Charming Portraits of Villagers in Laos With Their Pets
Ernest Goh
At the end of 2012, photographer Ernest Goh collaborated with the Canadian charitable organization, Veterinarians Without Borders (VWB) on a project to vaccinate dogs and cats (and one monkey)
against rabies. Goh traveled with VWB to roughly two to three villages
daily in rural Laos to document the process that invited pet owners to
receive the rabies vaccination free of charge. After the vaccination
process, Goh invited the owners to pose for a portrait with their pets.
From the images, he created a series titled simply “Pet Owners of Laos.”
A photojournalist since his teenage years who eventually moved to
commercial assignments, Goh began documenting animals for his project The Fish Book, which takes a close-up look at whimsical expressions made by fish and other aquarium-dwellers. Another book about roosters, Cocks, followed The Fish Book and was shot in a similar vibrant style. Goh also started The Animal Book Co. (TabCo)
with a goal of creating a greater appreciation of animals through
photography. He has volunteered his services with a number of
nongovernmental organizations around the world, including VWB, to
photograph their animal-welfare services.
“What draws me back to photograph animals again and again is how much
I enjoy getting to know the animal's ‘personality,’ like having a cup
of tea with a friend,” Goh wrote via email. “A photo of a smiling fish
or a cat walking a chicken might just give a 10-year-old kid or an adult
something to think about.”
Goh shot the project with artificial lighting, and since locations
were constantly changing, he needed something that would be quick and
easy to set up and take down. “We had to set up the studio under a
villager’s house, in a classroom, in a sawmill, and under a tree,” Goh
wrote. “Including the locations in the background of the images gave a
hint of where or how the pet owners live.”
Ernest Goh
Ernest Goh
Ernest Goh
Goh said one constant he noticed has been the ways in which people in
Laos seem to respect their animals. “It seems to come from years of
close interaction with animals, something that is hard to come by in the
city,” he wrote. In Laos, many of the villagers arrived with their pets
in their arms, baskets, trolleys, and even carts.
Since pets are often allowed to roam free, leashes are rare. “It
suddenly dawned on me that taking a pet like a dog for a walk is a
rather cosmopolitan concept,” Goh wrote.
While many of the projects he works on are intended to better the
lives of animals, Goh feels keeping a sense of humor is equally
important to his work. “Making someone laugh is as important as giving
someone a meal or medical attention. Laughter often brings hope and
along with it the will to carry on,” he said.
Ernest Goh
Ernest Goh
Ernest Goh
Ernest Goh
Ernest Goh
Labels: Animal Stories, Photography
posted by Pieface @ 8:38 AM
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