Humans race toward the future on a momentous treadmill of development, technology and the promises that this development and technology will bring happiness and understanding to their lives. Remnants of ancient peoples are coerced or forced to assimilate into the norm of the present and relics of the past are dressed up like theme parks, devoid of all their magic and mystery.
My quest began twenty-five years ago, when I set out for India accompanied by my 1972 Nikon F2 and a few rolls of Kodak infrared black & white film, just to see. I set out to document a time of old, and became captivated and intrigued by the notion of infrared light (which is invisible to the naked eye) manifesting into photographs. Its dream-like look seemed to uncover a hidden realm, a dimension that really did exist beyond the confines of our visual spectrum.
On this personal journey I continued through Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos.
My early photos reveal the quiet before the storm of mass tourism, where secluded temples and lost cities seem to radiate a mysterious aura from behind unkempt foliage, and eye-catching indigenous people were still curious about being photographed.
In December 2007, the film medium I use (Kodak infrared black & white film) was discontinued, and with about 50 rolls of this special film left, I now hope to photograph the last few untouched ancient Asian sites and document the remaining Asian indigenous cultures once found at the ends of the Earth, before my long-term portfolio finally closes.
