Thai Visa Songkran Photography Competition

[Kan Win]

'Thai Visa Songkran Photography Competition'

Sponsored by George, Thai Visa

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As this is a special time of the year here in Thailand, Songkran Festival, The Thai New Year, Goerge has very graciously offered sponsorship with prizes of .........................

Perhaps a few more folks like 'The Nation' etc. etc..... also may like to chip in as well to sponsor this unique'Thai Visa Songkran Photography Competition'. I am willing to help out with a couple of bob or two also, btw.

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Rules of entry in this Photography Competition are :-

1. Thai Visa Forum Rules apply as usual

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/boardrules.html

2. Only post "YOUR OWN" photos.

3. NO 'naughty' photos allowed i.e. showing pink bits etc..

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So post as many as you like in what ever year you took your photos in.

Try to re-sizes your photos and please mention where they were taken as well.

Open until the end of April 2009, so please post your entries.

Wishing each and every member 'good luck'' and may the best photo/s win.

Sawadee Bee Mai Thai Khrap

Yours truly,

Kan Win

[Kan Win]

These are NOT my entries only few examples from photos taken by my mate Simon and me, just to give you some ideas

DIY

Just having a quick clean up from all of that white stuff in me face

The lone survivor of Songkran 2006

The Team

Don't pick your nose at Songkran you might get a nasty shock

Come on, pick on someone your own size, will you.

Up two you with a splash thrown in

Yours truly,

Kan Win

[sceadugenga]

How many entries per person Win?

Edit:

Sorry, when all else fails read the instructions....

Edited April 9, 2009 by Kan Win

[BlackRussian]

Songkran - 2008, taken in Lamai Beach, Samui.

Canon 400d, Tamron AF 17-50.

[Greenside]

While the rest of the country was worrying about cancelled summit meetings and a State of Emergency, we got on with the important business of getting wet this afternoon...

[Kan Win]

Thank you very much

BlackRussian (Songkran - 2008, taken in Lamai Beach, Samui. )

Greenside up in the North of Thailand Chaing Mai 2009.

Ohh Mai, Ohh Mai, are we going to have some fun this Songkran

Keep the photos coming.

Kan starts 16-17th April

Yours truly

Kan Win

[Greenside]

More here

[Chayaphum]

Songkran - 2008, taken in Lamai Beach, Samui. Canon 400d, Tamron AF 17-50.

Songkran 2008 ???

Edited April 14, 2009 by Kan Win

[tampasailor]

Songkran 2009 in Tampa Florida USA

http://picasaweb.google.com/lymanduggan/So...Tampa#slideshow

Edited April 13, 2009 by Kan Win

[sceadugenga]

Songkran traffic is under the iron hand of Traffic Control Officer Somchai in our village.

He cheerfully works 24 hours a day in this vital role, giving his fellow policemen a richly deserved opportunity to take a break with a few well earned drinks.

[eek]

Thats one heck of a George Hamilton tan Policeman Somchai has, scea.

Anyway, great topic! Amazing photos! But, personally really love Greenside's. Hope you post more!

[sceadugenga]

I missed a great shot, the kids were throwing water over him and stopped doing it when I arrived with the camera.

[The Vulcan]

How NOT to wet your foe.

Shot through the car window so apologies for the "blurry" spots

[Greenside]

I now have over 80 in my Songkran Gallery but don't want to post too many here as they're so easy to pinch (yes, I know there is always a way round but why make it easy?).

[katana]

Saw this pic on another forum.

I also have a whistle

2. Only post "YOUR OWN" photos.

Thank you

Edited April 14, 2009 by Kan Win

[thaigerd]

From Phuket today afternoon:

Gerd

[LeungKen]

I should like to tender my "snap" from yesterday.

Good Luck All

.

[desi]

While the rest of the country was worrying about cancelled summit meetings and a State of Emergency, we got on with the important business of getting wet this afternoon...

Absolutely fabulous 

[fabianfred]

Saw this pic on another forum.

wow those shorts are short....

[svenivan]

Songkran in Chiang Rai !

Pretty girls !

Pouring water over Buddha

More pretty girls !

Good looking couple !

More pretty girls !

We have fun !

And the monks have fun !

Not too heavy!

Noone can pass without getting wet !

[BlackRussian]

Songkran - 2008, taken in Lamai Beach, Samui. Canon 400d, Tamron AF 17-50.

Songkran 2008 ???

Should I say "2551"?

[Chayaphum]

Songkran - 2008, taken in Lamai Beach, Samui. Canon 400d, Tamron AF 17-50.

Songkran 2008 ???

Should I say "2551"?

ohh, sorry! i think we have already 2552 (2009+543)

maybe just on my thai-calendar....

Chayaphum

[katana]

Saw this pic on another forum.

I also have a whistle

2. Only post "YOUR OWN" photos.

Thank you

It wasn't entered for the competition and was clearly labelled as someone else's. Lighten up!

[katana]

Saw this pic on another forum.

I also have a whistle

2. Only post "YOUR OWN" photos.

Thank you

It wasn't entered for the competition and was clearly labelled as someone else's. Lighten up!

Also noticed that in the second post in this thread you posted someone else's photos. Perhaps you should give yourself a red card too.

PS You don't also happen to work as a farang police volunteer in Walking Street throwing your weight around too, do you lol?

[lordsux]

Ok this is the short version, the long version disappeared into cyberspace. I did right a long meaningful article which tried depict how being in the middle of Mondays crisis actually felt like. It's gone! Pffff, one minute you have written so much that you start to feel that it's too much. The next minute you are writing 'OK, this is the short version' Everything for a reason I suppose.

'Songkran' 2009! Not a normal one at all!

Songkran started normal and stayed that way for about the time it took me to walk to the balcony and see that the Red shirts were in control of a LPG tanker and had so nicely parked it under the expressway no more than a couple of 100 meters from where I normally enjoy the days first cup of coffee. They seemed a little uncertain about what to do and where to take the tanker. I went for my camera, but by the time I was ready to shoot they had moved off. Not long after, the first reports that the demonstrators had captured several LPG's started to trickle through the media. What a start to the day.

A quick check here at thaivisa and some other sources and I knew that things had a very good chance of turning very nasty indeed. The Reds were on the move and heading slowly in my general direction. Force had already been used, which meant that it had more chance of being used again This was too much to take in before coffee so I jumped back into bed and hid under the covers. I was just dozing off again when I was woken up by multiple gunfire salvos followed by an explosion and a short power outage. 2 more explosions were then heard. Ok Ok, I grab the camera and head up to the roof, funny that the sound of gunfire when basically only air separates the bullets and you sounds a lot more threatening. I grab a few shots and beat a hasty retreat.

Back in the safety of my apartment I slap a curfew on myself. I'm an avid photographer and hang out sometimes in the Photography Forum which is a nice corner of this forum to hang out actually. Anyway here I am pretty much stuck in the middle of a developing major crisis. I did the smart thing and stayed put, when you can hear the gunfire and explosions, see and smell the smoke in your apartment then you start thinking that things maybe are a little too close for comfort and that the live version of events going on out in the street are in fact the same as those that are coming out out of the television (I was trying not to think about the LPG I saw in the morning, now located only a block away.)

I spent most of my self imposed curfew on thaivisa giving a few reports and reading others reports, views and opinions and generally gleaming information. It's a pretty surreal situation and I'm itching to go down and take some unique Songkran shots, only the occasional sound of gunfire is stopping me.

Unfortunately I can't get out and about as much as I used to, but a great photographic chance was just outside my door and I knew that I would be well annoyed with myself if I let this opportunity go by. I sat it out a bit longer and then threw caution into the wind and ventured outside. It seems that I timed my outing pretty spot on, the Red's had just been told to return to Government House eliminating a major risk element from the whole scenario. Seriously, the reds fled the scene as soon as they saw me. Suddenly only myself a few thais and a couple of reporters were the only people facing the army lines.

I won't bombard you with all the images I shot, I will just post one and also link to the whole series of images on flickr, so it's entirely up to you if you want to see even more depressing images of Songkran 09. I myself would much rather see the traditional photos of Songkran, unfortunately Songkran 09 will never be remembered for its flowers, water fights and people enjoying themselves even though the many great images entered in this competition make it look like any other Songkran and innocently try to disguise the real Songkran of 2009.

Bangkok Riots Songkran 2009 Click to see the series of 30 images.

Thailand miraculously pulled itself back from the brink on Monday. Let's all hope that the Thai people and all their leaders use this apparent 'peace' to discuss, listen and learn from all the mistakes that have been made and hopefully will be able to prevent scenes similar to what have been witnessed over the last few days from repeating themselves again. It could have been worse, and many expected it to be. Luckily things didn't turn out so bad. Total respect for the way the situation was handled, a remarkable feat indeed for any leader.

If only I had managed to shoot a dog while I was out in the great outdoors, then I might have had a chance at a trifecta.

Sabai Dee Pee Mai 09 to all, it's so nice to see so many people actually enjoying this Songkran, I suppose also in my own way I have enjoyed mine. Another truly 'Amazing Thailand' experience in the book for sure.

Chok Dee Thailand

Edited April 14, 2009 by lordsux

[vahack]

'Songkran' 2009! Not a normal one at all!

nice aftermath shots (20 of guys standing around?).

i guess u were hiding in bed during all the action lol

[lordsux]

Sorry I don't get your point, if indeed you have one.

If you really must know about my bed habits then I can tell you that for the last year and a half most of my life is spent in or on my bed, still I try to look on the bright side of everything and count my blessings that I no longer need the wheelchair. Bangkok is a hassle getting around in one for sure. Unfortunately due to circumstances out of my immediate control I very very rarely get out, but I do apologize profusely to you for not getting out sooner on Monday to capture images more suitable for your own personal taste. Please PM me in the future and give me a rough description of your requirements and I will try and do better just for you. Maybe you would have preferred more gore, blood, bullet holes and generally more sickening images? Yes, I thought as much.

Fortunately against all odds I'm still a nice positive and friendly person, and not one who prefers to spout negativity at every opportunity, and this has it's advantages. It makes you a nicer person inside, and nice people attract nicer people. My wife for example is an extremely hot 'n' sexy, very nice person. I doubt I would have had the pleasure of meeting her had I spent my time in front of a PC writing pointless comments like yours. Who else would I have to share my many horizontal hours with if I hadn't been a nice positive person at the time when I met her...I'm glad to have grown up being nice because even though from the outside it may appear I have nothing, I have in fact everything I need inside me.

Try being nice for a change, it can really improve your life. Please don't waste your time by responding with more negativity. It's time wasted and time you only get once in this lifetime.

I wish you a nice and positive day and thank you for your most valuable input to this thread. Look forward to seeing the new improved you in the near future. Good luck with your endeavors.

[skipvice]

It's not all water trowing,The tradition of releasing fish parade in the village.

Edited April 15, 2009 by skipvice

[Greenside]

...........and innocently try to disguise the real Songkran of 2009.

A good set of pictures - thanks for linking to them. I'd just like to point out that although of course you have a valid point about the serious developments in Bangkok being the thing that will mark this year's Festival as being different from the run of the mill, most people up here in CM were not aware of the growing crisis for some time and carried on as normal (if you can call it that!). The water fights around the moat were under way as early as Saturday lunchtime.

I don't think anyone is trying to disguise the nature of this year's Songkran, innocently or otherwise. You've been fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time and courageous enough to leave the roof and get some good pictures to show the darker side of this New Year. Tough to capture both the traditional (?) and the political but collectively we seem to have managed it.

[lordsux]

...........and innocently try to disguise the real Songkran of 2009.

A good set of pictures - thanks for linking to them. I'd just like to point out that although of course you have a valid point about the serious developments in Bangkok being the thing that will mark this year's Festival as being different from the run of the mill, most people up here in CM were not aware of the growing crisis for some time and carried on as normal (if you can call it that!). The water fights around the moat were under way as early as Saturday lunchtime.

I don't think anyone is trying to disguise the nature of this year's Songkran, innocently or otherwise. You've been fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time and courageous enough to leave the roof and get some good pictures to show the darker side of this New Year. Tough to capture both the traditional (?) and the political but collectively we seem to have managed it.

You read me slightly wrong Greenside. No one is trying to disguise anything at all by posting their happy shots and that is not what I meant, the typical Songkran images and their motifs posted on this thread do that all too well-albeit innocently by themselves is what I actually did mean. Images speak for themselves. Your shots are absolutely great and really capture the spirit of what Songkran is about. My shots capture a very different side of Songkran 09, a dark side that a very small minority were able to witness and experience first hand. 'Amazing Thailand' eh?

I will however tell you what I did try to achieve. I wanted to write a post without political references, a post that did not offend anyone in any way and at the same time give an account of my personal experience of this years Songkran, and just see if it could just slip through and be noted without any sarcastic, snide and meaningless comments. Mission Impossible

Anyway I hope things are cleared up now about the disguising of anything. Maybe I will come and spend next Songkran with you.....seems like you are having a great time.