Friday, March 20, 2015

Photo Idea: Trilogy?

Just read where Fazal Sheikh is doing a trilogy of books based around the Palestine-Israeli conflict. He is a master photographer with many top notch exhibitions and books to his name and I am a unpublished security guard. We are not in the same ballpark but I thought why not try to do something similar on my own (yes another project!).

I could do my cheapo version of the same project but instead of a trilogy of books published by a real publisher I could do a trilogy of blurb magazines. Maybe work on this project over a 3 longer trips in conjunction with something like the "Forgotten Laughter" "Families of the Dump" projects

What could I do 3 similar themed magazine books on? What subject? Maybe something related to the sex industry in Asia. I am not sure I want to enter that ugly world again thou.Something on the Burmese refugees? Migrant workers?

The trick is to find 3 compelling individual book subjects that also fit on overall theme that connects the trilogy.

If the book was on the sex industry. It could be a series of portraits and building/work site photos.

Magazine Book#1
Bargirl GoGo bar. Her life, her home, her apartment, her portrait, her with customers, her dancing. Sort of a behind the scene life of 5 or so women who work the bars. It would give a perspective on the Western sex worker scene.

Magazine Book #2
Brothel-Karaoke bar worker. A dangerous series to do but it would be the Eastern equivalent to the first book. Cover the areas local Thai men frequent, where many of the workers are trafficked women from Burma, Laos and Cambodia. The same types of photography, portraits, life away from the business (if there is a life away from it), customers etc.

Magazine Book #3
Former workers, past their prime freelance workers, there lives, homes, customers etc. This part of the series would concentrate on the lives of the older women who may have moved down the chain from the first to series to where they are now.

Probably spreading myself a bit to thin with another major project like this but it's fun to think of these things. It probably leads to nothing but projects like the sex workers on white shot with a 8x10 and studio flash started out as wacky ideas and I was able to run that through three different years and hundreds of pictures. Plus two shows one at a major USA photo festival and maybe a dozen online sites. Sometimes crazy ideas bare fruit.