Travel & Humanitarian Photos
I’m delighted to announce that applications are now open for photographers to join a new photo workshop to Laos in October 2010. I’ll be joining forces with Tim Humble to lead the first of his fotofugitive[tours].
Laos is a spectacular destination and the photographic opportunities will be many and varied. It’s a country that retains a traditional charm which is increasingly hard to find elsewhere. The pace of life is unhurried, the climate is fabulous, the people charming and it’s far enough from the main tourist trail to offer a real sense of escapism.
Our photo tour is scheduled to coincide with the colourful Awk Phansa festival, which marks the end of Buddhist Lent. It will be an opportunity to enjoy an aspect of local Buddhist tradition that few people outside Laos will have witnessed.
However, there’s much more to this photo workshop than just great photo opportunities. Tim has a wealth of experience of the country, having lived in Laos for two years. His experience provides us with a unique opportunity to access parts of the country that would ordinarily be out of reach for the casual tourist. As well as the gorgeous temples of Vientiane, the stunning limestone karst landscape of Vang Vieng and the beautiful World Heritage town of Luang Prabang (one of my very favourite places in the world), we will also be travelling further north to spend time with the ethnic minority tribes of Luangnamtha. There will be an opportunity to stay in a village, sampling village life and spending time with the local people. Check out the full itinerary online.
Importantly, there’s another aspect to this photo workshop that made me keen to link up with Tim. He’s worked as a Project Coordinator for ADRA Laos, managing the implementation of water, sanitation and health projects in northern Laos. His understanding of local culture and traditions will give us a unique insight that will prove to be invaluable. Consequently, Tim and I will be discussing ways in which our visit can prove beneficial to the communities we visit so if you join us on this tour, don’t be surprised if we ask you to put down your camera at some point in order to lend a hand. Our aim is to offer you an experience that is socially responsible and culturally sensitive. We’re not going to Laos simply to get nice pictures of monks and temples, we’re going for an unforgettable experience that will be as much about appreciation of the local culture as it will be about photographing it. As I never tire of saying; if photography is about communicating an experience (and it is), then you must have had the experience in the first place. I’m thinking of copyrighting that, I see it cropping up all over the place.
There will, of course, be plenty of opportunities for you to hone your photographic skills. We’ll have leisurely tutorials, challenging exercises and lots of time to review and critique. There will be time for you to work on your own projects and Tim and I will assist you in compiling a cohesive portfolio of images from our two-week adventure.
If you are interested in joining us on this trip, please review the details below and then submit your application online.
[...] inviting you to come along. We originally planned to go to Laos and Cambodia but as my good friend Gavin Gough is running a fantastic workshop of his own in Laos, we decided to head to Nepal instead and leave the Laotians to Gavin and his own motley crew, for [...]