Feature Story on The Medes

Another great Shoot Cameras Not Guns article by The Medes today, featuring work by Hong Sar, Diana Sabreen, Aue Mon, and Linn Wattain.

VIEW THE PHOTOS AND ARTICLE HERE

Chiang Mai Documentary Arts Festival l Chiang Mai, Thailand

Hong Sar speaks on the Burma Photographers Panel.

What an inspiring conference!

One week of documentary arts was not enough for us.  That's right, Shoot Cameras Not Guns combined teaching and learning for a full week in Chiang Mai.  The second annual Chiang Mai Documentary Arts Festival (CDAF) was a jam-packed week of documentaries, gallery shows, talks, workshops, discussions and networking.  

Many of the finest filmmakers, photojournalists and human rights activists working in Southeast Asia were in attendance. 

Ian gets an explanation of one of Ryan's prints, won in the silent auction!

The week started with a panel on photojournalism in Burma. One of Diana's first students, Hong Sar, was on the panel, a very proud moment for them both! We were treated to amazing documentaries every day, and top-notch workshops as well.  Ian was particularly excited by the DSLR film making workshop taught by the conference organizer, Ryan Libre.  

Photographer and DAA founder Ryan Libre thanks guests for attending CDAF.

We were able to teach a photo workshop in conjunction with the festival too, and introduced many new colleagues to our organization and programs. 

Lucie Awards founder Hossein Farmani auctions of a 1000 Baht bill to warm up bidders for the silent auction!

We were also lucky enough to get to know most of the presenters and attendees over the course of the week. It looks like we will be able to use what we learned at the conference right away, and hope to be collaborating with some of our new colleagues very soon.  Special thanks to Documentary Arts Asia (DAA) for putting on the festival!

Hong Sar's video of photo class in Chiang Mai

Our friend, Hong Sar, taught with us the second day at the Best Friends Library in Chiang Mai. He also shot and edited this video of the class. A great teacher, and a great photographer and videographer.
Thanks to Hong Sar for putting this together! Visit Hong Sar's website too: www.hongsar.com



Towards the end of the video you see the kids moving lights around in the air. This is an activity we did called "light painting" or "light graffiti." We use a darker room, and long exposure to create drawings or paintings in the air. The kids love it and it helps them understand the concepts of exposure and light capture in photography.

Shoot Cameras Not Guns has arrived in Thailand!

We arrived safely in Thailand two weeks ago, and everything is going well so far!  As with most international travel, there has been a good deal of physical and cultural adjustment.  The frigid mountains of Colorado have been replaced by sweltering, crowded streets of Bangkok.  The smooth and simple transportation of the States has given way to logistical challenges, round-about routes and (mostly) safe-enough conveyance.  Ubiquitous American English and constant global media onslaught at home has calmed to simple speech, and murmurs of dozens of foreign conversations all around. We have finally leapt over the final technological hurdles so that we can stay digitally connected to friends, supporters and collaborators here and abroad.  Our minds are calming, our hearts are opening, and we're itching to get our show on the road!  

        We have spent our days here in Bangkok reconnecting with students, colleagues & old friends that Diana knows from her first voyage here 7 years ago when Shoot Cameras Not Guns was created.  They are very excited to have Diana and the project back in their "neighborhood"  and are looking forward to working with SCNG in its expanded form.  We have also been preparing, scheduling and finalizing details of the first round of workshops that we will be teaching along the Thai/ Burma border soon.  

Five levels of electronics at Pantip Plaza in Bangkok!

     Our first workshops will be in Sangkluburi, where the project was born. February 4-8 we will be teaching photography and photojournalism to NGO workers and journalists from Burma (Myanmar) for HURFOM (Human Rights Foundation of Mon-land).  

Immediately following our first stint in Sangklaburi we will be traveling to Chiang Mai and teaching workshops as part of the Chiang Mai Documentary Arts Festival (February 8th- 14th.)  During these workshops we will be working with migrant workers, and expanding our connections to the human rights community in the region.

     We are very excited to be underway, and happy to report that our entry phase has been positive, productive and invigorating!  

Ian getting familiar with the flashy and blinky aspects of Bangkok

You're invited!

Beers for Burma is a craft beer festival & fundraising event for the Shoot Cameras Not Guns upcoming workshops in Burma and Thailand.

For more info, to RSVP and invite your friends, visit the event on Facebook.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS.

When:            First Friday, December 7, 2012

                        6pm-2am

Where:           ArtHaus Gallery

                        3340 Larimer St.

                        Denver, Colorado

The Event:

Featuring Colorado craft beers, live music, circus

style aerial acrobatic performances, and local art, the

first annual “Beers for Burma” is not to be missed!

This fundraiser for the Denver-based project, Shoot 

Cameras Not Guns, will  highlight RiNo businesses,

and have a great party for an even greater cause!

Get tickets early and your first beer is free!

Non-beer beverages available as well!

All ages welcome. 21+ to drink. 

We're Coming Back! Shoot Cameras Not Guns in Thailand & Burma

In celebration of our upcoming workshops in Burma and Thailand, here are some of our favorite photos from founder Diana Sabreen's first visit to the area.

A Shining Past Student

One of Shoot Cameras Not Guns' first students and good friends (before we were even called Shoot Cameras Not Guns, actually) has really become an amazing photographer. His work is beautiful and intimate and best of all, he lives in the area he shoots. He understands the people and therefore can gain trust and access with some very interesting and significant cultures.

Hong Sar primarily documents the lives of migrant workers along the Thai/Burma (Myanmar) border. YOU CAN SEE HIS WORK HERE

And here are some of my recent favorites. If you need a photographer in Southeast Asia, make sure to hire him. Keep documenting, Hong Sar!