Stories from the street
Some 130 photographers from Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Philippines, the UK and the USA gathered in Bangkok for the two-day inaugural workshop “Monogram Asia’s 8x8 Street Photography” to learn how to develop their individual style via photogenic storytelling.
“We are thrilled with the energy and dynamism of the workshop’s participants and guest artists,” said Victor Chen, marketing manager of Monogram Asia. “A much-discussed topic during the workshop was the social role street photography plays in a country’s future and the need for street photographers to document life today for tomorrow’s generations. The picture stories that were told by participants through their pictures during the photo walk were incredible.”
“The event was a huge success and the work doesn’t stop here. We are already planning for the next instalment for 8x8 and our lenses are focused on Jakarta.”
The workshop provided participants an opportunity to gain insight from on-the-street experiences that ended with a critique and review session with the guest artists. A panel of guest speakers, including Eric Kim, Xyza Bacani, Oliver Lang, Bellamy Hunt, Take Kayo, Paul Yan, Brendan Ó Se, Gathot Subroto, Sheldon Serkin, Chatchai Boonyaprapatsara and Rammy Narula, held a series of insightful talks and roundtable discussions.
The workshop embraced documenting a city’s life through various imaging devices, predominantly digital and film cameras and ever-present smartphones. Its primary sponsor, Jaymart, helped bring this concept to life.
Devon Buy from Malaysia said that the speakers not only shared information very freely, but also intimate details about their lives, which helped participants understand why they got into photography and their obsession with their projects. Meanwhile Kitty Chirapongse from Thailand added: “The best part is that you are surrounded by like-minded people so you make friends and connections that help you learn from each other.”
