About this project

So, what's going on?

Hey Everybody, my name is James and I am a 23-year-old freelance photographer based out of subtropical Miami. I’ve been thinking/obsessing about the possibility of traveling to Southeast Asia for the past couple of years and I’ve finally managed to save up some cash but I could still use a little help!

The project I would like to pursue is a photographic survey of Southeast Asia. I am interested in exploring this part of the world that, up until recently, hosted some of the most brutal warfare of the past century. I want to understand how this region is coping with the vestiges of war and making the most of what they have. More specifically, I want to document the lives and livelihoods of the different communities trying to carve out an existence in the rice paddies of Northern Thailand, in the streets of Hanoi, in the floating villages of the Tonle Sap, and living in harmony with the ebb and flow of the Mekong. Armed with my curiosity and a camera, I aspire to discover stories that I feel have not been told yet.

Now, while the immediate goal of my project would be to create a broad photographic ethnography of the different cultures and places of Southeast Asia and subsequently, publish a book of these photographs, the underlying, more long-term goal of my project is to get the head start I need towards a career in photojournalism.

What are you doing with our money?

Your pledges, in exchange for great rewards (to the right), will help send me on a photographic journey throughout Southeast Asia to eventually fund the production and printing of a self-published photographic book. Since the most difficult part of this are travel expenses, I set my goal at the minimum amount I need just to get from this hot-and-sweaty region to that hot-and-sweaty region. While abroad, I hope to volunteer when possible and continue documenting the different communities I encounter. I have a proposed In-and-Out point and while there are places I want to check out, a big part of the journey is the uncertainty you experience while traveling and the improvisation all travelers practice. Also, don't forget to check out my website and see other photographic endeavors!

This project is more to me than just a set of photographs, it's my commitment to photography as a discipline. This experience represents a chance to stop putting off my dreams, hop on a plane, get lost, and photograph every damn second of it (all while avoiding stepping on a landmine or catching Dengue).

A Thank You

A huge thanks to everyone who joins me in this project. With your help, I'll get to shoot a subject that fascinates me and make important strides towards a career in photography, and you'll receive the final product along with items purchased from the communities I will be photographing.

James Bernal