Cambodia & Photography : Steve Porte, The Kingdom Through a Sensitive Lens

Editorial team
2 hours ago
3 min read

L’Atelier Studio/Gallery is pleased to present the works of Steve Porte, an American photographer residing in Cambodia. Born in the United States, Steve Porte spent much of his professional life traveling the world while pursuing photography as a personal passion.

In retirement, he settled in Cambodia, where he now devotes his time to documenting local life, rural communities, salt workers, Cham fishermen, and Phnom Penh’s vibrant music scene.

The photographs selected by Erick González for this exhibition focus primarily on Cambodia and bring together several recurring themes in Steve Porte’s work: identity, social belonging, family and social bonds, and, more subtly, the silent drama of this country.

Something in his images inevitably prompts reflection on the lives, environments, and historical contexts of the people he photographs—without ever resorting to spectacle.

The exhibition mainly features photographs by Steve Porte, complemented by Erick González’s permanent exhibition (paintings, photos, installations, and objects).

Cambodge & Photographie : Steve Porte, regards sur le Royaume – identité, liens et silences

Biography

Steve Porte is an American photographer based in Cambodia, known for his sensitive and documentary perspective on everyday life, local culture, and Phnom Penh’s music scene.After a long professional career that took him around the world, he devoted much of his free time to photography before settling permanently in Cambodia upon retirement. He now divides his time between New York, Italy, and especially Cambodia, where he is fully engaged in photographic creation.

Porte first developed photography as a serious hobby, taking photos during his frequent business travels across six continents, and returning to the medium more intensively about fifteen years ago with the rise of digital photography.

While living in Hong Kong for work, he began traveling regularly to Cambodia, drawn by the warmth of its people and the country’s visual richness.At the end of his career, he chose to settle in Cambodia, which he sees as an ideal place to document local life, rural communities, and economic environments often overlooked by large urban centers.

His work revolves around several recurring themes: rural and village life, small family businesses, salt workers, Cham fishermen, farmers, and artisans, as well as Phnom Penh’s music scene.He has become a familiar presence at local concerts and festivals, where he photographs Cambodian and expatriate musicians, actively contributing to the promotion of the country’s contemporary music culture. His images are regularly used by artists, media outlets, and cultural venues to illustrate their events, making him one of the most visible visual witnesses of Cambodia’s artistic life.

Beyond the music scene, Porte explores how individuals are embedded within their social and historical contexts, giving his work a profoundly intimate and social dimension.His photographs of villages, families, and workers highlight interpersonal connections, local solidarities, and subtle traces of a history marked by hardship—without descending into explicit pathos.This approach has earned him international recognition, including exhibitions, collaborations with cultural institutions, and features in specialized publications.

Steve Porte has also participated in photography workshops in Cambodia as an assistant instructor, sharing his experience with both budding and established photographers.This educational involvement strengthens his commitment to the local artistic community, fostering the exchange of knowledge and promoting photography as a tool for understanding the world.Today, his work continues to blend portraiture, social documentary, and music photography, offering a nuanced and deeply human panorama of contemporary Cambodian society.