the camera never lies or does it?

I am always the one taking the photos in my world. At family and friend gatherings it is as if I was never there as I am always the one documenting us. But in the last few months due to meeting new and lovely people, who also capture the world through the lens, this is all changing and I see more and more photos sneaking around of me mostly captured un - aware.
I still find photographs fascinating that they capture that moment and how you are portrayed by others through their images.
So this is me, capturing me !

armchair journey

Welcome on an armchair journey through Laos and Cambodia as seen through my eyes !
http://www.flickr.com/photos/13363109@N02/sets/72157626317290114/

The knife man

On the streets of Siem reap in Cambodia you can find this wondrous creature, known to me as the knife man. He carries around a mattress his knives attached in a circle of wire and his hand held stereo playing hard core techno as he pounds the streets looking for people to watch him jump through his circle of knives surrounded by a ring of fire. I used to actively seek him out he is fascinating , he never talks to anyone. He is one of life's enigmas with great scars which is obviously an occupational hazard and wonderful tattoos that somebody says he does himself.
I want to learn to dive through a flame filled knife ring!

sleep little one

This one of my favourite images captured whilst in Cambodia in the market a child sleeps in a hammock whilst surrounded by the snake catch of the day.
Children are up against it in Cambodia with poor medical health care, although that has changed dramatically in the last 6 years since I have been travelling there. Schools are slowly popping up in even the poorest and remote villages and there is never much money around with the average wage being around 2$ but in the villages it is far less than that. But for all of that children have the most important thing their freedom and Independence from their most earliest age, which has been lost over here in the UK and makes me sad!!!!

offerings

One of the most beautiful things across Cambodia Laos and Thailand are the wonderfulSpirit houses where offerings are left, in the form of food, incense, water, lotus flowers or garlands of heady jasmine sold by the wonderful flower sellers.. Each one is unique to each place from the and ostentatious spirit houses of the large hotels to the very humble spirit houses found in or outside a shack held together with string. The purpose of the Spirit House is to provide an appealing shelter for the spirits, or celestial beings, who would otherwise reside in the heavens.
I used to love getting up early and watching the daily ritual of offerings to the Spirit house , it seemed to bring a sense of calm in a somewhat crazy world.
I now have many drawings and photos that I am working from to make a series of paintings based around the idea of offerings.