Why Angkor Photo Workshop?
As the July 15th deadline to apply to 2017 Angkor Photo Workshop is fast approaching we wanted to share testimonies of some past participants about their experience attending the workshop. Here are their responses to these following questions.
What were some of your expectations for the Angkor Photo Workshop and how did you prepare for it?
What were some of the challenges you encountered during the Workshop and how did you overcome it?
What are some of the things that you learned from the Workshop which you have applied in your photography?
What are some memorable moments that you experienced during the Workshop?
Why should young Asian photographers apply to the Angkor Photo Workshop?
Yan Cong - China (2015 Alumni)
1.) I was excited to be part of the workshop to produce a story and to meet fellow photographers from the region. There was also a very practical reason for me to take the workshop — I was working on a Cambodia-related long-term project, and I hadn’t been to the country. I was thinking of the workshop as a warm up, to get myself familiar with working in Cambodia, to know about the country and its people. I came up with a few story ideas and did some research for each of them. I sent out a lot of emails to NGOs and people I know before I went to the workshop to see if they could help me find subjects for my potential story ideas.
2.) I ended up working on a story that was too ambitious to finish within a few days of shooting. My tutors really helped me put things into perspective, and we managed to narrow it down to a smaller story. The point of the workshop is less about producing the best story of my life, but about experimenting something new—whether it worked or not—and learning from this process. So I guess the challenge was not just about finishing that project within the timeframe of the workshop, but also psychologically— confronting my insecurity, and learning how to cope with it and produce work under pressure.
3.) The workshop helped me to be more accurate about the message I want to get across with each story and to go beyond showing what things appear to be. I was also exposed to a wide range of visual styles during the workshop, which helps me to understand how to approach stories with the best visual style that can elevate the story I want to tell.
4.) One of the most memorable moments was one evening, when I came back with lots of photos I wasn’t happy with, I had a conversation with my tutor Kosuke Okahara. He went through all my photos, we talked about them, and photography in general. He told me that photography is like this Japanese concept "修行" (which basically means training that usually comes with hardship). That conversation was like a therapy. It reminded me that it’s okay to fail because it's part of the process. Be patient, less result-oriented, and keep shooting. Another moment I remember fondly was when we finished a day’s shooting, a group of participants would sit in front of the guesthouse chatting over a beer. I learned so much from my peers during the workshop. Watching how their project developed throughout the week and sharing our thoughts on photography was such a rewarding experience.
5.) It’s so rare to find photo workshops in Asia that are free and lead by mostly Asian tutors who are the top-notch photographers in the industry. It’s also one of the few places where you can find a real photo community in Southeast Asia. I think one can grow fast not just as a photographer, but also as a person, through this intensive workshop.
http://yan-cong.com
Chandan Khanna - India (2015 Alumni)
1.) Angkor Photo Workshop was my first ever workshop and that too outside of my motherland, India. I was expecting good guidance from my mentors to get me a story and help me learn the powerful ways to edit that, which I got and was too humbled by my mentors Ian Ṭeh and Kosuke Okahara. I read few articles before leaving for the workshop which gave me insights of the place I was going to land on. Looking at the work done by alumni it gave a lot more perspective towards story ideas.
2.) The biggest challenge I came across was that I was unable to shoot in a village during the night hours due to community norms. I befriended leaders and locals in the village and finally got little more window to shoot and spend more time in the village. Coffee is the key to success I would say! 3.) I learned great skills of editing and I'm very happy that I'm able to apply those skills in my day to day work as a journalist. 4.) Apart from finding a story and shooting and exerting and reshooting and re-editing... the best part of the workshop was to lie on the ground and look at the screenings of the best work done by photographers around the world. Also, I would like to compliment mentors and organizers that invited us all for the post-screening drinks which gave the opportunity to get personal with the community we live in. 5.) Young photographers should apply for the Angkor Photo Workshop to learn to work under different and restricted time frame and the pressure of working in a place with new languages and culture.
http://chandankhanna.com
Amrita Chandradas - Singapore (2016 Alumni)
1.) I expected the workshops to be intense and thought-provoking, in the sense that the training given during the workshops was a knowledge that would stick with me for the rest of my life. I prepared for it by doing a bit of research on various topics I would want to embark on during the workshops, the topics are at the end of the day were subject to the approval of your mentors. I also read a bit more about the location and tried to get some contacts before I got to the workshops.
2.) First of all, some of the stories I researched on before were stories I have already embarked on or did not have access to despite all of the research done beforehand. So, I had to immediately focus on what I could pursue next in a short span of time. After an intense discussion, we focused on narrowing down a simpler story but approaching it differently. Also, the whole shooting process was a challenge for me. I was a photographer who was not comfortable with flash photography or shooting right in the faces of people. I was nervous about the boundaries sometimes. I was told to make a story depicting the nightlife on pub street. As simple as it sounds it was really about finding the right and crucial moments with the flash right in the faces of my subjects. The initial challenge was all about overcoming my own comfort zone and stepping out of it. Also, I am not that great with editing, so the constant encouragement and learning from my mentors helped me in visualizing a story just out of portraits and details captured over the span of the workshop.
3.) Like I mentioned above technical skills for myself, getting over my own anxiety and honing or realizing my own potential on what I could take on in the future. Developing a sense of pacing for my visual storytelling.
4.) Gaining valuable insight from my mentors and forging unforgettable friendships with my fellow workshop attendees. We are a family now.
5.) The young photographers from Asia should apply. Besides learning and honing other technical or storytelling skills, it's a great place to also connect with others who are like-minded and with industry professionals. You don't leave having just learned something but you also leave feeling more inspired and motivated to take on other future projects and assignments. You learn to question positively the decisions made as to why you have chosen photography as your career in the first place. It's integral to have this safe space within the workshops to explore those emotions. The pieces of advice learned may not hit you immediately but will reappear in different intervals of your life. I am part of that journey now and humbled to be. I would only want the same for the future of our Asian photography society.
http://www.amritachandradas.com
Lin Pham - Vietnam (2015 Alumni)
1.) I didn't expect much, I just wanna be around and hear from the masters and make as many friends as possible.
2.) I think the biggest challenge is how to find a story and make it interesting. According to my quick math, there are at least 300 stories have been done during the workshop in Siem Reap over the last decade so it's super tough to get something fresh out of the bunch and people still find something fresh every year, that's just amazing! I think you still can take the duplicated topic but dig it deeper, try a different angle and put your view on it, you will find that something fresh.
3.) I think I've learned the idea of the 'off-moment' during the workshop. After working with newspaper for a while, the decisive moment is what we're always looking for but in this photo-saturated world we should not only provide information to the viewer but also give them something that they can feel about and the 'off-moment' is a solution for that.
4.) So, me and Chandan Khanna had been working together in Kompong Phluk, a closed small village 35km away from Siem Reap and the appearance of two suspicious weirdoes from India and Vietnam catch the eye of the local police after a couple of days. Finally, on the evening of our last shooting day, we got pissed off and caught by a group of police armed with a pistol in the middle of nowhere. Luckily, after touring us around the local police station and questioning, two young policemen escorted us all the way back to Siem Reap on a motorbike. It's not very healthy to tell but it is our most memorable moment during the workshop.
5.) The most wonderful thing about Angkor Photo Festival is the community that they've been building up. It's no place around that you can easily hang out and connect with like-minded people, even some are your long-time idols. Another point is everything in Angkor is free, not only the exhibition, talk, portfolio review but the workshop also which can cost you a couple thousand dollars in Europe or the US.
http://linh-pham.com/
Paik Yin - Malaysia (2016 Alumni)
1.) I came to the workshop with an idea of taking pictures of another person’s body as I felt my photography was becoming insular ever since I turned the camera onto myself. I had the idea of working with Myths and Bodies through the Apsara dancers and the idea that shamans are born with disabled bodies. Prior to the workshop, I researched about NGOs that worked with disabled musicians, women's rights groups and read some books on photography and visual semiotics.
2.) Coming up with a story when the Angkor Photo Workshop is in its 12th year was quite a challenge. There have been so many photographers who have made stories in Siem Reap. The biggest challenge I faced was on Day 2 or 3 where the story that I was shooting with Apsara dancers just wasn't working out. 3 more days from submission, I swallow disappointment (after a mini breakdown) and did what I had to do which was to change the direction of my project. In some funny ways looking back, I did manage to fulfill my objectives only in a different form.
3.) In this workshop, I learned how to shoot again mainly with my gut feeling and that is nice to know that I can trust my instincts to work in line with the head. Also remembering that there is a support group from your peers reminds me to collaborate with other people.
4.) Playing pool and hanging out with new and old friends at the festival, looking at other people's work and talking about photography. Also, having Che Faustino from the Philippines helping me out with the bandages for my photo project in exchange for taking pictures of her. It was super fun to take pictures of Che Faustino for her project because I haven't shot someone else for a long time.
5.) This workshop will put photographers in a setting to get us out of our own comfort zone and it is a great place to have people from the industry to give tips and share ideas.
http://cargocollective.com/lim-paik-yin
Kenji Mercado - Philippines (2015 Alumni)
1.) To be honest, I didn’t expect anything and the preparations that I did for the workshop was more on the logistical side, e.g. what should I do in case of emergency, things like that. My goal was to keep an open mind. I didn’t want to ruin the experience of the workshop by fixating on any expectations.
2.) The challenge for me was overcoming the fear of rejection. During the workshop, we are asked to complete a photo project in a span of little less than a week. I had to go over different concepts and approaches with the mentors, and on top of that, I was vulnerable to getting rejected by my potential subjects along the way. Some of the people I approached either didn’t want their photos taken, or just simply were not interested in interacting with me. With the latter in mind, the fear of rejection freaked the hell out of me and made me ask myself “what’s wrong with me?” But with the guidance of my mentors (Ian and Kosuke) I was able to push forward and finish the story that I was working on. The key is to not give up. If you really want something, always strive to find a way to achieve it.
3.) I learned quite a lot but there’s one that really stuck to me, and it’s how a good story takes time to unfold. Working as a video editor for a TV network during the time I got into the workshop, we were required to work on at least three video projects per week. It was a fast turnover rate. As I was used to that kind of pace, I thought that the same thing can be applied to photo documentary. During the workshop, I developed the kind of patience that is required when you’re doing a story and I continuously apply it today with whatever I’m working on.
4.) Being able to meet different people during the festival is one of the most awesome things about it. Apart from the workshop itself, the experience of interacting with different photographers from different parts of the world who share the same interests as you, for the first time, is certainly something to keep.
5.) Angkor Photo Workshop is a great introduction to what’s out there for young photographers. It enables them to take a peek into the process of how professional photographers do their job whatever those may be; photojournalism, photo documentary, personal projects. But I guess the most important reason why they should apply is so they could get out of their own comfort zones. Angkor is the perfect venue to try different approaches to photography and experiment. By that, they can utilize the small time that they have in the workshop to learn a lot and develop as a photographer and as a person.
http://cargocollective.com/kenjimercado
Mitsu Maeda - Japan (2011 - Alumni)
1.) I wished to learn and get some insights on how to tell a story as a documentary photographer. I did some research on what I want to cover in the workshop and also I asked Noriko Hayashi who had attended a year before about the workshop. 2.) My challenge was to communicate with a doctor and social workers working at the hospital since my theme was about mental disease. Also, it was my first experience to talk about what I wanted to photograph. 3.) I remember Antoine D'agata told me "you can't really understand other people, even people who are close to you like your sister.' He told me this even though he was not my tutor.
4.) This is my core idea when I cover a story. I slowly changed to a documentary photographer rather than a photojournalist. 5.) I think it was my first experience for me to really communicate with tutors or other photographers through photography. Now I feel it's a nice way to try to understand other people through his/her photography. It was a great opportunity to get to know other photographers from Asian countries and communicate with them.
http://www.mitsumaeda.com/
Charmaine Poh - Singapore (2016 Alumni)
1) I knew I was going to have to devote myself fully for the duration of the workshop and mentally prepared myself for the challenge. I also did research and read up about Cambodia beforehand, as well as on all the tutors.
2.) A lot of things were beyond my control. My phone and wallet were stolen, for one, which was a hindrance to working efficiently. I used a borrowed phone that a classmate was kind enough to lend me and borrowed cash. And just continued to work. I fell sick too. But all of these things happen in life, and you just have to take them in your stride.
3.) I learned more about myself and how I see the world, and what vision I want to cast. In terms of my photography, I worked a lot on instinct and pressure. I didn't over-think things, which I sometimes do. That was good.
4.) When I managed to form bonds with the people I photographed. Building friendships with my classmates.
5.) It's an intense time where you are given an opportunity to dedicate yourself wholeheartedly to the work. That's a state of mind that is useful to have when you do other work in the future. The friendships and having the environment of Asian photographers who are equally hardworking and passionate are hard to come by elsewhere.
http://charmainepoh.com
Click here to apply to 2017 Angkor Photo Workshop. DEADLINE IS JULY 15
