The smell is overwhelming, causing flashbacks to Thailand and nearly stunning me. Unique to Asian towns this smell is hard to describe and must be experienced. A mixture of meat, fish, rice, vegetables, traffic, people, heat, spices, humidity and sewage in one very strong cocktail that is to be found no where else but here in Asia. A smell I have not experienced for more than a year, opening the flood banks of memories.
The people, the traffic, the street kitchens are the next flashbacks. I observe thousands of people, motorbikes, cars, tuk tuks and bicycles. Life is lived on the streets where countless street kitchens, shops, restaurants, guest houses all humming with activity. Cambodia in the rural areas is charming and can be gorgeous, reminds me much more of Indonesian Borneo than Thailand. Perhaps Thailand like it was 50 years ago. People are friendly, smiling and very curious and often speak quite a bit of English.
This is Cambodia and I have been here 5 days now. I am very exhausted of traveling, but the images are worth the effort. Time only allows me to present a few images. Very much unfinished products and not final selections nor editions, these are simply undeveloped raw travelogue previews from my days in Cambodia. More tales to come later.
Capturing portraits at the markets of Phnom Penh and sharing many laughs:
Discovering a Khmer Jedi apprentice in a village:
A 77 year old woman monk praying. Apparently she’s still a young apprentice.
“So we baked two cakes and had a cigaret” – relaxing at the temple.
The next two images was from a day of shooting at Angkor Wat. We had two fantastic young monks as models and it was one brilliant day of shooting. I have 715 images of these two monks in Angkor Wat and it will be some challenge to pick out the best as they are all interesting. Angkor Wat is the finest expression of art and architecture I have seen.
Flemming
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My guide in Cambodia was Nathan Horton – looking for a great photographer to guide you in Cambodia, Nathan Horton Photography comes highly recommended.
15 Comments on “Notes from Cambodia”
So beautiful pictures, I enjoy them immensely!
Hi there Flemming, well, you truly are on a journey of a lifetime.. an inspiration to us all. Well done!!!
Will catch up one of these days in the Big Wide World.
Last 2 images are wonderful.
Your description of the smell of Asia is very evocative. I grew up with that smell so I never noticed it much until staying away for almost a decade. Much to my surprise, I found it in Singapore, that bastion of modernity and sterility. I guess the heart of some things cannot be changed. And all the better for it.
Sounds like you're having years of experiences crammed into a few short weeks (think it's the vibe of your words). Insane, fantastic. You're my conduit of vicarity 🙂
Great blog post and brilliant images as allways Flemming!
Flemming, i love your raw unprocessed images, especially the old man in the temple with the incence, i think you are really capturing something special here. Great description too, very evocative and allowed me to live a bit of it with you.
Great work Flemming!
Great collection of images Flemming! There is nothing quite like the smell of Asia!
Love the old women shot, beautiful…
Sweet shots mate!
Hey Flemming
Some gorgeous images here. My favorites are the 77yr old women praying, the monk at Angkor Wat and the Tree of Life.
All of these images have more dramatic lighting and are much moodier. I think when you finish the processing these will be killer images.
I'm sure you are having a ball.
Brent
Really nice series of captures Flem … Looks like you where right in your element … My fav is the Monk walking alone down the veranda (Angkor Wat)
Thank you Neal, yeah I loved every second. That monk image is a favourite of mine as well, I would love to see a big print of it.
Hi Flemming, great read, brings back memories for me from thailand!
Great set of images. I must admit, I prefer the 'in the moment' natural shots over the model shots (love the Jedi apprentice shot).
You have 715 images of these two guys, I would aim for the ones that look the most natural, like you a capturing a moment in their usual day to day activities. I really like the 'Angkor Wat and Monk' shot concept, however it just looks a bit staged to me.
Look forward to seeing some more! Hopefully catch you down south soon too!
mate the bottom one is so Joey L. You nailed it!
Cheers mate, told you that Joey L has nothing on me 🙂