We arrived on Monday to a cold, grey rainy Istanbul which in itself is not a bad thing unless you're trying to get over jet lag. On Tuesday we were greeted by perfectly clear skies..in fact I'm not sure if I've seen the city that clear before. We spent the day walking, strolling favorite neighborhoods, stopping to drink tea at our favorite spots..nothing special. As evening approached we took the ferry from Karakoy to Kadakoy staying on the ferry and returning again..because..well..that's how you end a perfect day in Istanbul.
February 15, 2013
January 18, 2013
Koh Phangan for the New York Times : 46 Places to Go in 2013
('Drink Gasoline' ? On Koh Phangan that might be called an apertif.)
I was assigned to shoot Koh Phangan for "46 Places to Go in 2013" for The New York Times.
Shooting on a tropical island - rough duty? Actually, yes - it's work. A bit about my 36 Hours in Koh Phangan.
As with most assignments I got about a weeks notice. I had a 4 day shoot in Malacca prior to so I would have to make my way from Malacca to Kuala Lumpur, then Bangkok to Koh Samui and on to Koh Phangan by ferry. I had 1 day to shoot the assignment and 6 connections to get there. I would travel on a Thursday, shoot Friday and part of Saturday, fly back to Penang Saturday night via Bangkok, edit and caption images Sunday and upload to the NYT's ftp so that they had the images Monday morning, December 24th.
Travel is always a little stressful and in this case I had no room for error. It was peak season and The Times needed the images before the Christmas holidays. A small screw up along the travel chain and I'd have some problems.
I had the article as a guide and made as many phone calls as I could to set up appointments and get a feel for the island. Although I had been to Koh Samui (which is adjacent to Koh Phangan) I had no idea what to expect from Koh Phangan (except it's well deserved reputation for sillyness) but figured with a little planning and some good luck I could find the 'anti-Phangan'.
I arrived at my hotel in Haad Rin at about 8:30pm on Thursday and immediately set about finding a car for the next day's excursions. I had choosen Haad Rin, not because I had hoped to party all night but because I planned to roughly circle the island starting first in the north east corner for sunrise and ending on the southwest end for sunset. Haad Rin was the halfway point and since it was a little larger I figured I would be assured of booking a reasonably priced car for the day and as luck would have it I was able to do just that. So all there was to do at this stage was grab a beer, have some dinner and set the alarm for a 4:30am wake up.
Next morning I poked my head out the door and hear the faint sounds of techno music. The driver shows up (right on time) and we make our way in the dark, past groups of late night (early morning?) partiers and off to our first appointment at Anantara Resort to catch the sunrise.
And it was an amazing sunrise (hightened by the smug feeling that I was up while others were just turning in for the night). So often I'll get up early for a 'non-event' sunrise but thankfully not this time. I gotta say that putting a few images in the bag early on (if even before my first cup of coffee) is a nice feeling.
By 7:30, was off to my next destination, shooting at the Buri Rasa Resort and along Thong Nai Pan Noi Beach (pictured above).I had made a noon appointment so my next order of business was to search out quiet, local destinations. Wat Khao Tham seemed to fit the bill so I stopped by and had a look around.
(Sculpture depicting an elephant and a monkey making an offering to Buddha. Wat Khao Tham).
(A resident monk at Wat Khao Tham).
The only problem with Wat Khao Tham is that the name sounded much like the Thai rice porridge khao tom and since I had not had breakfast yet (it was now approaching 11am) I figured it was time to find something tasty.
A roadside stop offering grilled chicken (gai yang), grilled pork (moo yang) and green papaya salad (som tom) fit the bill perfectly. A quick refresher and I was off to my next appointment at The Yoga Studio.
The Yoga Studio is owned and operated by Canadian transplant Melanie Schorr. Melanie told me that when she proposed to move to Koh Phangan with her Thai husband that his family argued against it saying that the island was full of 'druggies and criminals' but from her quiet end of the island they could not have been further from the truth.
Next up I hiked up to the Phaeng Waterfall. Admittedly it was dry season so not much happening at the falls but still a nice place to hike around and enjoy nature.
(Durian picked wild from the jungles).
As afternoon approached I headed to the western side of the island checking out fishing harbors and hanging out briefly with a woman drying fish (below).
Heading to my 4pm appointment at the Kupu Kupu Resort I was surprised to learn that it was still under construction, but since I had made an appointment with the resort's manager they had happily set up a room (one of the images from Kupu Kupu ended up as the lead to the article).
With the sun starting to set I headed to my final destination, Beach Lounge and a walk along Thong Sala Beach.
This is often where it starts getting toughest in an assignment - that point where you've already had a super long day and you see others kicking back and you still have work to do.
Sunset and back to the hotel by 8-ish to grab dinner and download the days images. I felt like I had a pretty good range of images but since I had some time in the morning that I'd head out again with an eye for getting a sunrise landscape from the hilltop at Wat Khao Tham.
Out the door at 6am but no joy. Grey skies gave rise to rain and finally lightening chased me off Wat Khao Tham. I cruised up the coast a bit stopping at the Thongsala Market but really not much happening.
Saturday had been the day - I felt lucky (and relieved). I returned to see my hotel for the first time in daylight (frankly it looked better at night..) packed up and headed for the ferry to Samui for the flight to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and home to Penang).
I submitted the images Monday (to a nice thumbs up from my editor,). In the end one image ran
but that's how it goes. It's work but I wouldn't have it any other way.
October 15, 2012
Market Clicker
Every market tells a story and informs you about where you are. Whether it is the riot of color of a south Asia market or the carefully stacked produce of a Turkish market each market and each locale offers a unique glimpse into a country and its' culture. I love photographing markets so I thought I would offer a few tips on photographing in markets for the lastest edition of Zester Daily. Click on here for the article and slideshow.
And in case you missed it I also offered tips on photographing food. Want more? Drop me a line about one on one photography tours.
October 13, 2012
Mono Markets
Markets are a riot of color but strip that away and out pops a hidden world of texture, angular lines and nuanced movements. I find that color can almost be detracting in that it pulls my eye away from the essential qualities of a market. I've been experimenting with black and white conversions for some of my market work and wanted to post some to see what people thought. Drop me a line and let me know.
September 22, 2012
Mexico City for the New York Times
I had the great privilege to collaborate with chef and restaurateur Roberto Santibanez and writer J.J.Goode as we ate our way across Mexico City for the New York Times. Roberto brings so much depth and knowledge that I almost forgot to take photos. All I can say is that he is just an incredible guy. I can't wait to eat at both Fonda restaurants next time I'm back in the States. This is the second time I've worked with JJ (we collaborated on this piece for the NYT's) and as before, a real joy. A big thanks for making my first trip to Ciudad de Mexico an incredible experience.
Check out Roberto and JJ's latest book Tacos, Tortas and Tamales (pre-order now or in bookstores October 16) and their classic Truly Mexican.
A few out takes from my shoot and some found audio courtesy of a street musician in the idyllic neighborhood of Coyoacan. Enjoy!
September 03, 2012
Chow Kit for the IHT
I spent a couple of mornings earlier in the month in Kuala Lumpur's Chow Kit market photographing a story that appears in today's New York Times Global Edition. Click here for slideshow.
I've had a long fascination with Chow Kit and (as many of you know) markets in general so this assignment was a real treat. But Chow Kit is special. To me it represents the promise of a multi-cultural Malaysia where Malay, Chinese and Indians come together with food being the element that binds. It's also a look into Malaysia's possible future where traditions - like a producer of tofu working in his family's 30 year old shop or a seller of kampung lemons (who now sells as much online as in his Chow kit shop) that work side by side with new immigrants from Africa and Indonesia. I'm not saying it is one big happy family but it is an interesting barometer for where the country could be going. This is one place I've got bookmarked for future visits.
January 07, 2012
Foraging
The brief went something like this : 'stay at a luxury resort in northern Thailand, forage for wild herbs, fruits and vegetables, pick organic vegetables from the properties' garden, watch prep and cooking, shoot portraits of chef, eat said food, ride elephants (OK - I added that part), bring back pretty pictures.'
I heart my job!
Here are the outtakes. Look for the final results in this month's Travel + Leisure SEA.
November 06, 2011
Chiang Mai for the New York Times
Back in March I was contacted by the New York Times to photograph a 'food driven' story in Chiang Mai. Not entirely new territory. I've been spending a fair amount of time in Chiang Mai this year with a heavy focus on food. The assignment got elevated a notch when I found out that I would be following along with author J.J. Goode, Pok Pok owner / chef Andy Ricker around a few of the places that inspired him. The article is on line here with a bonus audio slide show here.
All in all, big fun and good eats, and I knew Andy was a cool guy when he said that Chiang Mai's Myung Mai market was his favorite in S.E. Asia. I can relate to that.
September 20, 2011
Back focused in Ipoh
In August, 2010 I shot an assignment in Ipoh for Saveur magazine which I'm pleased to say is seeing the light of day in the October 2011 issue (out now).
When you ask Malaysians about Ipoh they often get this faraway look and mumble something along the lines of 'You've got to try X, then X, then X..' In short Ipoh is the Malaysian culinary Disneyland. So needless to say, apart from the thrill of shooting for a publication known for the high quality of its' photos, I was also glad to know I was going to eat very, very well.
Or so I thought. Here's the backstory, literally.
We had just returned to Malaysia from an epic 5 week trip in Turkey where too much gear, a steep, winding 5-story staircase and an evil taxi driver conspired to strain my lower back. I've had these kinds of things before so I really wasn't concerned, figuring that with a few days and some ibuprofen I'd be fine.
So when I got the call, a week after arriving back home, from the Saveur photo ed asking me to head up to Ipoh I didn't give it any thought.
The day arrived and I packed the car and headed north - nervous but excited . I arrived at about 4pm and got right to it shooting in and around 'old town'. Later that evening I met the story's writer and her uncle who would be with us for part of the 2+ days shoot. We set out a plan and agreed to get going at sunrise.
What transpired between our meeting and sunrise will probably make this the most memorable assignment I've had to date. I had tucked myself into bed and was reading when seemingly out of nowhere I got a stabbing pain in my lower back, followed by a cramp in my right thigh.
This was not your 'normal garden variety' pain.. it was the kind of physically contorting pain that will send you jackknifing around the room. I popped a few more ibuprofens but nothing I could do would stop what seemed to be a full-on needle attack of my spine.
Lying wide awake at about 3am I started to think that I might need to call Saveur and try to take a raincheck but I knew that wasn't going to happen. Being good folks they probably would have said 'yes' but from my side I knew I couldn't go there. I was hired to do a job and they counted on my doing it. Put on your 'big pants' and do it, I told myself.
I finally passed out from sheer exhaustion around 4am and when the alarm went off two hours later I felt like maybe the worst had passed. I got out of bed -- and fell directly into the wall. My right leg was numb and would barely support my weight. I'm thinking it's just that the leg is asleep, so I proceeded to get in the shower and wait for that needling, tingly sensation you get when an appendage 'wakes up'. But it never came.
My leg stayed numb. And I still had work to do.
One thing that I've learned as a photographer is that the position you get yourself in before taking a photo can make all the difference. The frame isn't going to come to you, you've got to go to the frame. You have to find the 'sweet spot' that gives you a knockout vantage. That might be standing on a chair, or squatting or even laying on the ground.
All well and good when both legs are functioning as they should, but throughout the shoot I found that one of my legs just wouldn't do what I told it to. I discovered this when I climbed on a chair for an overhead in a dim sum shot that ended up being the opening shot to the article. I could climb up but couldn't climb back down.
So I stood on the chair much longer than I actually needed to to get the shot. I stood there for what seemed like a lifetime taking pics and trying to think of a graceful way to get down, short of asking for help, which of course I couldn't do. Eventually I grabbed a corner of the steamer table (which was, uh, steaming hot) and got myself down to floor level.
One challenge down, 48 hours and change to go.
I spent most of the day working around town, walking block by block looking for scenes and people to photograph and scoping out light for shots the next day. By 8:30pm or so I decided to call it quits and grabbed a few beers and ice to take back to my hotel.
Writing this now I distinctly remember that first cold sip as I propped myself up on a stack of pillows, the ice pack nestled in the small of my back. I downloaded the day's images and then waited for what I hoped would be a much needed good night's sleep.
Stupid me..as soon as I closed my eyes it came at me again..that stabbing, now excruciating pain..another 4 am night.
Out the door early again the next day. I wanted to hit Sun Yoong Foong Coffee Shop before they put the chits down, which would block the sun. When I arrived the light was there and I was having a great time -- but for new problem.
Now it seemed that the pressure from whatever was happening in my back meant that I couldn't lift my right foot at all. So when I walked it kind of sounded like when you get a flat tire: flop, flop, flop.
At one point I got on my knees to photograph the vendor above and found that in order to push myself back to standing I had to drop to all fours. The folks in the coffee shop were gracious but clearly concerned for what I assume they thought was a problem with my state of mind.
I still had a fair number of locations to cover so I just kept moving and shooting despite the pain.
The other frustrating thing was that I wasn't eating all that well. The back thing suppressed my appetite. Plus I was in work mode, unwilling to take the time for a meal lest I miss a critical shot.
Later that afternoon I met Shaik Acandeen, proprietor of C-T Corner Cendol . He said I looked tired. He said 'perhaps you should sit and have some cendol'.
And so I did..and he was right. Not that there's any sort of healing properties in cendol but sitting for those few minutes gave me a chance to think about the shoot and realize that I was in the home stretch. I would go until dark and then do a little more in morning but either way I would be heading back to KL by noon the next day.
The next morning I was up before dawn. The light was soft as I shot around town. I was still walking around with my 'flat tire' foot but what kept me going was the certainty that in 5 hours, for better or worse, I would be in my car heading south.
There was one last stop with the writer to shoot Ipoh's most famous dish: Hainanese-style poached chicken with bean sprouts and hor fun / rice noodles.
I photographed the dishes, then did something I hadn't yet done. I ate the props. They tasted very, very good. Maybe not in quite a Lt. Colonel William Kilgore way but close. That chicken tasted so good because I realised I had made it to the end, that I had done my job and finished my work -- something I didn't think I could do two days before. After lunch I got into the car and popped in a CD. This tune came up and I hit the freeway.
No matter how much you shoot or how many jobs you've completed every assignment has its challenges. It's so easy to second-guess your work. These may not be the 'best' images I have ever produced, and anyway that's not entirely for me to judge.
What I do know is that I pushed myself to do something that I didn't think I could do. I'm going to be carrying that around with me for while to come.
September 09, 2011
Use your noodle
A bunch of years back I used to work in San Francisco and on many a chilly summer day I would hike up to a tiny Vietnamese noodle shop on Broadway where I'd tuck into an enormous bowl of pho. It was cheap, cheerful and satisfying and everyone said - 'If you go to Vietnam - you gotta have pho'.
Fast forward to 2003 and I'm living in Saigon and traveling frequently to Hanoi - the home of pho - but my food obsessed collegue in Hanoi says there's more - and she's so right. Ok, the southern version of pho is great, but it didn't take long for me to start discovering a whole world or noodles 'beyond pho'.
Last month we headed to Hanoi for the first time in (?) 6 years for what turned out to be a 10 day assignment. 10 days and not a single bowl of pho and we ate so well. Check out our lastest Zester Daily piece for 4 must have un-pho-getable dishes if you hit the streets of Hanoi.
