What can viewers expect from this exhibition?
I’ve been working as a photographer since 1971, shifting between the Associated Press, the navy, a local Oklahoma newspaper and many more projects in between. This is a highlights reel from the past 45 years, you could say. They’re photos I’ve captured from the Asian Tsunami, the Pakistan Earthquake, Pol Pot’s death, the first Gulf War, the Oklahoma city bombing, and so much more. These aren’t pretty pictures; they’re documentations of real, sometimes very tragic, events.
You’ve lived in Thailand for over 15 years. What intrigues you the most about the country?
It’s the most visual place I’ve ever visited and you don’t have to go very far to get good pictures. Because I’m not a local, my eye is especially good at finding stories here that Thais may have grown immune to. They forget how fascinating some of the day-to-day things are. For instance, I went to a monk ordination ceremony recently where the novice monk got his head shaved and rode around the temple on an elephant, while prayers and music were chanted. Where I come from, people would think you’re mad if you tell them something like that happened! So yes, I’m still having a lot of fun here.
You’ve photographed a lot of major historical events. Is there one in Thailand that struck you the most?
I was sitting on a beach in Phuket when a man came up to a spot in the sand near me. He was holding incense and praying for the soul of his sister who’d passed away in the tsunami. Two weeks later, I was in the same area when I found six bodies in a massive grave wrapped up in plastic. They were in a hole in the ground, abandoned there because they had no IDs. In moments like that, you can’t help but choke up.
How do you feel as a foreigner shooting powerful, emotionally-charged moments in Thailand?
I’ve always believed that all politics is local. I’m not from here, so I don’t have the same passion for the issues as the people do. That means I can stay neutral and not be judgmental—I’m able to avoid photographing my opinion, and able to focus on capturing the reality. And much of that reality some people may not be able, or willing, to see.
Where’s your favorite place to take pictures in Bangkok?
The Grand Palace, Chinatown and anywhere near the river. I like to do field trips where I just find a coffee shop to sit at during different times of the day and simply watch the people that pass. These places are never the same at two points in time.
