Thanks to my membership of the Camera Club, there will be a new exhibition opportunity. In less than a month's time, we will celebrate our Annual Member's Summer Show with sixty images on display, two of which will be from my archive. Let me tell you their story...

Reflecting on these two pictures, both taken in Viet Nam for a series of book commissions, and considering their background story, I would like to rename them 'The Bigger Picture'. Not only do the colours match, the stories have something in common, too. They are both speaking of 'Health'.
The first picture (above) was taken in Ha Noi ten years ago. Ta Tong Gian is sitting in his bedroom, surviving... He was a soldier when young. When he returned from the war, traumatized and mentally fragmented, he started drinking and failed to find a job. Rehabilitation was not available at the time, so his family treated him as an outcast. Eventually, Gian suffered from a stroke; he is now half paralyzed which prevents him from leaving his bedroom. He is just sitting there, staring. How much survival can one do?

The other picture is from Da Nang, taken in the Hospital for Traditional Medicine in 2015. Tran Thi Hoa is a pharmacy technician, and she is working in the boiling room, where special ingredients are prepared, and turned into medicine. Hoa’s work is tiring - it is very hot in the room and she often works overtime, but she has to finish the process, and cannot return home until this is done. Her training is from the much bigger hospital in Hanoi, and she is still operating in old ways. Hoa felt that modern and traditional medicine should work together, so that they can reach more people to be treated holistically. I agree, wouldn't you?

Enough said. If you are in London, I’d like to invite you to share further stories from about 40 fellow photographers. The Camera Club Summer Show opens on Monday, 1st July 2024, and the public event is on Thursday, 11th July, from 7pm – 10pm

Venue: Gallery 1885 at 'The Camera Club', 16 Bowden Street, London SE11 4DS

Gallery opening times: Monday to Friday, 11am – 10pm / Saturday & Sunday, 10am – 6pm