Why do I somewhat like the chosen pic, in spite of all it's weaknesses? Above all because it makes me smile. It makes me smile that in 2011, that's when I took this in Saigon, a simple thing like a vegetable cutter causes such a crowd of quite fascinated onlookers.
And there is a bit more to it which brings me to the general remarks about my photography, and for that I must tell a bit about myself:
I am a European who has spent more than 2 thirds of his adult life, or of the last 35 years, outside Europe, mostly in Asia, however I never lived in one place for a longer period of time. Most usually I have been returning to my native place for 3 months every year to make money and during the remaining 9 months have been rotating between various Asian countries. In each of them I have a continuous life but cut into slices of just a couple of month every a year.
That is I am far from being like a native in any of these countries but again have lived there long enough to have a different access and views than more short term travellers. I believe that this factors give me a unique view of the realities of the places I frequent. My photography should and will reflect that.
Travel or documentary photos sometimes give me big laughs for being viewed, sometimes sold in distorted ways. I give you an example: recently I came across a pics of a "Saddhu", a "holy man" in Kathmandu which was much celebrated. Comments like "one can see the spirituality" and such made their rounds. Now I know that this man must have been photographed beautifully 10.000 of times, not exaggerating. Even I had taken a pic or two of him, had uploaded one to my flickr that I had called "Postcard Saddhu". I know him since many years. Certainly very picturesque, sure enough he is featured on postcards that sell in Nepal. He dresses up and paints himself very colourfully indeed, than hangs out around the Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu and poses for money. This is his job, he is a professional model. Spirituality, Saddhu? Nope..
What has all this to do with the photo shown?
Local photographers hardly take a pic of people being so much interested in a vegetable cutter, more short term tourist hardly would make it to that scene in a local kind of expo. Ok, this should not count to defend the photo which isn’t anything special, I fully agree, but at least it should explain why personally I do have some relation to it 😉
I shall post a photo that hopefully both reflects my position as photographers and is a better photograph soon, that is if I can find one 😉
Cheers, andreas
