2013 Cambodia Photography Workshop

When: November 30th – December 8th, 2013

Where: Siem Reap, Kingdom of Cambodia

Make this December Count!

Join Naomi and I as we lead The Giving Lens Workshop to Cambodia – a country close to our hearts. We’ll explore together and photograph the ancient temples of Angkor Wat, then take time to give back and make a positive impact for children in Cambodia at local NGO Anjali House.

After arriving in Siem Reap, Cambodia, we will spend several days touring and photographing the stunning Angkor Temples. Be prepared for some early mornings shooting the sunrises at Angkor Wat, as well as afternoons spent exploring other lesser-known temples overrun by the jungle. We will take a half-day trip on the Tonle Sap river, to visit and document some of the beautiful floating villages. Sound amazing? It is.

Floating Along on The Tonle Sap

Every year during the rainy season in Cambodia, the Mekong river swells, spilling over to fill the Tonle Sap, forming an enormous lake that fills an area of 16k square kilometers and a depth of up to 9 meters. The land that was once dry and fertile, is transformed into water as far as the eye can see, and the nearby villages that were also dry, are transformed into water towns.

We’ll lead the team on a half day adventure along the Tonle Sap before arriving in the water village of Kompong Phluk. From there we charter a hand full of 2 person canoes to explore and photograph this water wonderland.

Giving Back through Photo Education || Anjali House

We will also be spending several days working with the children at Anjali House, sharing our love of photography and helping them to improve their own photography and post-processing skills. Anjali House aims to provide the children of Cambodia with healthcare, food, clean water, and education.

They have four values that guide their organzation as they do this:

1) Education, which fosters self-confidence, and provides opportunities these kids would never have otherwise.

2) Expression, which fosters creativity, social-interaction, and therapy, where it is through art, dance, music, sport, or photography.

3) Health, through clean water, good food, and health care, which produces well-adjusted youth who are prepared physically and mentally to enter the workforce and find their own path.

4) Sustainability. Anjali house would love to be run 100% by local Khmer staff, and empowering the communities in which they work.

At Anjali, we will work with their photography club, which has seen students go on to win awards and have their work hung in hotels around Siem Reap. The students will have just participated in November’s Angkor Photo Festival. We will do workshops with them, photowalks, cultural activities, as well as editing classes for post-processing.

So what’s it like being on a Team?

In a word: Life-Changing. Immersing yourself into a team of photographers is always a wonderful way to accelerate your creativity and feel supported by other artists. Immersing yourself in another culture does wonders to open your eyes, and your heart, and allows you many avenues to find your vision and experience the world. Immersing yourself in the act of giving back, giving yourself and your time, giving your heart and your energy, always returns back to you a thousand times more than what you gave, affecting you at the very core of who you are. Doing ALL THREE will literally change your life. You will grow, expand, renew, open up, move on, let go, gain more, give more, and see the world, differently.

We welcome all levels of experience with photography, as well as travel. We will ensure you are prepared for the experience and walk alongside you through it all. Workshops and photo-walks are open-ended, with leaders ready to assist with any questions you may have, for any level of skill. As well, there will be two nights of photo-critiquing for those who want it. We also believe in turning our volunteers from Tourists into Travelers, meaning we will also educate you on proper travel photography ethics, practices, do’s and don’ts, tactics, expectations, cultural sensitivity, social justice and human right issues, and much much more. You’ll see the world in a whole new way, on so many levels!

NOTE: We will also be leading a team to Thailand in November. Anyone interested in doing both (there will be one week off in between) should mention so in their application. There will be a 10% discount for signing up for both trips. The full details for the Thailand Workshop will be announced soon.

What’s Included in the Cost:

• all accommodation beginning the night of Nov 30th (arrival day) until the morning of December 9th (departing day)
• all meals, as well as bottles of water
• all ground transportation to and from various cities and project sites
• any extra events, such as museum visits, special dinners, etc
• a large donation to Anjali House to further their work
• Angkor entry fees (3 day pass – option to self-pay for a 7 day pass)

 

What Costs are NOT Included:

Flights to and from Siem Reap, travel insurance, entry and exit fees, visas, beverages beyond water, alcoholic beverages, souvineers, extra donations.

If you would like more information on this workshop, future workshops, or The Giving Lens, visit www.thegivinglens.com.

Here’s a peek at some of our favorite moments from the 2012 TGL Cambodia.

Pchum Ben – Festival of the Dead

Early on our first morning, we led the group to the Wat Bo temple in Siem Reap to witness and photograph the Pchum Ben Festival, known to us as the festival of the dead. It’s a time when the spirits of the dead ancestors walk the Earth and the living can ease their suffering by offering them food to eat. Shortly after the main ceremony I managed to make some new friends. 🙂

 

Our group On Location At Angkor Wat

Our Final Day of the 2012 Cambodia Workshop

This was shot on the last day of our 2012 Cambodian Workshop and I think I can speak for everyone when I say that it was an incredible experience. We spent the afternoon with the children from Anjali House, taking them on a photowalk and giving them some collaborative instruction on photography and post-processing techniques. Personally, I was able to read the genuine excitement not only on the faces of the children, but on the workshop participants as well.

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