Laos: A Country of Contrasts / Scrap Metal Foundry

Laos is one of the most beautiful and lush countries in all of Southeast Asia.  Even though the people in the remote villages don’t have electricity or running water, or a very high standard of living, the earth provides so much, that there isn’t as much belly rumbling as in other parts of the world.  […]

Bounmi and Toumi

At the Consortium, we met Bounmi and Toumi.  They were volunteers helping educate others on the dangers of UXO’s.  Xieng Khouang province in Laos ranks second behind Savannakhet province in terms of contamination, but first in casualties, as well as having the dubious honor of having some of the poorest villages.  From January to August […]

Lathsene Village Preschool, Xieng Khouang

This was the site for a new preschool in Lathsene Village in Xieng Khouang province, part of a “Schools Not Bombs” campaign.  The village is somewhat remote, past the plains of jars site one, and nestled in farmland and cornfields.  The village has no electricity and the earthy pastureland smell hits you as you step […]

Jia, Thuy and the Plain of Jars

I got up early once again and decided to walk around Phonsavanh, Xieng Khouang. The town reminds me of an old Western, with its main road and hotels and stores on either side. I was told that this emerging city was where the locals moved to after the bombings 30 plus years ago. While strolling […]

Manophet’s English School

I wanted to stay a bit longer to catch the sunset on the Plain of Jars, but next on the agenda was visiting an English learning school, run out of the house of a person I’d wanted to meet for a long time. I first found out about a Lao gentleman named Manophet through a […]

The Plain of Jars: Xieng Khouang, Laos

Looking back at the photos, I realized that the best images were the ones that didn’t focus solely on the jars, they were the ones of us.  Most had never been to the plain of jars, only read about it.  To this day archaeologists have no clue as to who made them.  This area of Laos […]

Reunion

It was a long day, but it ended nicely, with dinner at the hotel.  FB asked me to translate for him while he caught up with his best friend, Mr. BL, a man whom he met back in the late 60’s, when FB was an educational advisor for the U.S.  He was dismayed at the influx […]

COPE

Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise http://www.copelaos.org/

National Regulatory Agency

The latest fad with digital photography is geotagging.  With simple software and hardware you can pinpoint exactly where and when you were on planet Earth, as you threw up gang signs in front of some far off location to impress your friends on the social networking sites. It was quite distressing to see the markers loaded up […]

That Luang at Sunrise

Still wasn’t used to the jetlag, so I got up at 4:00am, Vientiane time.  Had nothing better to do so I stepped out of the hotel and started walking to the That Luang Stupa, which is the national symbol of Laos.  It was a somewhat long walk to the site, and at that hour of the night/morning, there was nobody on […]

Lao Disabled Women’s Center

The next day we visited the Lao Disabled Women’s Development Center. It was a place where women could use their skills, no matter their handicap, as well as learn new skills and earn some money creating handicrafts and gift products. There was however a young man, hunched over, working diligently on greeting cards in a […]

Photos: Vientiane, Laos

Vientiane (pronounced Vieng-Chun) is the capital city of Laos, and not overpopulated, probably having about 400,000 residents.  Being drained from the plane ride, I only managed these shots before the day was over.  It’s an interesting place.  Some parts are still very poor, but the other modernized sections (with funding and aid from the Japanese and […]

The Place Where I Was Born

It took me 14 hours to fly from Atlanta to Seoul, South Korea.  I sat in the airport/mall for about 6 hours admiring their almost “clone” like society and their expensive toys.  Then it was another 5 hour flight to Bangkok, Thailand.  There I sat and just people watched in the airport for 12 hours.  The following morning […]

Season 3 Finale

…Season 3 Finale… A big thank you to anyone who has enjoyed my artwork and photos over the years, and of course those who have met me in “real life” and have a slightly better idea of the person that at first glance, “just draws and takes photos of girls…”  As you are reading this, […]

Filters

Notes: Before there was Capture NX and Photoshop, there were old school Cokin filters.

Photos: M&S Hindu Wedding

Notes: It was an honor photographing such a lavish wedding.  Covered the family events as well, and it was interesting seeing all the little ceremonies that have been practiced for centuries.  Amazes me how cultures can assimilate so well in America, yet still hold on to their own language, music and traditions.  Managed to use […]

Photos: Casting Call

Took a friend to a casting call for a rap video (…crank dat…ohhh!).  It was over pretty quick so took the opportunity to try some strobist shots around the ATL. Technical Notes: As you can see, SB800 with the diffusion dome, hand held.