Professional photographer, available for editorial & commercial photography. Based in the UK now, I have worked as a freelance photographer in Cambodia, Indonesia, Germany and Belgium. From editorial, portrait, and event photography for magazines, to travel reportage and project documentation for NGOs, I am very versatile and flexible in my commercial work.
When Virginie Noel decided to spend some time with the young Balinese High Priestess Ida Maharesi Alit for a photo project, she didn’t realize that a few days would turn into two weeks of intense yoga study, meditation and purification ceremonies. While most things she learned while staying with Ida Resi are difficult to put into words, this series of photographs is an attempt to put into images some of the understandings gained experientially about the interconnectedness of all life, and of humans and Nature in particular. In the Hindu conception of the Universe, the individual soul (Atman) is identical to the soul of the Universe (Brahman), which means all things are connected. The Balinese live in daily communion with the divine forces of nature: they honor and worship them, and are able to tap into the limitless Earth energies during their ceremonies. And such is the case for Ida Resi – she starts every day by praying to the sun and soaking up its life-giving energy.
Cambodia in 2010 is a country experiencing rapid change. A deep transformation from tradition to modernism is taking place, which has many repercussions throughout Cambodian society as a whole. Transsexuals, or “ladyboys”, as they are often called, were traditionally tolerated as a third sex, but rarely truly accepted in Cambodian society. In the past, they have faced serious discrimination. As a result, they often grouped together and lived in a small parallel world, with their job options limited to beauty salons and the sex trade. Today, transsexuals in Cambodia are contributing to increasing openness towards them by living their identity more confidently. Despite the difficulties they might still face, their intense “joie de vivre” is contagious, and they celebrate it through their beauty, through dance and performance, and through their general exuberance.
Kun Khmer, also called Prodal Serey, or Cambodian kickboxing, is Cambodia's national sport and follows a long tradition. Some claim, controversially, that Muay Thai originated in Kun Khmer. Fights are scheduled on nearly all Cambodian TV stations three days a week. Necessity and poverty are often the initial incentive for young uneducated Cambodian men to start fighting, even though prize money is relatively low in Cambodia. For a normal fight the boxers can expect to make between 50$ and 100$. International fights feature far higher prizes. Beyond monetary gain, however, it is fame and a taste for victory that soon infects young fighters. Famous for one day or one year, they will do everything to achieve their goal: being a champion.