documentary – Ming Thein

On assignment photoessay: Construction, part II

October 19, 2015 by Ming Thein

I’m presenting the second part of the Construction photoessay today – here, the individuals slowly recede into the context of the greater project and become important contributing parts of the whole. The ‘context’ is so large it often overwhelms everything else – I personally find the coordination part of the work amazing because once you’re on site, it’s very easy to get lost in the details. Large prints would of course work best to show the scale of many of these developments, but there are still limitations to the internet 🙂 [Read more…]

Filed Under: On Assignment, On Photography Tagged With: black and white, chun wo, construction, documentary, hong kong, ming, ming thein, mingthein.com, mingthein.gallery, monochrome, on assignment, photoessay, photojournalism, thein

On assignment photoessay: Construction, part I

October 18, 2015 by Ming Thein

This series of images comes from my body of work from the last year-plus for client Chun Wo in Hong Kong; they are the largest local construction company and are mainly involved in large infrastructure projects, including the airport and Central-Wanchai bypass that spans most of the prime waterfront. As many of you will have seen from previous photoessays and posts, my brief with them is an ongoing on that covers several aspects: 1) documenting work in progress in the greater context of Hong Kong, as a historical record; 2) documenting and celebrating the workers who make it all possible; 3) recording the finished projects. Earlier in the year, we held a successful charity exhibition at the Hong Kong Arts Center which showcased a limited selection of the work – something like ~100 out of about 1,500 images delivered. I’ve been asked many times if we could share some of those images online for those who weren’t able to make it in person, so here we are. [Read more…]

On Assignment: the International Lutheran Seafarers’ Mission

October 4, 2015 by Ming Thein

In the second half of 2014, I was hired for a rather unusual documentary assignment. Amongst very many other things, the German Lutheran Church runs an international mission for seafarers around the world, with various stations and representative pastors in major ports. For their 2014 annual report (yes, I know it’s 2015 – I just haven’t had a chance to write and post up til now), they decided to produce a story on this as one of their featured activities. Even more unusually, rather than choosing a major home port such as Hamburg, the story was focused on Asia – the port of Singapore, to be specific. It’s not too far from Kuala Lumpur, so I got on an airplane. The report has obviously now been published, and I’m free to post the write up.

The evolution of street photography

July 14, 2015 by Ming Thein

Self reflection.

My initial idea for this post was to examine where street photography is going today; on further reflection, I think it’s perhaps more a question of addressing some overdone stereotypes perpetrated by camera collectors and social media warriors – not photographers – to see if we can get a bit more understanding into a) why those stereotypes exist, and b) if we want to produce visually different and better work, what needs to change. Read on, but only if you don’t believe everything should be shot from close range and monochrome contrast is solely binary.

Reminder: ‘Connection’, at the Hong Kong Arts Centre – 11-17 June

June 1, 2015 by Ming Thein

Just a gentle reminder in case you happen to be in Hong Kong from 11-17 June – my first exhibition of 2015 and first exhibition in Hong Kong will be showing at the Hong Kong Arts Centre, Wanchai, in conjunction with Chun Wo Development and Engineering. I should be there most days, so please drop by and say hi! MT

More information can be found in this post.

Filed Under: On Photography Tagged With: 2015, chun wo, construction, documentary, exhibition, hong kong, ming, ming thein, mingthein.com, thein

My first exhibition of 2015: ‘Connection’, at the Hong Kong Arts Centre in conjunction with Chun Wo Development

May 4, 2015 by Ming Thein

I am very pleased to announce my first exhibition of 2015, in partnership with Chun Wo Development of Hong Kong: Connection. The theme is “constructing bonds to improve life”, and it features a body of work that is largely documentary in nature which celebrates the efforts and labours of the workers who create the places in which we as people live and work. They are more than buildings or roads; they are enablers that bring people together and provide a conducive environment to build relationships with others – the connection. It features my work on 102 large canvas prints made by printmaster Wesley Wong, some of which are up to 6x9ft in size, together with a special contribution by fellow photographer and company chairman Derrick Pang. The purpose of the exhibition is both a showcase as well as a charitable effort in support of LifeWire, Chun Wo’s children’s medical foundation, and the Hong Kong Construction Workers’ Charity Fund. There will be a charity auction of one-off signed prints during the opening night, and individuals or organisations may sponsor a print (please contact me for details). The exhibition will run from 11-17 June at the Pao Galleries, 4/5th fl, Hong Kong Arts Centre, 2 Harbour Road, Wanchai. I will be in attendance for most of the days, so if you’re around, please drop by and say hello! MT [Read more…]

Filed Under: On Photography Tagged With: 2015, chun wo, construction, documentary, exhibition, hong kong, ming, ming thein, mingthein.com, thein

Photoessay: On the slopes, Queenstown

November 18, 2014 by Ming Thein

If you think about it, skiing must be one of the most pointless activities on earth – right next to motor racing. Both involve completing the same circuit (or piste) repeatedly. Sometimes with the objective of speed, sometimes with no objective at all. I’ve tried to figure out why we find it enjoyable, but honestly have no idea – perhaps it’s both the necessity of focusing on something to the exclusion of everything else, and the fact that it’s different enough from our normal activities that other parts of brains are stimulated. I remember having to work very hard at the basics before everything ‘clicks’ – and then you start moving at a much more intuitive level. I suppose it’s a sort of meditation, not unlike photography. Today’s photoessay is a series I shot at Coronet Peak, Queenstown, New Zealand a couple of months ago whilst taking a break from developing my landscape photography. I’m the sort of skier who learns off piste so he can fins something else to shoot; this time I used a Manfrotto Lino Pro field jacket to hold the gear – it’ll take a 645Z/55mm in one padded pocket, and a D810/Otus in the other. Enjoy! MT

Series shot with a Ricoh GR, Nikon D810 and Zeiss 1.4/85 Otus.

Photoessay: Klang Valley MRT work in progress, part II

July 5, 2014 by Ming Thein

We continue with the tunnel borers – this time reverting to monochrome for the aboveground portion of the monochrome documentary (underground was here here, focusing on the workers). A sense of scale is needed to appreciate the extent of the project, and this was the purpose of these images. I shot this with a mix of equipment over an extended period of time – mostly Nikon D800Es, however. Enjoy! MT

Photoessay: Klang Valley MRT work in progress, part I

July 3, 2014 by Ming Thein

Today’s photoessay follows on from the last On Assignment; it’s the aboveground portion to the earlier underground portion focusing on the workers. A sense of scale is needed to appreciate the extent of the project, and this was the purpose of these images.