A Kingdom Uncovered

Any time spent in a foreign land opens up a myriad of possibilities for photographing the people and places especially more so at leisure than from a rushed perspective of a tourist.

Spending time soaking up the atmosphere and ambience along with observing the day to day lives of locals led me to reimagine the many scenes I witnessed in black and white for this piece. The essence captured in these images tell a story of a country that’s steeped in cultural heritage while on the brink of embracing Western culture with the sole aim to satisfy a booming international tourism industry that’s slowly but surely eroding the fabric of traditional Cambodian society.

This is my journey through the interiors of a once vast and revered Kingdom culminating in thousands of images I shot and a tribute to the many people along the way who opened my eyes and ears and were my spiritual guides over a period of three years.

“I prefer to see the good where there sometimes appears to be none, I prefer to showcase the positive where sometimes none may exist”. This is how I hope to share these 48 frames of visual narratives with you.

Frame 9647 “City Lights“: Riverside broad walk, Phnom Penh.

 

Frame 0017 “Holy Shrine of Lady Penh“: Wat Phnom, Norodom Boulevard, Phnom Penh.

 

Frame 19340 “Barely Afloat“: Chong Kneas Floating Village, Tonle Sap, Siem Reap.

 

Frame 2178 “Morning Calm“: Street 13, Kandal Market, Phnom Penh.

 

Frame 20326 “Death Row“: S21 Toul Sleng Genocide Museum, Phnom Penh.

 

Frame 0987 “Deep Contemplation“: Kandal Market, Phnom Penh.

 

Frame 20788 “Red Lights“: Street 136, Phnom Penh.

 

Frame 5555 “Convergence“: The Grand Central Market, Phnom Penh.

 

Frame 21161 “Rice Smile“: Kampong Speu, Phnom Penh.

 

Frame 6118 “Close Quarters“: Back street at the central market area, Phnom Penh.

 

Frame 21386 “Shell Fish“: Sihanoukville, Kampong Som.

 

Frame 6645 “Village Slum“: Pochengtong district, Phnom Penh.

 

Frame 0123 “Apprentice“: Royal Palace, Phnom Penh.

 

Frame 0112 “Hide & Seek“: Rolous Group, Angkor Park, Siem Reap.

 

Frame 7082 “Pigeon Holes“: Intersection at Street 136, Phnom Penh.

 

Frame 0669 “Cleansing the Soul“: Angkor Thom, Siem Reap.

 

Frame 7438 “The Cyclo & Rain Storm“: Khan Daun Penh, Phnom Penh.

 

Frame 0929 “Shopper’s Delight“: Night Market, Siem Reap.

 

Frame 7375 “Sea of Bikes“: Psar Orussey, Phnom Penh.

 

Frame 1025 “Crocodile Burgers“: Pub Street, Siem Reap.

 

Frame 1088 “Protest March“: Post elections street demo, Sorya Market, Phnom Penh.

 

Frame 3484 “Fleeting Innocence“: Phum Dop, Street 51, Phnom Penh.

 

Frame 0262 “Psar Thom Thmei“: Kampuchea Krom, Phnom Penh.

 

Frame 5404 “Cut & Wash“: Psar Kandal, Phnom Penh.

 

Frame 36456 “Woman & Child“: Psar Damko, Phnom Penh.

 

Frame 6565 “Black Cat“: Street 51, Phnom Penh.

 

Frame 1556 “Spiritual Offerings“: Preah Ong Dong Ka, Phnom Penh.

 

Frame 7777 “Umbrella of Blessings“: Psar Thmei, Phnom Penh.

 

Frame 5096 “BKK“: Boeng Kang Keng Market, Phnom Penh.

 

Frame 7794 “Market Watch“: Psar Thmei, Phnom Penh.

 

Frame 34907 “Royal Abode“: Samdach Sothearos Blvd, Phnom Penh.

 

Frame 17954 “The Bride“: Angkor Wat, Siem Reap.

 

Frame 5833 “Family Outing“: Street 51, Phnom Penh.

 

Frame 9290 “Evening Rush“: Sisowath Quay, Phnom Penh.

 

Frame 38130 “For Our Ancestors Before Us“: Pchum Ben Festival, Phnom Penh.

 

Frame 5615 “Untitled“: Sorya Market, Phnom Penh.

 

Frame 1021 “Peeping Through the Trees“: Wat Phnom, Phnom Penh.

 

Frame 0634 “A Blessed Union“: Pochengtong, Phnom Penh.

 

Frame 7108 “Shy Curiosity“: Khan Daun Penh, Phnom Penh.

 

Frame 7883 “The Waiting Game“: Phnom Oudong.

 

Frame 7917 “Graceful Apsaras“: Pub Street, Siem Reap.

 

Frame 6041 “Pouting. I’ve lost my bike!“: Grand Central Market, Phnom Penh.

 

Frame 2908 “Peaceful Retreat“: Phnum Bokor National Park, Kampot Province.

 

Frame 2919 “Men at Work“: Phnum Bokor National Park, Kampot Province.

 

Frame 4438 “Fruit Season“: Crab Market, Kep.

 

Frame 3908 “The White Lady“, Kep.

 

Frame 4213 “All Aboard“: Rabbit Island, Kep.

 

Frame 9313 “Free at Last“: Koh Kong Beach, Koh Kong.

 

The Roving Photographer
Sept 4, 2016