Itchy Feet, Bright Eyes and Snappy Fingers

My Photo scholarship 2011 entry

Worldwide | Tuesday, November 8, 2011 | flickr photos

The first thing that struck me on a recent trip to Kuala Lumpur (KL) was the harmonious multicultural mix of indigenous Malays, Chinese and Indians. A friend would later explain to me that this harmonious mix was not all it seems. As in any multicultural society, there is a simmering undercurrent of racial tension. Although Malays have political control, they have a small gripe that the Chinese hold the economic power. The indians or sub continent Asians are the underclass and cling to their traditions in the way that minorities do.
I must admit that I did not set out to show this in my pictures but they do so nonetheless. The first is of a henna tattooist at work in Little india, creating his traditional works of art daily for which he no doubts makes little money. The second aptly demonstrates the Malay gripe. The shopkeeper seems almost lost amongst her inventory and to me seems that she was struggling to balance the books. The third for me depicts the Chinese economic prowess. KL city centre is dominated by massive shopping malls and my friend is quick to point out that they are mostly owned by the Chinese. The shop is so high end, the aloof window display does not even need to display the merchandise that it is selling. It's minimalism is a sharp contrast to the cluttered Malay shop and lack of effort another contrast to the toil of the henna tattooist.
I have slowly improved my photography skills with an unbounded enthusiasm. Admittedly their is still a trial and error element to my photography and strangely I seem to flounder when there is an abundance of light and the type of photography that tells a story with one image. I see this opportunity to improve this aspect of my photography with a renowned photographer like Jason Edwards is an unmissable one.