:: Pick Of The Bunch - My Favourites ::
These images are my favourite street candid portraits.. They are in no particular order..
Please feel free to leave a comment..
:: Faces of Indochina ::
Street candids of people going about their daily business..These images were taken in Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia..
This gallery will be updated and added to regularly..
:: Ethnic People of Northern Laos ::
I managed to get out into the north of Laos for 10 days documenting some of the ethnic people.. Bokeo, Luang Namtha, Luang Prabang and Oudomxai Provinces..
:: Lao Beauties ::
If Thailand is the land of smiles, Laos is the land of beautiful women..
:: The Revlon Laos Girls ::
:: Introducing Mai ::
Mai is a Revlon Laos girl..
:: Revlon Laos Girl Mui ::
This is Mui's first photo shoot..
:: Revlon Product Launch ::
Revlon product launch at Talat Sao Vientiane Laos.
:: That Luang Festival 2010 ::
That Luang Festival is the biggest religious festival in Laos. People from all over Laos come to attend as well as from Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar.
:: Peuan Mit ::
Peuan Mit (meaning ‘friends’ in Lao) is a programme designed and implemented by Friends-International in close collaboration with the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare to address the needs of street children and youth in Laos.
http://www.friends-international.org/wherewework/lao-pdr-detail.asp?mainmenu=wherewework&page=laopdr
:: Canon G11 For Street Candids ::
I took my G11 to one of my favourite haunts to see how it performs for shooting street candids.
:: Buddha's Little Children ::
The children,,always photogenic,,always charming..These images were taken in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam..
:: Robes and Bowls ::
Monks make wonderful subjects and are very approachable. Monks will often stop foreigners in the street to engage in conversation to hone their English speaking skills.
To Tanti,,I hope your
English is improving. Souk dii der!!
:: Tadlo, a small dot on the landscape. ::
Tadlo is a small village in Salavanh Province in southern Laos.It is a Lao Loum village, is untouched by tourism and off the beaten track.These images are a cross section of daily life,people going about their daily business.
When I arrived the village was all but deserted.It was the children who first came out due to curiousity and once comfortable with me and my camera hammed it up for me.The Lao love children and adorn affection on them.
This gallery is a snap shot of village life.
:: Vientiane Fresh Produce Market ::
Fresh produce markets are an array of colour. I purposely converted these images into mono to give impact to the faces and not the produce.
:: The Glorified Sinh ::
The parsinh has been the traditional attire for Lao women for hundreds of years.. It's colourful, elegant and feminine..Slowly, due to Laos' westernisation the sinh is losing favour, especially with younger women, who are preferring more western style fashions..Please don't allow the sinh to fade from Lao culture..
Here is a light hearted look at the parsinh..
:: Thong Khan Kham Markets ::
Thong Khan Kham Markets are the biggest traditional markets in Vientiane.. An array of colour and a vibrancy which makes for great photography..
Most of these images are candids of people going about their business..
:: Mono ::
I've had a love and fascination of black and white photography since the mid 1970s.. I remember the magic of printing my own black and white prints, watching the tones and textures slowly appear in the print whilst in the developer.. For me black and white photography is photography in its purest form, devoid of colour but relying on textures and tones..
:: Ban Saphangmor Vientiane Lao PDR ::
This is Amanda's and my neighbourhood..These images were taken within 200 meters from our house..Village lifestyle in a semi rural setting..
:: Talat Sao Vientiane ::
Talat Sao or Morning Market is the iconic shopping complex in Vientiane Laos..It is a blend of traditional and new..Slowly the traditional market is making way for a new modern style shopping mall as the old market is being torn down..In my opinion it will lose its character as the new shopping mall is built..
This gallery is more about the people than the building itself,,the vendors and the people who use Talat Sao..
This gallery will be updated regularly..
:: Boun Bang Fai Laos 2011 ::
Boun Bang Fai or Rocket Festival is celebrated towards the end of the dry season in May. Rockets are launched into the heavens to appease the rain spirits in the hope of bringing on the rains during wet season and a bountiful harvest.
These images were taken in Phonmouang, 30 kilometres north of Vientiane. Many happy, drunk people, and a lot of gunpowder.
:: Traditional Lao Wedding Baci ::
Bacis have their roots in Animist beliefs before Theravarda Buddhism was introduced into Laos around 7oo years ago.. Bacis are performed at weddings, funerals, births, homecomings or any event where good fortune is granted towards the recipient..
White cotton threads, the lasting symbol of continuity and permanence are tied around the recipients wrists, should be worn for aleast three days and never be cut off..
The wedding baci is usually held after the official civil marriage ceremony..
:: Pai Sai : Tales From A Bus Station ::
There is no railway network in Lao PDR.. People rely on buses for local and inter provincial travel.. Bus travel can be hazardous especially in the wet season when roads are often washed away..
This gallery is a snap shot of the major bus station in Vientiane..
:: This Old Building ::
This old and dilapidated building has intrigued me since I arrived in Vientiane in 2004.. No-one seems to know much about it.. I believe it's post French colonial period.. Maybe once a grand hotel, possibly an apartment block..
It's situated on the banks of the Mekong River, an area prone to flooding during the wet season..It appears like the owners just walked away and left this grand old building to weather time..
If anyone has any information, please message me..
:: Patuxay Park At Night ::
Either love it or hate it, Patuxay makes an interesting subject..
:: Storm Clouds Over Pra That Luang ::
The icon of Lao PDR, That Luang, the Golden Temple..
I love shooting this time of the year,,the Wet Season when gigantic thunderheads climb over the horizon..
:: A Back Alley in Chengdu ::
I really enjoy prowling back alleys searching for subjects. Once the inhabitants get use to me they relax and subjects can be found in any doorway or cafe.
This alley was only a block away from our hotel in Chengdu,,a whole new fascinating world.
:: Western Sichuan and Sertar ::
Amanda and I are packing up and moving to The Tibetian Autonomous Region China on the 9th September 2007. We plan to be there for 12 months plus. Amanda has secured a posting with The Trace Foundation project managing an education project. We will be based in the Garze Prefecture of Western Sichuan Province China in the small town of Sertar not far from the Tibetan border. Sertar is at an altitude of about 4000 meters above sea level, isolated and with a population of around 5000 people mainly ethnic Tibetans. This region of China is politically very sensitive and we will be watched by the Han Chinese. Even taking photographs will be limited to "touristy" kind of images,,for the first few months anyway until the authorities get use to us and its going to be really difficult blending in with the locals,,ummmmmm Amanda and I are the only foreigners in town.
Our first task is to get permanent accommodation hopefully a Tibetan style house out of town to rent. I can see us pitching a yurt on the Tibetan Plateau herding yaks and goats. Sounds a tad drastic but we need to find something quickly before the snows in late October.
I will keep this gallery updated with images and info as we experience life in Sertar and Internet access availability. So keep checking it out. This gallery is our only means of communication with family and friends back home in Australia. By the way,,leave a message or two, it will be great to hear from you.
From time to time check out the weather in Sertar here
http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=sertar
NOTE--Amanda's project in North Western Sichuan Province has been cancelled and we are back in Laos. It appears The Trace Foundation had employed Amanda under false pretenses. In late September 2007 Amanda and I made our way to Sertar to start working on the project. We met with the Director of Education of the Sertar Prefecture. During our discussions with him it became clear he had never heard of the Trace Foundation and was unaware an education project had been designed for the ethnic Tibetans in his community. In short he sent us packing with our tail between our legs back to Chengdu. On return the project co-ordinator Mr Hendrick Bjorn assured Amanda she had fulltime employment with Trace. We were to mark time in Chengdu until the commencement of the project. Mid October 2007 Amanda's contract was terminated by Mr Bjorn with Trace leaving us high and dry without employment in China. Three other projects were also cancelled and contracts terminated.
:: Chengdu Sichuan Province China ::
Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan Province. With a population of over 5 million people it is a bustling and modern city. What struck us were amount of prestige European cars. Obviously there is a lot of wealth here. The streets are clean but the air quality has a lot to be desired. The Sertar Project has been put on hold for atleast six months. Amanda and I have secured an apartment in the Tibetan Quarter of Chengdu.
:: 'scapes ::
I have to admit I'm a shite landscape photographer!!
:: Editorial and Media ::
:: Regurgitator Hits Vientiane Lao PDR ::
Aussie band Regurgitator live at the Russian Circus Vientiane Lao PDR 14th October 2008.
Thanks Frederic..
:: Stand Up For COPE Concert 2008 ::
COPE supports the development of prosthetic, orthotic and rehabilitation services in Laos. COPE are the only provider of these devices in the country. COPE was established by POWER International in 1997, bringing together relevant organisations working in the field of disability in Laos. So, COPE is a joint venture between the Ministry of Health and a number of NGOs (Non-government organisations). In the future the plan is for COPE to become a Lao organisation in its own right. All of COPE's administration is done from Vientiane.
Why is COPE in Laos?
Laos is still one of the World's poorest countries with a large group of people living at a subsistence level. The conflict in Vietnam spilled over into Laos in a secret war, leaving it the most heavily bombed country per capita in the world. Many of these bombs and other devices did not explode at the time. So, even though the war ended in 1975, the country is still littered with a significant amount of UXO (Unexploded ordnance) which also contributes to poverty, hunger and disability on a daily basis. It is difficult to say with certainty how many people in Laos are affected by disability from this and for other reasons in some way. Remote villages, poor infrastructure and inaccessibility contribute to people with disability being a disadvantaged group within an extremely poor society.
Hence the need to provide:
Prosthetics and mobility devices for those people who require them, free of charge if they cannot afford to pay for them.
Information to people about services available
Training and support to local staff to provide a high quality service
Assistance in developing longer term strategies for sustainability so that the service will always be here!
COPE is an organisation developed in Laos working with Lao staff for Lao people with disabilities.
http://www.copelaos.org/
:: COPE Concert 2010 ::
COPE stands for Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise and we provide prosthetics and mobility devices for those people who require them, free of charge if they cannot afford to pay for them. We also supply Information to people about services available, training and support to local staff to provide a high quality service, and assistance in developing longer term strategies for sustainability so that the service will always be here!
COPE is the only provider of prosthetic, orthotic and rehabilitation services in Laos. Established by POWER International in 1997, COPE is a joint venture between the Ministry of Health and a number of NGOs (Non-government organisations). In the future the plan is for COPE to become a Lao organisation in its own right.
:: COPE Concert 2012 ::
COPE stands for Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise. Founded in 1997, COPE is a local organization that works with the National Rehabilitation Center (NRC), Lao Ministry of Health and five provincial rehabilitatoin centres in an innovative partnership developing rehabilitation services across Lao PDR.
* COPE provides prosthetics and mobility devices for people who require them, free of charge if they cannot afford to pay for them.
* COPE supplies information to people about the types of services available.
* COPE supports the develpment of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation program that includes physiotherapy and occupational therapy.
* COPE works to develop strategies to ensure that services are sustainable in the long term and always available.
COPE and the NRC together are the only provider of prosthetic, orthotic and rehabilitation services in Laos. All of COPE's administration is undertaken in Vientiane and is independently audited.
http://www.copelaos.org/
:: BEARS at Eastern Creek - 26th June 2009 ::
BEARS and supporting races at Eastern Creek Raceway
:: The 2011 Vientiane International Rugby 10s ::
A selection of images from the 2011 Vientiane International Rugby 10s
:: Vientiane Rugby 10s 2012 ::
:: Vientiane International Rugby Championship 2014 ::
:: Cheridan and Isla ::
This is our daughter and our grand daughter, Isla. It's easy to see where Isla gets her good looks. I'll keep this gallery updated as Isla grows.