takes from the project so far. I will post more after the final installment is complete.

Current Location: Cambodia

2009-03-04T21:02:00.002+07:00

Currently traveling throughout Cambodia this week to continue work on my Miss Land Mine Competition project. My local number is: +855.978.855.380

Ryan and Ngoc

2009-03-04T20:41:00.001+07:00

Two of my good friends tied the knot over the weekend. Fun times for all of us. I wish them the best in life and love.

NGO work

2009-03-01T20:39:00.000+07:00

Started a project with a local NGO in Vietnam about heart transplants for children. Here are a few out takes.

Mental Illness III

2009-02-24T16:10:00.004+07:00

Picking back up on my project about mental illness in Vietnam. Previous posts can be found here.

I am now working with a translator which helps me understand the specifics of a project more clearly and enables me to find the more personal side to my subjects.

The hospital administration works hard to help the patients admitted. But they are only so few. One psychiatric doctor is assigned to the hospital, that has a capacity of 180 people, but takes in 300-400 patients at any one time. According to the administration, there are only four people in the country which hold a doctorate of psychology.

Some family members come to the hospital to visit their loved ones quite often while others never see them again. Patients are checked in for short-term and long-term cases.

Ba Tam, 74, walks 14 kilometers every other day to visit her 53-year-old son Chau. She carries a large basket full of food to feed him a healthy lunch and a fist full of cigarettes. When Chau was 10 years old, his father was sent to prison where he died shortly after. Chau began getting sick at the age of 15. Ba Tam struggled to help her son for years until he was finally sent to several mental illness hospitals.

Thiet, 40, stays at the hospital for several days at a time. The hospital offers a few small doorless, windowless rooms where family members can stay for free while they are visiting loved ones. Both her son and husband have been in and out of mental hospitals for several years. Her son showed improvement and was released a short while ago. Thiet splits her time being at home with him and back at the hospital with her husband. She carries a small plastic stool around with her to give her the extra height to talk with her husband from outside of the barred window to his living space.

My Chau, 25, suffers from split personality complex. Her tantrums of madness are severe even for this environment. She gets tied down metal bed after repeatedly fighting with another woman. She laughs uncontrollably with a fixated stare. In two hours she will received her injected medication for the day.

A new relationship is form between one male and one female mental illness patient. The women pried open a part of the small gate separating the two gender specific compounds. The two patients meet every day to talk through the fence. "She is my girlfriend," he says.

This is not an easy place. I am finding that the limited staff attempts to do the best with its limited resources. Several times a week they take some of the patients to go begging for rotting vegetables at the river ports. Without any donations from temples and local shop owners, the hospital only has 20 kg of tofu to divide amongst the 300-400 patients.

In the last posting, I asked for monetary donations from the readers of this blog. The money was given to a temple who feeds the patients on a regular basis. The money raised helped feed the patients for approximately 5 days. I saw happy faces and full stomachs. Thank you for your generosity.

Anniversary Print Sale

2009-02-23T14:53:00.000+07:00

Luceo Images is celebrating our one year anniversary by teaming up with AdoramaPix and Photoshelter to make collector’s prints available for a limited time. All prints are made to the approval of the Luceo photographers on archival quality matte paper. We believe that photography is something to be shared and that fine art should be the domain of everyone. Please join us in celebrating our anniversary with the purchase of a print.

Visit the store: http://www.luceoimages.com/store/

Pictures of the Year International

2009-02-19T01:45:00.004+07:00

I am hooked. This years judging of POYi is being broadcasted live. You can hear the judges vote the "INs" and "OUTs" while viewing some of the best photography in the world. I have already heard them OUT some of my work while debating about some of my other projects. Real amazing thing to watch.

So far I have won 2nd place in Sports Picture Story for my "Outside the Rings" piece on the Olympics. And an Honorable Mention in Olympic Feature.

Log in here to learn more about the purely subjective judging process. Viewing limited to 100 people logged in at one time. If you get blocked at first, keep trying because spots open up every couple of minutes.

Finding Vo An Ninh

2009-02-18T14:28:00.002+07:00

On the top floor, above a small furniture store lays a hidden treasure waiting to be forgotten. Outside one food vendor calls out to sell roasted corn while another sells fried doh with egg and onions. Thousands of motor bikes drive past every hour as if they were electrons racing through a circuit.

But above this furniture store that looks as similar as the other 20 furniture stores on that block is some one beautiful. The sounds and smells drift in as an iconic man quietly sleeps. He has witnessed every change Vietnam has gone through during the past century.

Photographer Vo An Ninh, now 103 years old, lays practically motionless on a small mattress while his great grandchildren instant message friends on their computers. He looks like a small invalid child with an incredibly weathered face. But this man is one of the pioneering photographers of Vietnam, and he has seen more in his life than I can ever hope for.

His photographs caught the essence of the Vietnamese people during the early years of photojournalism. His work during the French occupation and Vietnamese famines serve as historical records for the his nation. His access to Ho Chi Minh during war times as a photographer was impressive.

In 1972, American b-52 bombers continuously hit Hanoi. Hanoians called this time the "Sleepless Nights". Despite government curfew orders during the air raids, many photographers stayed out to photograph. Vo An Ninh was one of those photographers. He was said to be very calm, riding a bicycle at a leisurely pace, with a helmet hanging from one handle bar and a canvas saddle bag on the other.

His camera of choice, the Super Ikonta A - A Japanese 120 film rangefinder introduced in the 1950's. Many photographers offered him newer cameras but he would just laugh and ask, "Why would I use one of those when I have this one?"

I sat next to Vo looking into his solid black eyes, watching him watching me. So confused he was. Trying to decide whether to say hello to me in English or in French. So he simply said them both. I asked how he was in Vietnamese and he said jokingly that he was going to die soon. Everyone in the room laughed but I could only muster an awkward smile in the corner of my mouth.

I think all stages of life are beautiful. If you are lucky enough to live through every one, then you pretty much leave this life the same way you enter. You hope that your loved ones are around to help you enter your new journey into death. But as a photographer what happens next? The photographs that are the most important to me in history are the ones that have lasted the test of time. You hope that one day you can contribute some thing to history.

In 1991 Vo published his first and only book simply titiled: Vo An Ninh's Photos. One of the saddest things I think is that he no longer a copy of his own. It is out of print and he had given them all away. So my girlfriend's father, Bac Trai, and I set out on motorbike in search of Vo An Ninh's Photos.

I imagined a quirky french song playing as the aging Bac Trai went from used book store to used book store searching for Vo's book. The imaginary video that would play along with the music would show cut after cut of the store owners shaking their heads with a look that said, "Who is Vo An Ninh?"

I had hoped to find a copy to give back to him but we came up empty handed. I will continue to search for the portfolio before it is too late.

For his contributions to photography in Vietnam, Vo An Ninh has been awarded the Anti-US Order, Second Class; the Labour Order, Second Class; the Independence Order, Third Class and most recently, the coveted Ho Chi Minh Award.

I will remember Vo An Ninh. I'm glad that I found him.

Below: A famous photo by Vo An Ninh showing President Ho Chi Minh, left, and General Vo Nguyen Giap on the way to Ba Dinh Square.

2009 Southern Photographer of the Year

2009-02-16T20:25:00.003+07:00

Below is a slide show of my winning portfolio as the 2009 Southern Photographer of the Year.

Kathy Uyen

2009-02-14T16:58:00.003+07:00

Our friend Kathy Uyen's new movie premiered the other night in Saigon: Chuyen Tinh Xa Xu - Passport to Love. Kathy is an up and coming American-Vietnamese actress who is being embraced by the local community.

The film industry in Vietnam is in a fascinating time. Just beginning to make its mark really. More and more foreign investors are seeing the future value in the market. Foreign Vietnamese actors are returning to Vietnam to further their careers.

Not sure how it happened really, but a lot of our friends are the directors and actors blazing this new trail. It's exciting to watch. I want to plan some sort of documentary in the future on this, but first I have past works to finish.

Yesterday I helped Kathy film an audition tape to send into US movie in pre-production. All she received was two pages from the script. We ran lines for a few hours before making 18, 2-minute takes. I had no idea how much work went into a such a short audition.

Top honors for Luceo Images at SSC

2009-02-10T08:17:00.004+07:00

Luceo Images accumulated the most points over the weekend during the Southern Short Course contest. I was named 2009 Southern Photographer of the Year. Congrats to my coworkers ... much deserved.

Death

2009-02-09T20:28:00.002+07:00

I've been in Da Lat for a death anniversary. There has been a lot of death this past year. People and pets ... all loved and missed. I had the chance to reflect on their lives and my own through this short journey in the highlands of Vietnam.

Ong Nuoi

2009-02-08T12:29:00.003+07:00

I'm currently in Da Lat, which lies in the central highlands of Vietnam, for the 15-year death anniversary of my girlfriend's father's mother. I call her father Bac Trai. His brother, which had an incredible smile and who lived in France, also passed last week. And lastly, my godmother died this week.

This is a sad but happily memorable experience. But this posting is about some one else entirely. I have just met Ong Nuoi, who is slightly mentally disabled. He is the adopted brother of Bac Trai. Nuoi translates to: To nourish, to bring up, to feed, to breed.

Ong Nuoi had said the French bombed his village in the North and his family was killed. Bac Trai's family figured he came to Da Lat with the French troops as a service boy because he able to speak a few words in French such as fork, knife, and plate.

Loggers, who worked for Bac Trai's father, found Ong Nuoi wandering in the forest as a child. The Loggers brought him to the family house and since it was easy to adopt at the time, Bac Trai's father took him in.

When they asked his name he just said Nuoi. The family thought maybe someone was talking about taking care of him - Nuoi - so he thought that was his name.

When Ong Nuoi was of drafting age for the South Vietnamese army, he was at the training camp for only a week. He failed the minimum qualification test. When the soldiers were standing in a line, the officer yelled out commands. "Turn left". Ong Nuoi turned right. He was sad for a long time. His only desire has long to become a soldier.

Ong Nuoi has always hated the Communists. When the North Vietnamese came into Da Lat, he stood out in front of the house and wore his South Vietnamese uniform from training camp waiting for the Americans to show up. They didn't.

Now the family thinks Ong Nuoi is around 72 years old. He spends his days raising animals. Six dogs, two cats, one bird and several chickens. No one is allowed to eat the chickens. He sells the eggs to earn enough to buy food for the dogs.

He lives quietly in his small bedroom outside of the house. He wears his US Army uniform whenever he can. He still loves the military.

Thank you

2009-01-30T22:11:00.002+07:00

These past two months have ones of hardship and joy. In a time of need, I believe you find out who your real friends are. The loved ones who stand by your side and the strangers who shake your very core with kindness.

I want to say thank you to my friends and family who have helped me get to where I am today. With out you I am no one. I appreciate it. There are too many to mention here but you know who you are. Thank you.

And one person in particular really there for me in difficulty. A perfect stranger really. One of you. Just a person who has been following this online journal and my misadventures. This person sent me a gift that is more helpful than he will ever know. And for that I am truly thankful. I only hope to be able to pay that forward to another person in need one day.

My first "Tet"

2009-01-26T14:54:00.001+07:00

Happy New Year ... well Lunar that is. Most of Asia has been gearing up for this ancient holiday. In Vietnam it is called "Tet". The entire country practically shuts down while families migrate back to their hometowns.

This is my first time spending the lunar new year in Vietnam. It was fascinating on several levels. For one, the police are out in full force pulling over vehicles looking for any extra cash to bring back to their families. After hearing how the police took my buddy's motor bike away for the month, I wasn't about to let that happen to me. I have yet to get my driver's license so when I saw the motor bike police walk out in front motioning me to pull over I made a quick decision to play dumb and I sped up. I dashed right between the two officers and one of them hit me in the arm with a rolled up magazine. I was close to home and all the lights turned green for me as I sped into the garage of my apartment. Won't be driving again until later this week.

Saigon transformed the downtown area into an amusement park. Most of the traffic has been centralized as families take in the over-the-top decor. Lion dancers go from business to business performing until an owner will pay them to leave.

During this holiday season, I had just returned from the States and had two assignments so I was pretty beat. On top of that, a buddy of mine, Jeremy, came in for the week and I wanted to show him "my" Vietnam. I've been exhausted but we went out a motor bike trip down south to ba Ria, stopping along the way to shoot what we want.

We spent the last few days before Tet in the province of Ben Tre. We stayed with the same family I stayed with last year in March when I photographed Salt Scraping. It was nice to be out of the city for a bit, but the only thing is that EVERYONE else was trying to get out of the city which made traveling last week very difficult. As always, the family was very generous to us. I was grateful. Before we left, the grandmother burned offerings of paper money and clothing for her late husband who passed five years ago. And a first for me, I saw them burn a paper motor bike ... a Honda Dream. Made me smile.

When we returned, Jeremy took off back to the States to his very pregnant wife and child. My girlfriend and I just relaxed and listened to the fireworks booming in the distance. It was a good way to usher in the lunar new year.

Chuc Mung Nam Moi ... Happy New Year.

R.I.P. my friend

2009-01-20T14:45:00.004+07:00

My friend died today. My friend Ben.

He was beautiful. I only knew him in pain. But he was never short of a smile. I wish I could have been there. I know I would have been by his side, by his mother's side.

They allowed me into their lives during my time in Sacramento and for that I will forever be thankful.

I love you brother. Now you can see.

One month later
Last day
Happy Birthday Ben
Hospital visit
Home sick
Ben's new eyes
Ben
Long day
Visit to a friend
Cancer camp
My friend Ben

In route to: Vietnam

2009-01-17T05:05:00.003+07:00

Currently sitting in the airport in Taipei waiting for my connection flight back to Vietnam. I have so much to write about on this forum. I apologize for not updating while I was away. Sometimes you just need a break away from things. In less than a month I was in LA, Sacramento, Portland, Seattle, Port Angeles, NYC. That's a lot of ground to cover in a short amount of time.

My time in NYC was amazing. Meeting up with the other members of LUCEO IMAGES for our second annual meeting was important to push the direction of this venture forward. Please visit the LUCEO blog here to read what some of the other members wrote about NYC. I will be working on a recap once I land in Saigon.

We had group meetings with editors from Time, Newsweek, Hotshoe, The Fader, XXL, Wall Street Journl, NY Times, PDN, Photoshelter, GEO, Stern, Der Spiegel, and a few of the members are still at it heading down to DC for further promotions. The reception from these magazines where nothing short than amazing. Some of us got assignments and sold photos on the spot.

Like I said, I will write more about this later, but in the mean time visit the LUCEO blog. You can expect great thing from this group in the near future. I am excited.

Awards: Raandesk Photo Annual

2009-01-07T12:22:00.002+07:00

Recently named one of five finalists in the Optical Raandesk Photo Annual competition. The five finalists of the juried exhibition will be on display and the two winners will be announced at the opening reception on Jan. 29, in NYC.

Old Truck

2009-01-04T16:40:00.003+07:00

Been a while since the last posting here. Been pretty busy with family and gearing up for a week in NYC meeting with my collective and working on promotions. I have lots to share about that whole process and even more people to thank. But that will all come soon. In the meantime I will leave you with a few images of an old truck I came across near my home town in Washington state.

No cameras

2008-12-24T17:07:00.002+07:00

Well no digital cameras for the time being. Currently in for repairs, so instead I am taking a bit of a break to enjoy my friends and family. One can be sure that after the holidays I will be shooting once again in full force exploring the area I once grew up in. For the time being, I may just play with some film.

Chuc Mung No em, va Chuc Mung Nam Moi! -- Happy holidays to all and a great new year!

Current Location: USA

2008-12-18T14:24:00.000+07:00

Currently in Sacramento until 12/22. Seattle/Port Angeles 12/22-1/06, NYC/DC 1/06-1/14, LA 1/1-1/15. My US access number is: +1.360.450.5810. If anyone is in these areas at the same time drop me a line, I'd love to meet up.

Leaving on a jet plane ...

2008-12-17T13:47:00.000+07:00

San Francisco ETA: 18:10.

Awards: The Visual Culture Awards

2008-12-16T21:13:00.001+07:00

Placed in the following categories of The Visual Culture Awards: Gold, Photographic Story ; Gold, International Documentary ; Silver, Emotive Vision, Light, and Self Portrait ; Silver, Environmental Portrait ; Award of Excellence, Feature ; Bronze, Sports ; Silver, Commercial, Wedding, Illustration ; Award of Excellence, Commercial, Wedding, Illustration ; Silver, International Documentary ; Silver, Photographic Essay

Final Amount

2008-12-16T03:18:00.000+07:00

This week's fundraising has been amazing. I am truly touched by all of the money donated. The final amount: $1,437.71 USD.

The money is being transfered as I type and I will hand it over to the people who buy the food for the patients of the mental illness hospital. I will be returning to the States on Wednesday for one month. But I will absolutely update this story upon my return to Vietnam.

I tried to respond to every single person with an email address who donated. But thank you again to you all. Please feel free to continue to donate. Just follow this link to the original posting. Any additional money raised will be disbursed in January.

kg

Miss Landmine 2009

2008-12-16T00:53:00.000+07:00

Yes, it is a beauty pageant for land mine victims. I first heard about the Miss Landmine competition when my friend Melissa Lyttle messaged me saying that next year's competition will be held in Cambodia. I jumped on board with the story idea and began researching it.

The first ever competition was held this year in Angola. I watched an interview with the Norwegian director and really liked what he had to say about the reasons behind the competition. Bottom line: he wants to draw attention to the areas of the world still heavily mined. And he wants to show that land mine victims are still beautiful.

This year's competition has drawn a lot of controversy and this next year's will probably do the same.

I followed the crew around southern Cambodia meeting prospective contestants. The did test shoots with each trying to get them used to the camera for the big shoots later next year.

This was also test shoot for me really. Trying to gain the trust of the director and the contestants so I am able to come back and continue the documentary and a portrait series in the future.

More to come next year.

My Cambodian Adventure

2008-12-15T23:32:00.000+07:00

Eyes glaze over while trying to keep focus on the red square floating in front. Millions of insects assault my face. Attacking through the opening in my visor then seeking refuge in my hair, nose and ears. Insulting my senses yet I continue to follow the red square. It is my only comfort as drive through southern Cambodia alone at night.

One day earlier ...

I'm short on money these days and it's hard to find funding for all of my projects. So I will travel any way that I can. I decided to opt out of flights to Phnom Penh and rode the bus from Saigon instead. The new project I am beginning will not be finished until the end of 2009. It is the 2nd Annual Miss Landmine Competition. But more on that in the next post.

I was to meet the director and a film crew from Canada in the city and then we would all drive throughout Cambodia meeting next year's prospective contestants for the beauty pageant. But at the last moment I find out there is no more room in either vehicle. So decide to rent a motorcycle and teach myself how to drive clutch in about 10 minutes.

Five minutes into the drive, police motion me to pull off to the curb while waiting at a traffic light. I am following the two vehicles for 180 kilometers that day so I can not afford to lose them. I speak quickly with the officer hoping he would grow uninterested. It turns out my 250 cc dirt bike doesn't have mirrors on the handle bars. The light turns green and I drive off apologizing.

The drive to Kep is uneventful but left me wishing I could have stopped along the way to photograph what seemingly blurred pass. We settle down for the night in a beach-front hotel looking off into Vietnamese islands. The next morning I begin photographing. About 30 minutes into the shoot, the trigger on my camera malfunctions. No more pictures ... period. I open up the camera once again and a small, flat metal strip falls out. Busted. That piece is what electronically fires the shutter.

I rack my brain. Why don't I have a second digital body? I had thought about bringing a back up film body, but decided against it at the last minute. I haven't been able to afford a second body quite yet and I have also been waiting for the newer 5D II to be released. This is a personal project so I decided to go light and only bring the one camera. But now I had zero.

I thought surely a camera store would have a remote trigger I could buy for my Canon 5D in Phnom Penh. So I jump online and look up the phone number of a Lightstalkers' member living in Phnom Penh to ask him if there were any stores where I could find this item. He gave me the address of the official Canon store in the city. I jump on the motorcycle and begin driving back to Phnom Penh. It is now 2 p.m.

Before driving I had a local write the phrases, "Which direction is Phnom Penh?" and "Which direction is Kep?", for me in Khmer. Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention that it turns out my motorcycle is leaking oil and I have to refill it every 200 kilometers.

Back to the road ... after stopping to "ask" for directions several times I finally make it to the city 2.5 hours later. I finally navigate to the Canon building. What a beautiful sight that is. I walk in and begin talking about my problem.

Nothing. They can do nothing. The tech guy was very shady. He said he could fix my camera but he wanted to know how much I was willing to spend. I said as much as it costs to fix the trigger. I am a Canon Professional Services member. Yeah right, as if that did any good. He hinted that the fix would be in the several hundred US dollar range. I gave him a dirty look and walked out with my camera.

Not a single camera store in the city seemed to carry a remote trigger. Anything just to fire this damn light box. And then at that moment of frustration I saw a small camera cart with an old man sitting in front of it working on a point and shoot.

I walk up to the man and hand him my camera and the small metal piece. He looked and looked. Scratched his head then looked some more. Finally he said in broken English, "$30".

I asked if he was sure he could fix it? Another man with a better knowledge of English stepped in and said yes. I said ok, I will pay the $30 if he can fix it. Before I know it screw are coming out of every hole. He scratches his head again and then unscrews something else. Finally the top and sides are completely off of my camera. How so much more complicated this box has become, I think to myself.

He searches for spare parts. Nothing. I once read an article about a Vietnamese man who fixes cameras out of anything he can get his hands on. He once repaired a point and shoot by fusing it to a can opener. I envisioned my 5D being able to open a beer after it's repair. Not a bad idea.

A makeshift soldering iron is heating over a candle. He finds the point where the trigger broke and begins to mend it back together. My eyes grow wider with astonishment. Sure enough, 10 minutes later he's putting everything back together again, while scratching his head.

The camera looks as good as new, minus the one lonely screw left behind. Hmmm ... whoops. I'm sure I'll find out what that was for later.

I'm at a crossroads. It is now 6:30 p.m. Night has fallen. The 180 kilometers back to Kep in intimidating in the dark and the light on my bike is far from bright. I look down at my phone to check the time again. Oh shit. My phone is dying on me. It hasn't been taking a charge. I try to conserve the battery but it is no use. I have a rough idea where the group will be the next day but can't be sure. So I ride off into the night headed south.

I knew visibility would be poor. And with my helmet visor down, impossible. Potholes litter the road like land mines waiting for a tire to pass. In the distance the fields are burning on either side sending millions of insects fleeing to the road. In my eyes, my mouth, my nose, my ears. Everywhere. I pull over. This is impossible. What have I done? I look around and I see nothing but blackness. I hear a faint sound of karaoke.

A small truck drives by. I hit the gas trying to catch up to it. A much faster speed than I feel comfortable with when i can not see where I am driving. Right behind this truck now. My eyes fixated on the one tail light that is glowing red leading me like the North Star ... only south. When it bobs up and down I know to expect a pot hole. My hands clench the handle bars tighter now. 45 mph and I can't see. Trusting my red star. After 30 minutes of driving like this I can't take any more. The insects flying into my eyes and I just can no longer see.

I pull off to a bar in the middle of no where. I pull out the only thing I have with me, The Lonely Planet Cambodia guide book. This is becoming a comedy now. I point to the sentence in the back of the book in Khmer, "Please point me in the direction of a (cheap) hotel." Three kilometers later I find my refuge for the night and at a rate of $3 USD.

I walk towards my room stepping on a blanket of insects. Crunch. They slowly rise all at once and then resettle. I open the door to my dingy room. What can I expect for $3? But the filthy bed looks like heaven.

I awake to realized I am halfway to Kep now. The drive is so much easier in the morning sun. I finally find the beach hotel just before the group needs to leave for the next town. My camera survives the rest of the trip and I once again return to Phnom Penh to end this leg of the journey with 1000 kilometers driven under my belt.

Current location: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Current Location: Cambodia

2008-12-09T12:42:00.000+07:00

I will be all over south and central Cambodia this week. My local access number is: +85517632228

Awards

2008-12-08T01:07:00.000+07:00

Third place in the portfolio competition at The Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar over the weekend. Most of the work entered was from SE Asia.

$1,000 and counting ...

2008-12-08T00:44:00.002+07:00

In less than 24 hours you guys donated more than $1,000 to help feed the patients at the mental illness hospital. So I just want to say thank you so much. Really amazed by this. I'm leaving for Cambodia in a few hours but please, please keep the donations coming. I will announce the final amount when I return to Vietnam on December 15th.

400 Cookies

2008-12-06T19:56:00.004+07:00

I was invited back to the mental illness hospital today and it was suggested that I bring 400 cookies with me to donate to the patients. The last time I was there I went with a group of people who where donating and cooking lunch for them. But since I went without a translator the details of my visit was a bit unclear.

Today's visit I was accompanied by writer Thuy-Doan Le and she was able to help shed some light on the inner workings of the hospital and the people who are committed. Below is a transcript of her interview of a driver with the hospital:

All other diseases can be cured. No one cares about these people. They only know how to eat, sleep and stay at the hospital.

Unlike other diseases, this one has no cure. It's long term. You can't do surgery and take it out. They're like the walking dead.

Some have no family. They wander around and then the police pick them up.

It costs 8,000 dong/day for families to keep them here. But there are some who never pay. The government does not help. I have to drive to other provinces to beg. I take a few healthy mental patients with me in our only car, an ambulance, and we go to beg at the market.

Mental patients are not scared of the police. The police are scared of them. They don't want to do anything with the patients. But the patients are scared of this place. They are scared of me. They are scared because of the love and care we give them. They know their families don't take care of them. We do. Whenever the police catch them, we have to spend money to drive out to take them back here.

We don't have any money to spend. We're considered "level 2" because we have really good doctors. The person who helped created this hospital studied abroad. It was discovered that it was better for the mental patients to have their freedom.

Before they were in little cages like pigs. Then they opened it out and gave them a little freedom.

The Federal Government was supposed to pay for all the medicine, but it's shared with the providence.

My salary is a little over 1 million VND/month. New employees get paid around 700,000 VND.

When I first found out about my salary, I thought, how could I live on this salary? Then I saw the sadness here and I couldn't leave.

We get both local and foreign medicine, but much of the medicine is not accurate. It's made here, even though the label says it's from abroad.

There are some patients who have been here 9-10 years.

This area just to be open lands, fields. But it 11 years ago it was turned into a place where people could recovered from being sick. Sometimes they took 5 days to 30 days.

The federal government started splitting medical facilities according to specialty and body parts. From nose, etc. to the psyche.

This placed changed into medical facility for mental and psychiatric health 8 years ago. It was a level 1 medical facility, then a few years ago, it became a level 2 hospital because of its more modern ways and doctors.

It costs 40 million VND just for rice a month.

The number of patients vary because some are coming and going. Anywhere between 330 to 350. There are more than 100 employees.

Sometimes when I go in there, they hit me because they remembered I had brought them here. For punishment, they are tied up and fed by another patient. During feeding time, sometimes that patient feeds the one being tied down, a spoon of food, and then themselves, two spoons. The ones getting punished could not move anywhere, they would have to urine and defecate right there. They would complain that the other patient barely fed them. But they were told, 'You're lucky you even got fed.' That's how you have to deal with these mental patients. They have to understand and be scared. After the punishment, they are untied and allowed to shower.

For food, they get fed the rejected vegetables. The shriveled and rotten vegetables that no one else wants to eat. For breakfast, they get plain white porridge with a little bit of sugar. Sometimes they're lucky and they get some green lentils to go in the rice porridge. At night, if they are really hungry, they can get some boiled potatoes. For lunch, they often would get white rice and maybe a little bit of tofu and some soy sauce. We don't even have flavoring powder (msg) to make the food taste better.

The local temples are sometimes very stingy. A lot of people give to the monks and they have a shed full of food, but they barely give us any. They say it's for the flood victims. I wonder why they would send all this help to other people so far away and not help people right here in their hometown, their province?

So we've had to go begging at Vinh Long and Sedec. Sometimes I have to drive patients back home there. No one in their family is pay the 8,000 VND/day. They just languish here. No one comes to visit them. We try calling their phone numbers but they're disconnected. There are no valid addresses. No relatives come to claim them. I have to drive them to their hometown. We have to make room for others to come in. Some of the patients get better, so they can't stay here so we can receive new patients.

Sometimes they get so sad that they commit suicide. The hospital was in the middle of writing a letter to the family of a young girl. The girl was so sad. She said to just open the door and let her walk home. She knows the way home. We told her to wait until we could contact her family. She said no one cared or loved her. She ended up killing herself with her bed sheet.

The conditions here are terrible. The hospital is a government-ran facility but they pretty much turn a blind eye and tell the doctors to find a way to feed them. The patients are divided by sex into two separate courtyards. They fight and steal from each other. They comfort and console each other. They track the urine of other patients into their sleeping rooms which simply consists of doorless/windowless room over crowded with old bamboo sleeping mats.

It turns out my offering of 400 cookies was embarrassingly small. I had no idea how much the hospital needed. The family of each patient is supposed to pay 8,000 Vietnamese Dong each day for their food - which is roughly $0.50 USD. But the sad fact is that the families can rarely afford even that. So the hospital relies heavily on donations from Buddhist temples and private entities.

But today no one else was donating food. They had a small helping of rice, two pieces of tofu a cup of squash soup smaller than my hand. Tonight they will be eating cucumbers and soy sauce.

My original intention was to work on this project for several more months presenting it to magazines and NGO's asking for financial support for the patients. But today I thought, why wait? When I posted the first set of photos from this project last month I received more than 2,800 hits in one day. The power of the internet is amazing this forum could actually make a difference for someone for the first time. If each person who visit my blog donated only $0.25 USD that day I would more than reach the amount I am asking for now.

I want YOU to help me raise $500 USD this next week to feed the patients of a mental illness hospital in Vietnam for 1.5 days. Heck, if more comes in that is fantastic, but I am only asking for $500 right now. I will be in Cambodia next week and I will have one day back in Vietnam before heading back to the States for one month. I want to present the money to the group who buys the food for the patients before I leave.

So please take a moment to click the "donate" button below and know that any amount that you give will be feeding a troubled soul.

Thank you,

Kevin German

Past posts:

Mental Illness I
Mental Illness II

Don't try this at home

2008-12-06T19:49:00.000+07:00

Ever wanted to know what the inside of your Canon 5D looked like? Yeah me neither. But I really didn't have a choice today. Most of my camera buttons failed while shooting and I'm leaving for an important shoot in Cambodia first thing Monday morning. All of the camera shops are closed for the weekend so I attempted the unknown and cracked open my only camera.

It turned out that the pre trigger was stuck on thus disabling the menu and preview functions and my ability to change ISO. A few nudges with a ball point pen and the problem is solved for now. I hope it lasts long enough to get me back to the States in two weeks where I can send it off to canon.

Editing

2008-12-02T22:36:00.001+07:00

December 1st has come and past and it has gotten me thinking more about the end of the year. It's only a date but it serves as a time to look at my year's work. I have about two more weeks in SE Asia before heading back to the States for the holidays and promotions in NYC. During my trip I will meet with my mentor Sue Morrow to help me make heads and tails out of my projects.

There are two that I have begun in Vietnam thus far ... and one more in Cambodia that I will start on next week. But my first project on Pregnancy and Abortion in Vietnam is beginning to formulate more.

Vietnam has the third highest abortion rate in the world right behind Russia. China blows both countries out the water with a staggering lead due to the its one child only law. Last month Vietnam officials proposed returning to a two-child limit on families that ended in 2003. This would likely increase the current abortion rates. That could easily lead to the kinds of human rights abuses seen in China, where women are victims of forced abortions, men and women face forced sterilizations and couples and their relatives face job loss, imprisonment, forced labor and other abuses.

There is also a fear that sex-selection abortions would prey on baby girls. The two-child law could even produce the same black market for the abortions as developed in China.

This morning I was woken up by a phone call from a cemetery worker up in central Vietnam. I asked him to call me when a baby fetus is brought to the cemetery to be buried. They had just received a 7-month-old female fetus. This part is confusing to me. In American culture the pro life/pro choice argument has been running on for decades. Is it a life before birth? In Vietnam, however, this is not an argument. In fact when someone asks your age, you have to add on the nine months since conception.

The call unfortunately came too late and on a Tuesday. Only one early flight up to this particular city on Tuesdays. But there will be more and I need to photograph them for the project. When I return to Vietnam at the end of January I will spend several weeks at the cemetery until the photographs are accomplished.

Until then I will continue to stare at this wall with photos mounted contemplating the editing process and where the story is headed.

Red Christmas

2008-12-01T00:31:00.001+07:00

It's officially December 1 here in Vietnam and that means the countdown till Christmas officially commences around the world. Yes, even here in Vietnam. Not seen everywhere in the city. But concentrated in tourist and high-end shopping areas. It's humorous to see the slim, fit Vietnamese men attempt to fill out the traditional Western Santa outfit. 25 days and counting ...

Eyemazing

2008-11-29T09:48:00.004+07:00

My work from the Olympics was published in the quarterly Netherlands magazine Eyemazing today. Eyemazing was recently awarded the Lucie Award for Photography Magazine of the Year.

Below is the interview that was published along with the 12 pages that featured my work.

Kevin German
Outside the Rings

For his project, Outside the Rings, Kevin German spent 30 days in Beijing photographing the Olympics from the outside in, or, in other words, telling the back story of the lives of people in Beijing, those people that surround the Olympics, are affected by it, but are still isolated from it. Eyemazing gets the inside story on his experience.

Clayton Maxwell: Many of your photos are about being on the periphery: the young girl standing at the fence with her arms outstretched, peering into the Olympic village, or the girl with raindrops on her face, looking out a window. Both you and the average Beijing citizen were right there amid the grandiose spectacle that was captivating the attention of the entire globe, but neither of you could have much part of it. How much do you think the people of Beijing really felt that exclusion?

Kevin German: In the first few days of August leading up to the Games, I felt that being a non-credentialed journalist was no big deal. I got to the closest perimeter of the venues and found that making pictures came pretty easily. But as soon as the opening ceremonies came about, everything changed. Roadblocks everywhere. Bus schedules changed. On several occasions I found myself on a bus to nowhere because of the schedule change. But these were merely annoyances. The night of the opening, I decided to see how close I could get. I found myself with thousands of people on the streets all trying to see the fireworks. I walked for hours, kilometre after kilometre with locals. Each time arriving at a place only to see the police pushing people off the streets and telling them that they could see the fireworks if they walked back to where they came from. I feel that set the tone for the Games.
I think that the average Beijinger was excited for the Games but was more excited to see them over with. Public transportation was flooded due to the odd/even license plate law that exists in that city and because of the sheer number of tourists in the city. And at all times other journalists and I felt that the average local person was afraid of doing the wrong thing during the Games. Maybe it is always like that, but that month was strange.
The Games were only for the middle to upper class citizens of China. A venue ticket gave you free bus and subway rides for the day of the event. Yet the transportation costs merely cents in the dollar. A local friend of mine didn’t understand that. She said if you can afford to buy the ticket, then you can surely afford the bus and subway fares. There were a lot of rumours going around about the price of tickets for the opening ceremonies – I have no idea if they are true or not. But people were saying that some tickets were going for between $30,000 and $70,000 USD.

CM: Some of your photos can be read as evidence of the hypocrisy of the Beijing Olympics. The most outstanding example is the image of the wall plastered with an idyllic landscape and the official “One World, One Dream” logo of the Beijing Games. The wall is halfway torn down and behind it you see what it was meant to hide: impoverished living, trash, men without shirts slumped over reading the newspaper, laundry dangling. Do you think that this hypocrisy is more severe at these particular games because they are in China, or do you think that this cover up happens all that time, because all host cities try to hide their blemishes?

KG: I feel that this was China’s coming out party to the world. They went to great lengths to show the China they want to show. The scene where the wall partially covers the slum is a perfect example of that. My friend Sol Neelman, another photographer, happened upon the neighbourhood and quickly called me. It wasn’t partially torn down, that’s just where the wall stopped. Everything about it yells hypocrisy. Even how the nice stepping-stones end right where the faux wall stops. I understand if a host city wants to help clean up some neighbourhoods, but the Chinese government just put up hundreds of walls. And the worst part for me is that the culture seemed completely stripped away from the city for the month. There were no homeless, no migrant workers, no street vendors, no recycling collectors. Another local friend of mine put it frankly, “China just doesn’t want to air its dirty laundry. That’s no different from your country.” Maybe she’s right.

CM: In many of your photos, government control is present, represented either by the military or a flag. As your photo of the kid with a flag over his bare chest seems to suggest, were there many people who seemed to be stalwart believers in government ideology and propaganda?

KG: I live in Vietnam now. The people there are very suspicious of the government. And democratic ideologies are growing in the minds of young students every day. It’s hard to imagine communism surviving in that country for more than four to five more generations. But in China, it’s the opposite. Well, my only experience is in Beijing, but it felt like most people were on board with the government. People would say to me that the government knows what’s best for them. And if they don’t want the people to know something then it’s probably for the betterment of the people’s health.
What really caught my interest was the sheer number of military personnel. The city had a military official on almost every street corner. I think the locals are so used to seeing the military on a daily basis, they mostly just ignore them. Though I’m sure their presence does affect their actions.

CM: In your blog, kevingerman.blogspot.com, you wrote a little about the Cheer Beijing Workers and how they were asked by the government to fill empty seats and root for China. Could you tell us more about that? Why wouldn’t the government just give the seats to regular people? Why were there so many empty seats?

KG: I honestly don’t know why there were so many empty seats. It didn’t make sense to a lot of people. I did encounter hundreds of ticket scalpers trying to make a several hundred percent profit, but it just wasn’t happening. Locals believed that Westerners were rich and would pay premium prices for poor seats. But the reality of it was that most foreigners who didn’t already have venue tickets probably couldn’t afford much over the original price anyway. I tried to buy tickets several times. One ticket originally cost $1.50 USD and the guy would not budge on his $234 USD asking price.
The Cheer Beijing Workers were mostly comprised of students and city employees. They were given yellow T-shirts and red ball caps and were told to cheer for China no matter what venue or event was going on. I came upon one group while walking and followed them to Worker’s Stadium a few hours before the beginning of a soccer match. There must have been more than a thousand of them waiting to enter the venue.

CM: In your last blog post from Beijing you wrote, “I leave for the airport in a few hours to head home to Saigon for a few days before France. My feelings for China are still too fresh to really go into detail. I have such a bitter distain for the government, but I will miss the common person dearly.”
Now that you’ve been gone a couple of days, do you have any more clarity on your feelings for China? Can you elaborate on your disdain for the government? Can you explain why you will miss the common people?

KG: I think my feelings come from growing up in a democratic society. The right to information to form your own opinions in life is the most important thing to me. I saw that lacking there. I saw that lacking in many countries I’ve been to. That doesn’t stop governments from trying to feed you their agendas, USA included. But I have been lucky enough to always have the option to look past that. I don’t see that in China and it really bothered me. I had several negative experiences while trying to photograph government people. Nothing really worth writing about, except for the undercover police officer hitting me in the head while he was trying to arrest a ticket scalper. But negative just the same. Everyone was conscious about how China looks. They may not have any idea of what I’m photographing but if they think it may show something in a negative light then the hand goes up over the lens.
But a few times I had the pleasure of really connecting with some local people. And it is their kindness and character that I will miss.

CM: It seems that while you were there, your most meaningful moments came from connections with a few open and generous locals as well as positive interactions with other photographers. I really like the story in your blog about your visit to the hutong.

KG: A hutong is traditional housing in Beijing. The city was built around them. Their key characteristics are very narrow alleyways and the residents share common areas such as kitchens, bathrooms and courtyards. Most of these hutongs are considered slums now and are quickly being eradicated. An estimated 20 percent of Beijing’s residents still live in hutongs today.
I was walking through one hutong looking for light, looking for something. And I heard an Olympic event coming from a TV set inside one structure. I peered through the screen mesh window. It was very hard to see, but I saw a couple sitting down watching table tennis on a small TV. I stood there looking in for a moment hoping they would notice me and maybe invite me in. Sure enough, the woman turned around looked rather startled at first. I mean there was a six-foot white guy staring in at them. I quickly apologised and began to walk off. But she gestured for me to come in. The family spoke zero English and knew maybe three phrases in Mandarin. I walked into their bedroom and they offered me a seat. I started making pictures. They didn’t seem to mind. Then their bedroom turned into the cooking prep room as the woman cut vegetables and meat while watching the Games. I was invited to their dinner. It was one of the best meals I had in Beijing actually. When I tried to offer them money for the meal, they wouldn’t take it. So I shoved 100 Yuan under their pillow when they were not looking.
A rather corny and surreal moment occurred while eating dinner, however. The Olympics trademark song and video came on TV and showed Westerners and Chinese people holding hands and singing both in Mandarin and English. It was kind of neat though!

Text by Clayton Maxwell

© All pictures: Kevin German
www.kevingerman.com

Photo leftovers

2008-11-29T09:43:00.002+07:00

Xin Loi Con II

2008-11-29T09:00:00.004+07:00

I flew back to Saigon last night to go back to the mental illness hospital as planned. I was only invited up to the central region by a priest who runs the fetus cemetery for four days. The winds of access have shifted back to normal and I am not permitted to return to the mental illness hospital. Frustrating, but par for the course. I will continue to focus on making contacts to figure out where the next step of this story goes.

As for the Xin Loi Con project, I think this was a productive week. I spent a lot time with all the right people and I will be coming back to spend at least three weeks waiting for aborted babies to be buried and trying to gain access to an abortion and a live birth.

This cemetery felt very special. Dozens of people would come visit different graves throughout the day. There are more than 7,000 babies buried there. A father came to visit grave of his son who died in his mother's womb at two months. He opened a milk box for him which said in English, "Nurturing the talent of our future". In the Vietnamese culture, you calculate your age to include the 9 months of fetus development.

Another man who was a friend of the church I was visiting showed up to pay his respects to twin, seven-month-developed boys who were aborted by their mother last year. As he wiped a tear from his eye, he said they were such handsome boys, with hands, fingers and hair.

Xin Loi Con

2008-11-26T20:39:00.004+07:00

I'm being passed around from person to person here. It's very confusing. I would much rather stay in one place but the people who are gracious enough to host my stay and help introduce me to the right people keep suggesting I go to another place. They just don't understand that I need to spend every daylight hour at this cemetery in case a dead baby comes. But I am their guest and I will continue to be grateful for their help. I will just have to come back another time.

Today I met two people who made impressions on me. The first is Tam. She is a 72-year-old Buddhist who has not spoken English in more than 20 years but loves to attempt the language. She is the caretaker of the baby cemetery.

The second is 14-year-old Quyen. She will have her first child in two months. Her eyes have such an inquisitive cluelessness to them. She's staying with the Church's house for pregnant mothers until her baby is born. Afterwards she will give the baby up and return to her minority village in the mountains of Vietnam.

Waiting for death

2008-11-25T22:54:00.005+07:00

It's strange to be actually waiting for death. The death of someone else. It feels awkward. Wrong even. But this is the story I have chosen to tell so I continue to wait. I am at a Catholic church in Central Vietnam waiting for aborted fetuses to be buried at a cemetery here. I have seen their digital snap shots and even those are powerful.

I was raised Catholic but left the church during my college years. It's a strange sense of familiarity combined with newness as I attend a Mass service out of respect for my subjects. Photography is my religion now and a much better fit than anything organized I have attended.

But I still wait. For months now I have been trying to photograph the babies who are aborted past six months. It is sad and gruesome. But also important to photograph to help understand this culture. This is neither a pro choice or pro life essay. This is simply a glimpse into another culture.

Mental Illness II

2008-11-25T22:43:00.002+07:00

More from the hospital. Running into a few complications about returning but it still looks like it will happen this weekend. More from this soon.

Mental Illness

2008-11-23T18:26:00.003+07:00

I have begun exploring mental illness in Vietnam. This will hopefully continue next week and into following year. For the time being I will simply leave you with a broad edit of photographs.

I have finally tracked down the next lead to my "Xin Loi Con" project which I will be heading out of town for on Tuesday.

Construction zone

2008-11-21T00:53:00.002+07:00

Vietnam is in an interesting state of development. Ho Chi Minh City seems to be in a constant state of transition. Construction sites litter the city scape.

In my down time I want to photograph this transition more. I've already missed out on some of the changes in my own neighborhood. I leave for a month and I return to several new buildings that have magically erected. It's different now. Pretty soon Vietnam will be different.

Yesterday's news ...

2008-11-20T02:18:00.000+07:00

November Promotions

2008-11-19T01:59:00.000+07:00

Promotional emailer went out today. Pass it along if you wish.

Slightly out of focus

2008-11-16T18:22:00.000+07:00

Current Location: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

2008-11-15T17:28:00.000+07:00

Back home in Vietnam. I can be reached by my U.S. access number: +1.360.450.5810 or my V.N. cell phone: +84.948.757.223

Photo Leftovers: Chiang Mai

2008-11-14T23:22:00.002+07:00

Chiang Mai: Lantern Festival

2008-11-14T22:58:00.002+07:00

When I first heard about the the Yi Peng Loi Krathong lantern festival in Chiang Mai, Thailand, I grew very excited. Then when I began doing research on it, the video footage on Youtube.com it blew my mind.

So I began preparing to cover this event. One of the greatest challenges I have come to find about living and traveling abroad is the ability to gather correct information. For every one answer you get, you get another contradicting it. For this festival, I knew it followed the lunar calendar, but I wanted to know the exact date for when the lanterns are released. For this I called several travel agents in Thailand, along with the Tourist Authority of Thailand. November 12, 2008. Great! I was on my way.

I arrived one day earlier to finally realize that the simultaneous release of more than 5,000 lanterns actually happens about 30 minutes north of Chiang Mai about one week before the festival begins. Major disappointment. But now, I will be ready for the following year.

During the festival, hundreds of the lanterns were still being released. But the ugliness of the street lamps and busy backgrounds competed with beautiful scene.

Counting down ... 357 days till the next lantern release.

Posting: Chiang Mai

2008-11-14T02:03:00.001+07:00

Current Location: Chiang Mai, Thailand

2008-11-11T17:09:00.001+07:00

Currently in Chiang Mai, Thailand covering the Loi Krathong Festival. Local number: +66.84.763.6435

John Trotter - exhibition

2008-11-08T18:31:00.002+07:00

No Agua, No Vida: The Colorado River

November 11, 2008-January 20, 2009
Opening reception Tuesday, November 11, 5:30-7 PM

Gallery Space at Wagner-New York University
The Puck Building/295 Lafayette Street-2nd Floor/
New York, NY 10012
Info: wagner.gallery@nyu.edu, 212.998.7535

My friend John Trotter will be having an opening reception on Tuesday, November 11, 5:30-7 PM at Gallery Space at Wagner-New York University.

If you're in the area please take a moment to stop by. You will not be disappointed.

Patriotic

2008-11-06T19:23:00.004+07:00

I don't think there has ever been a time when I truly felt patriotic about my country. But when I watched Obama's speech from across the world yesterday, I felt it. And it was truly amazing. I'm ready for some change.

Stolen

2008-11-05T00:23:00.002+07:00

Whenever a photography injustice surfaces in the news, I can't seem to figure out what the perpetrator was thinking. Digital manipulation, falsifying information and copyright infringement. Which comes to my current situation.

On April 27, 2008, I spoke of a random encounter that got me very excited. A new friend who just happened to be from the same town in the United States where I grew up. Lee Mackay Turner showed me that my character judgement needs some serious work.

In May, Turner and I traveled to Burma together in hopes of telling the story of the people affected by Cyclone Nargis. We were both a little paranoid about the military and he suggested that we bring only one computer with us for downloading and filing. I had no reason to distrust the man and so I brought my computer and left it and the images unguarded. While the trip was a tremendous learning experience, it seemed to leave a sour note between us.

Fast forward to October 28. I emailed the UNICEF Photo of the Year competition Southeast Asia nominator asking him about the submission deadline. The following morning I received a phone call from the nominator asking me if my name was Kevin German. He then asked me if my name was also Lee Turner. I said no and that he was my friend. He said Turner had submitted a story about children living on the Burmese border. And after looking at my web site, one of the images Turner submitted appeared to be the same image below.

I immediately told the nominator that he must be mistaken. Turner and I often photographed the same subjects and he would never take an image from me. The UNICEF nominator seemed unsure of my response so I asked him to email me the photograph in question. When I opened up the image sitting in my inbox, my girlfriend gasped and immediately recognized the Burmese monk. I was still hesitant to rush to judgement however. There was something just a little bit off that I couldn't pinpoint. So I went on to my blog back to the May 24 posting: Burma. And there it was. A slightly different crop and color correction of the image. It was undoubtedly my photograph.

I forwarded the blog posting to the nominator and he called back and said the following image was also in Turner's submission.

Now I knew there was no mistake about this image. Turner was not around me at the time this image was made. And further more, I was never allowed outside the city of Rangoon/Yangon due to the military sanctions on foreigners so these two images were taken quite far from any border of Burma.

Later that evening I received another email from the UNICEF nominator informing me that I should look at the following photograph posted in Turner's portfolio on VII Visionaires:

http://viiphoto.ning.com/photo/photo/show?id=907146%3APhoto%3A23703&context=album&albumId=907146%3AAlbum%3A23709

This image was also posted on my May 24 blog posting.

But the following two photographs were not posted on my blog:

http://viiphoto.ning.com/photo/photo/show?id=907146%3APhoto%3A23704&context=user

http://viiphoto.ning.com/photo/photo/show?id=907146%3APhoto%3A23698&context=album&albumId=907146%3AAlbum%3A23709

In fact these photographs were never posted any where on the web, so he retains my original files.

At this point, the UNICEF nominator sent emails notifying the proper officials at UNICEF and also contacted Turner directly. The nominator wrote that Turner had stated that he was the sole owner of the photographs in question and he could prove this as he has the RAW files.

I began researching Turner right away. I found yet another photo of mine on his Flickr account:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/leemackay33/2523240233/in/set-72157604142390292/

What really upset me about this image was the caption he wrote underneath:

"(Yangon Harbor, Myanmar)(Yangon River, Myanmar) So precocious, such character, such presence, so little hope. This young girl lives with relatives after they helped her escape from a brothel in the Yunnan province (China) where she had been "employed" since the age of 9. "

This is a complete fabrication. Turner nor I could speak Burmese or any dialect of Chinese. She was simply a girl doing what children do in a small neighborhood in Yangon.

This is when I finally confronted Turner. Several phone calls and an email. Nothing. Finally he wrote back a convoluted email showing anger towards me while being sure to state that he does not admit any guilt.

Further research brought the following links to my attention:

http://rrbdlaw.com/RegulatoryLinks/CASESOFNOTE/NYSE/2006.htm

http://www.nyse.com/pdfs/05-177.pdf

On February 8, 2006, Lee Mackay Turner was permanently barred from the New York Stock Exchange after impersonating a customer of a member firm for the purpose of transferring his account and making material misstatements to a member firm compliance officer during the course of an internal investigation.

This issue is still up in the air and at the time of posting, all of the links appearing on this blog were still active. Resident lawyer at LUCEO IMAGES, Matthew Slaby, has helped me draft a cease and desist letter that I have signed and sent to Turner.

I have only one camera; a Canon 5D. Every time a RAW image is taken with this camera it records the serial number of that camera onto the metadata of the RAW file. I also have the original receipt from when I purchased the camera showing the matching serial number.

As of today, I have officially registered my entire online portfolio along with my entire RAW shoot from Burma with the U.S. Copyright Office. I recommend all photographers do the exact same thing today.

The web site: http://www.copyright.gov/ is a little confusing but you can upload several hundred images in a zipped file for only $35 USD.

And sadly, I will soon be watermarking my blog images. Hopefully with something that isn't too distracting.

This posting is not meant as a personal attack on anyone, but merely publicly setting the record straight. Turner put my character as a photographer and as a journalist into questionable light. Please let this serve as a warning to all photographers. You have to protect your images.

We live in a world where the dishonest and disloyal people ruin openness for everyone else. This will be the last time that I let my professional guard down around anyone, even a friend.

Silence

2008-11-04T20:38:00.002+07:00

What can I say? I have been silent for some time now. Struggling to find words in times of darkness is always difficult. A friend of mine told me once that sometimes it is just better to not say anything at all. And so that has been the case.

Another year of my life has come and gone this past month. I am 29 now and I still have no idea what I want to be when I grow up. There are times when I feel that I have traveled so far and yet there are other times when I feel so behind. I guess that is life though. Either you're chasing something or you're not realizing what you already have. Or maybe that's just me.

The photo below is of the truck driver of a subject I am currently working on a project about. Two months ago he was stabbed by another driver during a fist fight at the Port Authority. I was figuratively stabbed in the back a few days ago by a friend. I will post the lessons I have learned in my next post.

Digital Railroad Site Shutdown 10/31

2008-10-30T15:12:00.001+07:00

I'm trying to help spread the word to affected photographers from SportsShooter.com :

"As part of the process of terminating the business operations of Digital Railroad, Diablo Management Group has informed PhotoShelter of their intent to shut down the DRR site as early as 11:59PM, PST, on Friday October 31. After this point, it is very likely that all the images located on the Digital Railroad servers could be permanently inaccessible. Given the strong possibility of this event, PhotoShelter, on its own initiative, is strongly suggesting that customers migrate their files from Digital Railroad immediately. Digital Railroad, at the present time, has no plans or resources to accomplish this task."

"We have been trying to work along side former DRR employees to bring about a graceful closure to the impending liquidation. I've spoken to their liquidation firm and their bank, and we've tried to have a little more clarity around the situation. We've been trading e-mails and phone calls with everyone and their mother. We've fielded phone calls from photographers literally in tears -- from students to some of the biggest names in the industry. The whole thing is sickening.

There will obviously be time to deconstruct everything, but right now, we only have one concern: to notify as many affected photographers as possible. We anecdotally know that some portion of DRR users are traveling and haven't even heard that the company is liquidating and that their files might be gone forever. We do not have a full list of DRR users, and as of this posting, we've been unable to negotiate access to the user list.

PLEASE HELP US NOTIFY THEM TO REMOVE THEIR FILES IMMEDIATELY.

It doesn't matter where they move them. They just need to move them. Blog, e-mail, phone and shout to them. If you want to help the industry, then help us spread the word to our colleagues."

Bar light

2008-10-25T02:33:00.000+07:00

Stole my girlfriend's point and shoot camera for a few minutes.

Window light, TV light

2008-10-21T22:21:00.001+07:00

Archive 2.0

2008-10-21T14:09:00.003+07:00

I have been fighting a few health issues this month that has left me shooting considerably less than usual. So have taken this down time to update my web sites. One of which is my online archive. In the coming months I will be adding another 1000 images to the archive ready for sale.

http://archive.kevingerman.com

East Meets West

2008-10-18T00:08:00.002+07:00

Last night I attended a gala for the NGO East Meets West in Saigon. I donated some time and photos to them a few months back.

It was nice to see so many benefactors supporting a worthy cause.

Luceo Images

2008-10-16T15:59:00.007+07:00

In case you missed the launch of my new collective in August, then here it is again: www.luceoimages.com.

It all began with a phone call from David Walter Banks which soon spiraled in to our first meeting in Atlanta last year. I was so sick during that time and was barely conscious for most of the conversations. But I was so inspired by people who were sleeping on the floor next to me in Banks' home. At that moment I had the feeling that this was the beginning of something very special.

Since launching our members have been published in Time, Newsweek, The Fader, SNOB, Vanity Fair, Outdoor Life, The 37th Frame, SPIN, ESPN, NYT and National Geographic, among others. It's been amazing and I am so happy for all those who have received exposure and additional work.

I recently responded to a photographer's email asking if we would represent his work:

"Thank you for the email. At this time Luceo Images is not accepting new members. We will however take your work into consideration at our annual meeting in NYC in December.

A few things you should know, however. Luceo Images is not a photographic agency. Luceo Images is a collective formed by like-minded, passionate photographers that simply wish to have a greater voice by banding and branding together. Our collective could not serve as a representation of your work ... in fact, it is quite the opposite. It is the photographer who represents the collective. Actively promoting and searching out new clients ... not just for themselves, but for the other group members as well. When one of us do well, we all do well eventually.

Being a member of Luceo Images is a commitment not only to yourself, but a commitment to the members in the group. Please take that under advisement when submitting your work for consideration."

And every member in our group feels exactly the same way. We all have put great thought and work into this beginning. Banks was recently interviewed on APhotoEditor.com about how we are received by editors:

“The other reason for all this is our belief in helping each other out and being open in the photo industry rather than the one-for-all mentality that is so engrained. We can all work together to edit new projects, work up budgets, make pitches and generally have power in numbers.”

I love that he said that. Photographers are by nature tremendous competitors ... to a fault. I worked in newsrooms for several years and there has been a coworker or two that I have butted heads with only because I felt some sort of competition. We were on the same team ... it just doesn't make sense.

The US economy is in the tanks and the newspaper industry is producing more and more unemployed journalists, but you know what? I don't see them as competition. I see them as my friends. Friends I would gladly help out in any way that I can. Because there is enough work in this world for us photographers. It's time to band together and help each other out. It's just about getting your work in front of the right people. And now I have six other photographers helping me do just that.

Below are photos from our first meeting. Only five of us were present for the beginning. We will all meet again in NYC at the end of the year for the second annual Luceo Images meeting.

Death Anniversary

2008-10-11T18:04:00.005+07:00

I drove about an hour outside of Saigon today to attend the Death Anniversary of my friend's wife's great grandmother. The Vietnamese call the ceremony "dam gio". It is a beautiful tradition where family members honor and remember the day of their loved one's death. Usually this is practiced by children of the deceased.

They had the ceremony earlier in the day before we arrived, but we showed up in time for a wonderful lunch and karaoke. Afterwards, my friend Long and I walked around to shoot some photos.

Current Location

2008-10-03T11:53:00.001+07:00

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: +84.948.757.223

Current Location

2008-09-30T22:00:00.002+07:00

Koh Chang island, Thailand. Local number: +66.847.636.435

Dua Bo

2008-09-28T10:14:00.002+07:00

I just returned to Saigon from another overnight bus. I hate traveling that way ... so incredibly uncomfortable. I even woke up to a giant cockroach on my shoulder ... think he just needed a friend. But I'm finally back in a nice comfortable bed which I will stay in all day!

I was in the An Giang province in the small town of Tinh Bien less than 10 kilometers from the Cambodian border for the annual Dua Bo - Cow Racing - competition. I really had no idea what to expect from this sport. A one hour trip by motorbike from my hotel in Chau Doc and I arrived at the racing pit. About a 600 meter circular track filled with mud and water.

Khmer and Vietnamese fans crowd to the edges of the track. Police kept hitting the crowds with a long bamboo branch to keep them in line. Though it didn't do much good. The crowds would rush onto the track every time the cows would come around for a lap blocking the view of several thousand spectators, not to mention photographers.

Each driver sits atop an upside down T-like structure that is connected to the harness of two racing cows. The drivers control the cows through two reins and a cane with a metal spike on one end. Two drivers race against each other in every match. The first two laps determines placement going into the final lap. There is only one 200 meter stretch in which the drivers are allowed to race. The rest of the lap is controlling the cows around each corner while spectators scream and yell. The cows often get spooked and run off the track sending fans, officials and photographers leaping out of the way.

It was a wonderful experience that offered a number of technical challenges. This competition was really made to be photographed with a 400mm 2.8 with a 1.4 extender or longer. Along with an SLR with a fast enough frame per second and buffer rate. I shot this event on a 70-200mm 2.8 with a 1.4 extender. Along with a Canon 5D, which is slow. Ideal for a documentary setting, but difficult for action photography.

Xin Loi Con II

2008-09-25T22:16:00.003+07:00

Despite the infection in my hand and the freelance shoot, my time on my abortion project was quite productive. I didn't shoot as many photos as in previous trips, but I did cultivate new contacts. In fact i found out that there are more places like the one I have been visiting in Nha Trang in southern Vietnam. Closer to my home base in Saigon in which I just returned to two hours ago.

I am excited to meet these new contacts next week in order to take this story deeper. I will talk more about this project and how it relates to the culture of the Vietnamese society later. Now I have to pack a back and ready my gear to catch a midnight bus to the An Giang province southwest of Saigon on the Cambodia border to photograph Dua Bo. Cow Racing.

This last one is of me with Rach Vinh. I would adopt him if I was at that time in my life.

Land ahoy

2008-09-23T21:50:00.002+07:00

I made it to the marina just in time as two groups of Russians were boarding separate yachts. My assignment was to photograph the beginning of their journey in Nha Trang and to fly to a small island in Thailand to catch their final destination. At the last moment, however, one of the captains invited me to join them for a night.

They were supposed to hug the coastline for about 24 hours until they came upon the next beach town further south. However we found ourselves in what seemed like the middle of the South China Sea for more than 24 hours. A good sized tropical storm is pounding north Vietnam right about now and we received the fall off from it. It became quite impossible to stand up while aboard without the aide of a guide rope.

Two days later we found the beach town at which point I disembarked and caught a bus back up to Nha Trang which only took five hours. I will head to Thailand next week to photograph the end of their journey. Here are a few out takes from the shoot.

Staph

2008-09-21T21:22:00.003+07:00

Staph (pronounced "staff") is medical quick speak for staphylococcus aureus bacteria. This pesky little bacterium is very common (many people have some living on their skin all the time), but when it enters the human body, usually through an open cut or break in the skin, it can cause infection and trouble anywhere in the body. Staph infections tend to be pus-producing. Common minor (or relatively minor) skin infections caused by staph include:

Folliculitis
Infections of hair follicles that cause itchy white pus-filled bumps on the skin (often where people shave or have irritations from skin rubbing against clothes)

Boils
Infections deeper within hair follicles that leave large, frequently red inflammations (often occur on the face or neck)

Styes
Infection of the follicle surrounding the eyelashes, causing a sore red bump in the eyelid

Impetigo
The infection that children often get around their mouths and noses that causes blisters and red scabby skin

Abscesses
Infection characterized by pus and swelling that can occur in the skin and in any other organ.

If everyone is still reading this, then I imagine you are not eating at this moment.

The infection in my left hand first became noticeable on my return trip from Perpignan, France. I immediately knew what it was as I suffered from one in my hip that left me limping while I was in Burma a few months back. I went to a foreign clinic in Saigon and received 10 days of antibiotics. Good to go ... so I thought.

Turns out by the time I was in Nha Trang I had finished the course of antibiotics but the infection became much more severe. I kept putting it off convincing myself that this was life cycle of the infection. It became so bad that I eventually lost the use of three of my fingers not to mention my entire hand ached beyond comprehension.

I didn't know what to do. I didn't want another course of useless antibiotics. Fortunately I keep good track of my financial records. I scan in every single receipt and catalog it on my computer for tax season. I was able to look up my medical information from a receipt from a hospital when I was treated the first time in Thailand. I called them and they told me the name of the drug that was injected into me. I went online and found the generic name in hopes the local hospital would carry it.

The morning of the 21st, three hours before having to board a boat for two days in the South China Sea on an important assignment, I decide to go to a clinic in Nha Trang. It was a surreal experience. I was sitting on a hospital gurney while three doctors held my hand and spoke with each other. Two older women were laying near me each receiving a saline IV drip.

Finally one of the doctors began pushing on my wound. Lightning bolts of pain rushed to my head. I could barely touch my hand before and now not just the one doctor but two of the doctors were forcing the infection out of my hand without any local anesthetic.

I've been in a car wreak, a boat wreak, several bicycle wreaks. I've been hit by a car while walking. I've hit a parked car while riding my bicycle ... both times the car won. I've been beat up and the asshole broke two of my teeth. I can't even count how many stitches I have received over time. But nothing has been as painful as this moment.

At the point I thought I would vomit, I fell down to my side and the doctors stopped for a moment ... only for a moment. Then a nurse brought me up to a surgery room where she cut my wound open to drain more of the infection. At this point all I could do was laugh. Uncontrollably. The whole situation I found myself in became quite comical. The hospital did not have the specific antibiotic I was looking for but an alternative has proven useful ... so far. The nurse bandaged me up and said I would have to remain at the clinic for five hours. I kindly declined, and hurried down to pay my bill. Went outside and hopped on the back of a motorbike headed toward the marina. After all ... I had a boat to catch.

Xin Loi Con

2008-09-18T20:37:00.007+07:00

"Xin loi con" means "I'm sorry child" in Vietnamese. This is the working title of my current project that I began two months ago looking at abortion and pregnancy in Vietnam. The first few posts can be seen here: Link 1, Link 2, Link 3.

I have finally gotten the chance to return to the make-shift orphanage that offers refuge to pregnant mothers and their newborns. I will spend the next 7 days here attempting to track down what they call, "the big baby ceremonies".

Photo leftovers

2008-09-15T00:40:00.001+07:00

Chek Lap Kok International Airport, Hong Kong.

Bob

2008-09-14T21:22:00.006+07:00

Looking back at my last post, I think about my friends who are ending a chapter in their lives. The first person on the list is Bob Sylva. Bob was a writer for The Sacramento Bee for nearly as long as I have been alive. He has an amazing way of painting a visual with his writings.

I had the wonderful pleasure of working with Bob on a portrait column that appeared 114 times over the course of two years. Once a week. We never missed a single one. Bob is Mr. Sacramento. His sources span decades, yet he never had a problem finding an interesting person to feature.

Below is a selection of some of my favorite portraits from the column. Unfortunately a lot of his writings from the column have been deleted off of the Bee's web site. But if you click on the some of the photos below it will take you to the back posts on this blog.

I miss working with Bob. I miss my friend.

The Beautiful Margaret Merical. She died last year at the age of 95.

Black Friday

2008-09-12T23:14:00.006+07:00

Right now several of my friends and ex-coworkers are packing up their desks at The Sacramento Bee. This round of editorial buyouts from The McClatchy Company will surely not be the last. It's a very sad time in newspapers. The massive amount of talent listed here will be missed by the community of northern California. I wish all of my friends luck and success in their new futures. The following list was taken from my friend, David Barton's blog.

Bob Sylva
Mike Dunne
Janet Fullwood
Pat Rubin
Dorothy Korber
Deb Kollars
Bruce Dancis
Sarah Williams
Dan Vierra
David Favrot
Lori Richardson
Greg Endicott
Kevin McKenna
Gwen Schoen
Art Campos
Lakiesha McGhee
Milt Whaley
Ramon Coronado
Edgar Sanchez
Lisa Elizondo
Matt Carroll
Angie Pappas
Mark Billingsley
Matt Boudourian
Gerri Boutrarye
Janice Coleman

And people who have left over the past two years:

Fahizah Alim
Mareva Brown
Erhardt Krause
Amy Eckert
Alison ApRoberts
Ralph Montano
Lisa Heyamoto
Dan Nguyen
Cameron Jahn
Christina Jewett
David Barton
Thuy-Doan Le
Todd Milbourn
Erica Chavez
John Hughes
Jay Mather
Dorsey Griffith
Elizabeth Hume
Crystal Carreon
Nancy Weaver Teichert
Jocelyn Weiner
Pamela Martineau
Cynthia Craft
Judy Lin
Tom Philp
Gwendolyn Crump
Pauline Haynes
Mark Kreidler
Maria Henson
Stuart Drown
R.E. Graswich
Becky Boyd
Patricia Beach Smith
Gary Delsohn
Alexa Bluth
Clint Swett
Rick Rodriguez
Kevin German