Monday, 28 May 2012

Wedding: Miki & Paul

A wee while back I shot another wedding with Aidan Dockery in Thailand. This time we headed south, to the beach, to the Pimalai Resort on Koh Lanta.

It rained the day we arrived, at the time the ceremony was planned for the next day, so we were worried the weather could make things tricky. But on meeting Paul and Miki we both knew immediately that it was going to be a lot of fun, whatever the weather did.

And fun it was. Lots of laughter, a bit of Tarantino, great speeches, great music, not one but two fire-shows, and a big bridal party all out to have a great time in a stunning location. In short, one of the best weddings I've photographed.

So, many thanks to Paul and Miki for having us along, and a big thanks once again to Aidan for taking me along for the ride - you can see a slideshow of both of our images if you click here.

In honour of it being so much fun, it being my first beach wedding, me having a new camera etc etc, here's quite a laaarge selection of shots:

Commercial: Sixth Gear Studios

I've been doing a bit of work for a commercial client of late. They wanted some photos taken for their website. We brainstormed (thought showered?) some ideas to do with typically 'Vietnamese' things to give their brand a strong local identity, and decided on three possible options; the eventual winner being the photo in the screenshot below.

I needed a cog, and in one of those strange, magical coincidences this city throws up from time to time, I came across one lying in the street. I took it home and cleaned it - or tried to clean it. It's truly amazing how much grease can ooze from something that doesn't look greasy at all. My hands and bathroom sink became steadily blacker. I gave up, and now that cog is rusting beautifully above the washing machine.

The next day I bought a cog from one of my favourite markets in Hanoi - the Sky Market - where manly things of metal and grease are sold and, allegedly, you can go to buy back anything that was stolen from you. And one humid morning I drove down to the Red River to find a willing, conical-hatted woman, to help me with my photo. And find one I did - her name is Nong.

Sunday, 13 May 2012

iLiKETRAiNS

These photos are from a recent visit to the Railway Workers Ku Thap The in Hanoi, which are communal living quarters for the rail workers and their families, adjoining the Hanoi Railway Station.

We had a tour of the place - not the living quarters but the workshops. Grease-covered men in blue overalls attacked pieces of metal, did things to massive wheels, and hunched smoking around ancient machinery. We saw a turntable and the men turned it for us. We were taken to see an old steam engine being renovated. We fumbled around in the dusty old cab, pulling levers and staring at dials. We pulled the chain and made loud tooting noises. We - myself and the writer - realized that we still wanted to be train drivers, or trains, or something on rails. Which is why I'm posting all of the photos I took that day, not just a selection. Choo choo.

Wednesday, 9 May 2012

The Man Who Became Jam and Other Stories

Tuesday, 1 May 2012

There Will Be Blood

At Easter I went to the Philippines for the crucifixions. It was a bloody affair. Never before have I been spattered with so much of other people's blood. Never before have I got onto a bus looking like I've just murdered somebody and no-one's batted an eyelid. Actually that really hasn't happened before - I've never murdered anyone, neither have I ridden a bus after murdering or not murdering them. Because I haven't. I'm going to be quiet now. I feel like I'm implicating myself in a non-existent crime.

Anyway, what I mean to say is: this is what I looked like when I rode that bus and, eventually, I'll be posting photos from the festival. If you're squeamish, start looking away, very slowly, now.

Dominic Blewett Photography

Coffee

Recently I visited a whole herd of cafes, and filled myself to the brim with their coffee. Here are some shots from that (rather jittery) experience. I'm still shaking.

Things I Ate Recently

Not including any people that are in these photos. Amongst them - bun cha rieu (thanks to Mark at StickyRice for the virtual heads-up), california rolls, sashimi, and crumbed pork with leek. Xin moi. Itadaki mas.

Recent Tearsheets