Burmese Refugees Mae La Thailand by Photos and text by Kevin Hayden | Make Your Own Book

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Burmese Refugees Mae La Thailand by Photos and text by Kevin Hayden | Make Your Own Book

Whatever the weather

Well my second day on the beach at le Houget was much more testing, the rain was as always wet and cold and being blown from the east brought with it a lazy wind that went through you rather than around you. Fortunately I had remembered to bring my camera "coat", a light waterproof material that wraps around the lens and did a great job of keeping my gear dry, and allowing me to continue to work in really bad conditions. Unlike yesterday the tide was only on it's way in so I was safe enough. I've also been reminded that wearing wellies, and carrying a camera on a tripod with a rucksack full of gear on your back is a recipe for disaster! If you try and walk over rocks with all the aforementioned you are looking for trouble. Insure your gear!

The sun did make an appearance, and then left once more.

The weather definitely helped to get me thinking outside the proverbial "box", and had me looking at more abstract images. I really didn't want to leave empty handed, though sometimes I do. I don't take images for the sake of it! If there's nothing inspiring or outstanding then I pack up, albeit reluctantly and head home.


That said I seldom leave any beach empty handed. If you are passionate about something, or feel very connected to something the image will find you or vice a versa. Having a tripod and a shutter release cable are essentials in this light and weather.

I didn't use graduated filters because the rain was really too heavy, so I stuck with a circular polarising filter. In order to get some movement in the photos I used the lowest possible ISO of 50 an aperture of F22 and shutter speeds between 1/30 to 1/5 of a second. I like to experiment with the speeds and apertures to get varying amounts of blur and movement in the images. Sunrises are not my preferred subjects but here in Normandy the light and colours can be irresistible so I have to remember to look around sometimes. It can be amazing! So now I have a stock of sunrise images to choose from, and they have sold well for me.

So what's the point of this short dissertation? I guess it's to say there's always something to photograph if you are well equipped and connected to your subject, whatever the weather.    

Canon Histograms

Well it's cold December day here in Normandy, I am here for the week-end to continue my "water series" project.
It's one of those projects that never ends, just like skies, walls and all sorts that I start and sometimes never finish!
This time I'm determined to make something of these images as I really enjoyed making them, cold an all as it was.
It was a good reminder that I can never rely on the lcd screen on the back of my 5D! It really does brighten up the image, and the resulting image is not what comes out eventually as a print. This has been an expensive lesson in the past for me, and one I don't want to repeat!

Burmese Refugees

It is said of wars that no side wins, there are no winners?

Well in today's world war is big business, not only for arms dealers etc but also for aid agencies and governments who "care" for the refugees of war torn countries.

I recently visited friends in the Maela refugee camp on the Burmese/Thai frontier. It was just a visit to see old friends from Burma, and no more than that. However what I witnessed and heard over the following five days was too much to keep to myself. It is impossible to imagine people living under such conditions in 2012 and some of them have been living there for twenty years, and still they are told they cannot construct their homes with anything but bamboo and leaves because they are temporary dwellings.

They have no running water. They have little or no sanitation. Unless you call the hole they dig next to their "home" sanitation. They live in a stench of raw sewage that after six days I was ready to run from!

The rivers and streams are black and blocked with plastic bags of rubbish. Children as young as four years old walk around barefoot in search of plastic bottles to sell to recycling businesses. Yes there is business amongst the sixty thousand inhabitants, some are wealthy business people who drive cars and live as normally as possible under such conditions. Most of the other plastic waste is burned in the evening. The kids ignorant of the dangers of breathing in the fumes sit next to the fire and play games. Poultry and pigs meanwhile rummage through the rubbish.

The rations are 12.5 kilos per month per adult, and 7 kilos per child.  Half a litre of cooking oil per person, a small amount of dried beans and corn make up the rest. If you don't show your face on time at the ration shed you get nothing for the month and must rely on the kindness of neighbours. And their rations are slim enough without having to share. The quality of rice is not what is originally sent. So where does the good rice go?

Since 2006 over thirty thousand have been relocated, the majority going to the USA. However the rations for these thirty thousand refugees still arrives at the camp, or somewhere in the region? This I cannot prove! But the question needs to be asked and answered!

Those who have electricity pay up to 18 baht per unit for electricity excluding 21% Thai VAT where as Thai people only pay 3 baht per unit.

The UNCHR have made no registrations since July 2006 so there are thousands of refugees without rights or hope of a new life in a new country. Those who have registrations can either choose their preferred countries, but take the chance of being separated from the parents or siblings. It's not uncommon for some family members to be sent to different countries causing more upheaval and distress. I met one man who came back after three years in the USA. He said it was too difficult to be away from his wife and children. I met one young lady whose family were sent to America but because she was "outside" working she missed the registration. She was forced to go "outside" in order to support her family because the UNCHR rations are not enough to live on. She is now left alone in a camp where there is no law enforcement and rape and other crimes are common.  In another sad case a 13 year old was left alone in the camp when her mother died, and her next of kin were all in the USA.  In one area of the camp locals told me of one man who has raped at least three women and is still at liberty.  So this young lady not only has the misery of missing her family, she also lives in fear every day of being attacked. She is not the only lone person!

The so called security officers have no power, and are often inebriated.  

Most of the farm workers I saw leaving the camp are women with young babies who go to work in the fields for 70 baht per day, the men get 100 baht. The national minimum is 300 baht per day. These workers have to navigate carefully when returning to the camp because when they're outside the camp they are at the mercy of the Thai military, who can threaten them with prison or deportation unless they pay a fine ie hand over their days wages.

The young people born here have no rights to a Burmese or a Thai passport, thus there are ever increasing numbers of "Stateless" people.

So it seems slavery is alive and well in Thailand, and even promoted.  This story is not unusual or rare, but it should not be allowed to continue. Who can stop it, and how?

Don't Miss the Shot!

I've been focused on being passionate about my art/work/business whatever you'd like to call it?  I'm not melodramatic or over romantic about photography, or anything for that matter!
Today however I am painfully frustrated. It was a special day for my daughter Clara Louna whose school were hosting an open day to exhibit all their work so far this year. The art was impressive, the sculptures and paper designs incredible.
I was more than impressed and certainly inspired from what I saw. My frustration stems from my professionalism and over-developed sense of perfection.
I followed Clara Louna and my ex partner around the school with my camera in hand

waiting for the perfect look, or the nice smile,


and of course flattering light. Well there was too many kids in the way, other blind parents who could not see I was trying to take an effing picture, and proud teachers who wanted to say how wonderful my daughter was. I know! Now just let me take a picture svp!
I now realise my desire for perfection ruined my chances of getting any pictures. I took some and deleted most of them.
The light was wrong, she wasn't looking at me in the right way, some ass had his arm in the way, another kid walked into the picture  etc etc.
So a word of warning!
Your photos don't have to be perfect!
The perfection of imperfection comes to mind.
I've meditated on things like this, and I know better.

I just thought I'd share it.
  My tip : Just take pictures no matter what!

Woodman of Jenzat

 The church to 508 inhabitants of Jenzat, regionale Auvergne

                 Passion and your photography/career?

        I recently visited a small village in the department of Allier. This charming untouched for centuries little village saw the beginnings of the musical instrument known as a vielle. First made by Jean Baptiste Pajot(1863-1935). It has a comical translation into english...hurdy gurdy. In Ireland the hurdy gurdy was a fairground attraction that swung you around so fast you'd think your head would land some distance away from the shoulders it was attached to. 

  

    Now what has all this to do with the word Passion?      

   Well in the same village lives a man who has so much passion about his trade that it has left an impression on me. I was touring the village of Jenzat with my friend Pascal when Mr Méténier appeared at his front door. Pascal and himself exchanged the obligatory niceties, and then Pascal asked if we might visit his workshop. His face changed as he answered positively, and without hesitation turned towards the door of his workshop.

 

   It was a woodworkers paradise, an Aladdin's cave containing every kind of wood cutting or carving utensil imaginable. I did my best to follow his explanations,but I really didn't need to. It was his life long passion for what he does that was remarkable, as was the delight visible on his face as he described how every piece came to life in his workshop. And his enthusiasm for his work even at the age of 89 was powerful.

    It provoked me into asking myself 'Am I this passionate about my work at the age of fifty and will I still be if I'm lucky enough to see 89'?

   No point in that kind of projection, but a good question that needs an answer!

   To be a photographer is somewhat grandiose, a job of prestige you might say, but not one most photographers get financially rich from. It certainly is rich in fulfillment for me though. I believe you must have passion!

   This is just my point of view of one artisan to another. Thank you Mr Ménétier!

 

 

Paris Portrait Workshop

Paris Portrait Photography & Fine Art Nude studies with Kevin Hayden & Seamus Costelloe. Paris April 29th 2012.

Well it's all over 'bar the shouting', as they say. So I'm here to shout about it.

This week-end's workshop was a brilliant success from every point of view!

Everyone one bar none had a great time, and we all came away with great images thanks to our super talented and charming model Dyana.

The months of stress and now looking back on it the unnecessary anxiety were all worth it. This fine Sunday evening in Paris I feel fine and satisfied having put this workshop together without any real glitches. For someone who's not so so very well organised I did a friggin great job!

I'd like to thank Seamus Costelloe for his expert help and patience.

http://www.photographyatseamuscostelloe.ie

Our wonderfully talented and charming model Dyana

http://www.dyanamodele.book.fr/

A huge thank you goes to Jim Kezman who helped and advised and posted

our event on meetup.com

http://www.meetup.com/photo-68/members/964049/

To the Lord of Kerry Mr McGillicuddy

http://www.damianmcgillicuddy.com/

And last but not least myself Kevin Hayden.

http://www.kevinhayden.book.fr/

I now have a comprehensive resource of model and studio information, and if you need anything photographic from needing to know where and how to find and book a studio, model or photographer I'm yer man!