I remember the first time I saw these kids. I was almost panicked because of the whole situation I was in. I was there, in Cambodia to work on my dissertation but as soon as I got there as a photographer, I figured out that I could not take any pictures from all those mothers who where shouting, all those men who where staring at me and all those hungry kids who were begging for “yum yum”. Under those circumstances, the last thing I could ever do was to take pictures. So I just started going to the river side, sitting with those people, listening to what they were saying without understanding even a word, and eating with them. I played with the kids, let them comb my hair, watched them jumping in the river, and let them touch my camera and look through the view finder. After a year, I already knew most of them by name. Seeing their joy and excitement, I came up with the idea to collect the photos they were taking with my camera. I printed the pictures and gave them to the kids. They were so happy to see themselves and their friends on those pieces of paper. I assume some of them had never held their own pictures in their hands before. After two years, I almost know those kids who have a good eye, the ones who love to take pictures. I collect all their photos and put them in separate files. I also started to develop my work and teach them how to take pictures, to give them basic knowledge of the things that can make a picture more powerful. I try to teach them to think before pushing the shutter’s botton…
I love to watch them when they’re taking pictures and to watch their pictures afterwards.