Cyclo Driver in Phnom Penh

I was in Phnom Penh, Cambodia shooting various assignments. I was instructed to photograph various aspects on the cyclo drivers that pedal people and goods all over the dusty capital city.

I had this idea for a shot that could be a good opening spread for the story and I just needed to bring all the elements together. I set out with a motorbike
driver around 4pm to cruise around and look for the quintessential Phnom Penh cyclo driver.

From my many trips to Cambodia, I knew that nearly all the drivers were old men that have literally been doing it for decades. For the shot, I wanted a guy with a good but weathered face, a light colored hat and he had to have the traditional (krama) or checkered scarf.

We searched the streets of Phnom Penh slowing down as we came upon a driver while I quietly scrutinized their attire and general modeling potential. Eventually I found the guy I was looking for and we approached him.

We made arrangements to meet at sunset at the Victory monument. I thought the monument would be an ideal element in the shot as it’s one of the most obvious structures in the low-rise city and it centers a large traffic circle. I also wanted to show some car traffic blurring by with which the cyclos share the road.

For the shot, I used a Lumedyne strobe triggered by a Pocket Wizard and held by the motorbike driver. The strobe was camera left and shot through an 18” umbrella. The camera was on a tripod fairly low to the ground, as I wanted to include the entire monument in the background.

The upward angle also gives the cyclo driver a sense of strength and dignity that I definitely wanted to portray. These guys work hard. This driver was well into his 60’s and he had been a cyclo driver for 35 years. That deserves respect.

The hardest thing shooting this particular shot was probably controlling the crowd that starts to form to see what’s going on. They inevitably start to encroach into the frame unaware, especially with a wide angle. The slow shutter speed (1/4 and slower) I needed to use to show motion in the traffic created its own challenges too.

Getting the driver to sit still and while the shutter was open took some explaining by my motorbike driver / human light stand / and now international interpreter. But we eventually laughed our way through and worked it out with a bunch 1,2,3 countdowns.

One thing I found that helps a subject when I’m shooting slow shutter speeds is to put flash on rear curtain sync. That way you start with a count down to mark the beginning of the shot and the flash fires at the end of the shot so they know they can relax again.

The shot came together nicely. I timed it with the blue time just after sunset so I could show the lighting on the monument and some traffic trails. A bonus was the other driver who is just hanging in the background watching the show unaware that he is now a part of it.

Gear: Nikon N90s / Nikon 20mm lens / Kodak E100VS slide film / Lumedyne 400 w/s Portable strobe kit / 18” shoot through umbrella / Sekonic L-358 flash meter / Nikon D70 for test shots and model encouragement.

As always, click any image for the large version. TR