by Harry Flashman
There has been a very successful series of photographic books called “A Day in
the Life of …” or even the similar “A Week in the Life of …” Tom Chuawiwat, a
Thai photographer, who was an old friend of mine, was selected to do one of
these for Thailand some years back and it was interesting to hear how the
concept was handled.
In essence, a number of photographers were chosen, most from
overseas, and let loose in Thailand for one day. During the 24 hours they
recorded whatever came into their fancy and then the results were collated and
eventually the book was produced.
The fascinating part of all this was the enormous diversity
of the photographs. No photographer saw any part of Thailand in the identical
way to another, so their portrayal was different. In this way, the resulting
photograph was really the extension of the photographer’s mind, and how he or
she reacted to the subject. For me, this is the true meaning of photography. All
the photographic techniques are purely an aid to help the photographer (you) get
the image you want to show. It’s that simple.
Now here’s what I am proposing as the ultimate photographic
project for year 2011, which is now already half way through. How about you and
I putting together an exhibition we could call “A Day in the Life of Pattaya”?
This will be open to every photographer, amateur or professional, adults or
children and should show something happening in a day in the life of Pattaya.
Being a 24 hour day in a city that never sleeps, there are plenty of different
subjects for you to shoot, from the beach vendors setting up their concessions
in the mornings, to the retailers, to the baht buses, to the bars and the
revelers and into the twinkling night life. Really the subject matter is
endless. Dogs on motorcycles, elephants, monkeys. Wats, monks, the giving of
alms. Golf, swimming, parasailing. Can you see what I mean? Everything you could
ever imagine is out there - just go and record your little bit of it! I am quite
sure that there should be enough photographers who might like to participate.
Schools could even make this a little project for their classes. The scope is
endless.
I am willing to collate the entries and arrange for
exhibition space somewhere (but I’m not going to stick my neck out till I see
what the response is like). An exhibition that would be your exhibition of how
you all see a Day in the Life of our city. To be fair, I would suggest that each
photographer select a maximum of four shots, and to present them in 8x10
enlargements. These are called 8R in the photo shops and generally are under 100
baht. This way the images are large enough to display, and simple to handle and
mount.
This project should not be thought of as a competition. I am
just looking for as many different aspects of Pattaya as possible. Certainly we
could have a “people’s choice” during the exhibition, where you could vote for
the images you like the best, but I would rather propose that you enter into
this project because you support the concept, rather than looking for rewards,
other than photographic satisfaction.
Having said all that, let’s see how many of you would be
interested in becoming part of “A Day in the Life of Pattaya, 2011”? If we
receive enough support I will let you know when the big day (and night) will be,
and the great photographic “click-out” will be on. You can email me
[email protected] or fax to the Editorial Office on (038) 427 596. I know
it’s not new, but it really is an exciting concept and the first time it has
been applied to Pattaya to my knowledge. We need at least 20 photographers to
end up with 80 prints - and the more the merrier. Discuss this with your
friends, teachers, workmates. Let’s do it soon!
