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Refugee Status. A Documentary Project for Tibet
“Being clear about what we’re doing and why is the first step in doing it better. If you’re not happy about the honest answer to this question, make substantial changes until you are.” Seth Godin. Jan 15, 2013
Not a day goes by when I don’t have the extreme privilege of hearing stories of young Tibetans fleeing the Chinese government’s occupation of their land. The stories are shocking, filled with bravery, a fight for freedom and many times, end in tragedy. Just today, a friend of mine told me his story of crossing the Himalayan Mountains (as they all do in order to get to India). He told me of being captured by the Chinese government the first 3 times he tried to escape, put in prison and then returned him to his home. The fourth and final time, he travelled for multiple weeks over the mountains, with some dying along the way. Food runs out, the temperatures are freezing, there are unmarked paths with dangerous cliffs. One young man fell to his death during their journey.
I want to help. This has inspired me to start a documentary project of these young adults, coming from Tibet, as refugees, holding on to their culture, learning for the first time about their country’s history (as it is mostly banned in Tibet to learn of their own history), all the while trying to embrace their new surroundings in India, separated from their families and from the way of life they’re accustomed to. A beautiful mixture of tradition and modern appeals. Starting a new life…. with “Refugee Status”.
This is the first image of the series.
(Sengye, shown above, is a young Tibetan man from the Amdo region of Tibet. He wears a traditional fur hat and necklace, identifying him as Amdo. He was raised in a nomadic family (as most are in that region), breeding yaks, sheeps and goats. He fled Tibet on the same night of his father’s return from being imprisoned by the Chinese government for 14 years. They didn’t see each other.)
Please feel free to share your thoughts, input and comments.
Casino Photoshoot California Logistics, Logistics, Logistics
The logistics of a professional photoshoot for a casino might surprise some of you. You might see a nice image like this one in an advertisement and think “oh, the photographer caught a nice moment”. For this image, we had a very tight shooting schedule and had a few images/angles/setups we needed to accomplish before the salon opened for the casino customers. We needed to photograph the inside areas first so we had a very early call time that morning. The last image at this location was this image.. the models exiting the salon as if they just had a wonderful time at the spa, pampered, happy and on their way.
Between the salon manager still needing to run the front desk (answer phones, etc) and setting up lighting against a very specular and reflective background (can we say marble facade, glass doors and glass waterfall feature), we had to act fast and we had to act well.
This final image is the culmination of my assistants sneakily hiding lights, moving lights in different areas for multiple exposures, having the hotel manager duck behind the desk while on the phone, the models moving 2 inches “pretending to walk” and give multiple facial expressions and looking at multiple exit locations, and finally blending the best of all of those scenarios in one.final.image. Sigh. Phew. And on to the next.
A solid take away… when choosing a professional photographer, don’t underestimate their working knowledge of tight shoot schedules, a great team, and pro knowledge of lighting for every scenario.
Knight Residence | Architectural Photographer, Bend Oregon
Talk about a “picture perfect” family…. I had the lovely privilege of photographing the Knight Residence and the beautiful family that inhabits it for the Fall issue of 1859 Magazine (on shelves now). Doug and Wendy Knight gracefully remodeled their 1918 American Craftsman home in the heart of Bend’s Drake Park Historical District. “The idea was to be respectful of the architectural style of the era and to do something fresh…” Doug said in the 1859 Magazine interview. And they definitely succeeded.
In photographing this home, I needed to keep in mind what their vision was for their space. Light was a huge driving force for them in remodeling, so keeping the home bright and airy was important. They had so many personal touches as well. Wendy Knight, a brilliant interior designer, added warmth and elegance while mixing some of their family’s personal touches with things like their daughters’ artwork. Capturing those elements were equally important. Below are some of the final images. Enjoy!
Friendly Reminder of Summer Scheduling
As a reminder, Paula Watts Photography will be available for summer scheduling in the United States from June through August. If you have any photographic needs for the summertime, please don’t hesitate to send your requests now.
With limited time and availability, we ask that you make your requests for proposals as soon as possible in order to ensure that your needs are met.
Please connect through email at info@paulawattsphoto.com or by phone at #541-241-2219.
Thank you and we look forward to a fun and beautiful summer!
Bend Living Food Photography
This image was shot for Bend Living Magazine for the March 2008 issue, but since I’ve been gone, I didn’t have a chance to show it off yet!
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Beautiful, Paula!