Yai 40 and Ja 28 Female Sex Workers, Thailand 2007

gerryyaum,
Your images are very powerful, the subject speaks volumes. The changes I can see would be stylistic in nature and that is a personal thing. Elsewhere someone mentioned E. J. Bellocq who did a similar series 100 years ago. Bellocq approached the prostitutes with a certain amount of reverence or a kind of respect for the subject that allowed a good deal of the women's personality to show through. This is not to say yours don't, but it might be worth while to look at his work -- or not.

On a technical level you might want to take a critical look at how your work impacts the subjects. Should you use filters and if so why? Should flash, strobes, fill and reflectors be employed or more thoughtfully positioned and why? The thing is everything you do will effect how they are rendered. You can soften or make more harsh, add mystery or revelation and on and on. It is all in you. You want to shoot this. Its your touchstone give your self license to do it as you see fit and go with confidence, but go with your best ideas.

Thanks JD yes I have studied his work I actually have his great photograph of the prostitute from Storyville laying on her side with a solemn face as my wallpaper on my Mac at home.

http://www.masters-of-fine-art-photography.com/02/artphotogallery/database/bel01.jpg

I think I agree with your reverence point. I recently had a well known photographer mention that I needed more humanity in the images, he suggested that I shoot the same people over and over as the years past. I think that it is a valid point to try to show as much respect/humanity/reverence as you can in the images. The problem with shooting people in this industry year after year is that they disappear on you and you lose touch with them. I tried to photograph people this last trip in 2008 that I had photographed before in 2007 but I could only find 5 out of about 30 people that were still working the scene.

Am not a fan of filters, especially the kind that change the reality of the subject.

Bounced/Diffused light is something that another APUG member mentioned, I think thou that I prefer direct harsh light even thou it is not necessarily complimentary to the subject. What I find is that I often choose the harsher images from the shoot. Many of the photo sessions involve lots of laughing and joking but I tend to choose images that I imagine are closer to the reality of the lives I am photographing. I photographed a woman sex worker this last trip for the third time(1999, 2003, 2008), she told me how because she was now older (49) many times she was having trouble getting men to go with her and often it would involve strange things like urination (them on her or her on them)...so when I think about things like that and I try to photograph her..I want to show how she is used and abused by the world she is in, the idea of using filters to make her look more attractive or using diffused light to soften harsh shadows seems wrong to me. It is like I am trying to cover up the truth, her heart is hurt, her body is used up her spirit is almost crushed, I need to show that visually some how, so I go the harsh way with the images, no filters, little soft light.

Thanks for the post JD it got me thinking

Thank you for your photographs.

"Am not a fan of filters, especially the kind that change the reality of the subject."

Simply shooting the subject in b/w changes the reality. Putting a Camera in front of them changes the reality. Reality is a shapeless aspect in all photography. I'm certainly not advocating any particular approach. My suggestion is that you decide what it is you wish to say and then use all the tools and the limit of your skill to say it. After reading your post I'm concerned that maybe you don't give your viewers enough credit. You needn't be too literal we can get the picture -- so to speak.


If you were to change nothing the images will continue to be powerful. If you make changes, have a reason to or goal for the changes.

Excellent work Jerry. Great use of 8x10.
Like your site a lot.
G.

Thanks Guillaume...still working on the darn thing want to replace and add many photos, and improve the scans.

Gerry
www.gerryyaum.com
www.gerryyaum.blogspot.com

I find myself wondering why 2 people are being photographed together. Other than being sex workers they seem to me not to be relating to one another in this photo. I believe that the lady on the left would have made a more powerful image by herself.

They were friends at the same bar so I photographed them together. I get what your saying about photographing them separately, I actually did that quite a bit especially Yai (check the website). I was trying to do is show that were burnt out as individuals. I think thou that I will try what you suggest next year when I continue this work,show the friendships and support systems. The girls all use their friends to help them through bar life, that is something I will try to show more clearly.

Thanks Gerry

Gripping evidence of the dark side of the human condition. Thanks.