December 16, 2023: A worshipper stands with eyes closed the moment after releasing her clasped hands from prayer in front of the Daiden ( Great Hall) of Zojoji temple in Tokyo, Japan.
Oct 24, 2023: Several hundred members of the public gathered at an indoor rally in central Bangkok to voice support for Israel and it’s continued military campaign in Gaza and the West Bank which was in it’s third week. Over 1400 Israelis and foreign nationals were killed during attacks by Hamas on October 7, 2023 at numerous locations in Israel, with a further 222 Israeli and foreign nationals being kidnapped and taken into Gaza. Over 5000 Palestinians have been killed during the subsequent bombing campaign in Gaza and other military operations up to this point.
July 10, 2023: A six image composite shows multiple lightning strikes over Bangkok, Thailand with the Augustine Tower in the foreground.
Image Digitally Manipulated for Perspective Correction
Oct 21, 2023: Several hundred protesters gathered outside of a tower housing Bangkok‘s Israeli embassy to protest the ongoing military campaign in Gaza which had killed over 3000 Palestinian civilians up to this point. Over 1400 Israelis and foreign nationals were killed during attacks by Hamas at numerous locations in Israel on Oct 7, 2023, with a further 222 Israelis and foreign nationals being kidnapped and taken into Gaza. Many protesters voiced support for Hamas and a rejection of a two state solution.
Dec 17, 2023: Aerial view of Tokyo with the 634 meter tall Tokyo Skytree tower visible in the center, along with the Sumida river.
Oct 24, 2023: A Brahmin medium channeling the Hindu goddess Kali dances while holding a flaming cauldron during the annual Navaratri procession in Bangkok’s Silom district.
July 2nd, 2022: The town of Dan Sai in Thailand’s northern Loei province hosts the annual Phi Ta Khon ( Ghost Eye People ) festival. Taking place annually at a date set by spirit mediums the festival is inspired by a story of a past incarnation of the Buddha, who returned home after a long absence and was greeted with a party so wild that disturbed even the supernatural. Locals create colorful masks in a traditional style and parade through the town, often holding phallic talismans and playing with onlookers.
Oct 22, 2023: A member of a traditional Chinese acrobatic troupe waves the Thai flag while being propelled through the air on the end of an approximately 17 meter long pole during the annual Vegetarian Festival in Bangkok’s Talat Noi neighborhood.
July 13th, 2022: A monk prays during a ceremony at Thailand’s Wat Dhammakaya temple on the night of Asanha Bucha. The futuristic Wat Dhammakaya temple in Pathum Thani, Thailand made a massive display of LED lights on it’s temple grounds for Asanha Bucha day, one of the most important holidays in the Buddhist religion. The temple arranged a large dispay of LED lights, over 350,000, to create large displays visible from the sky depicting Buddhist symbols. Wat Dhammakaya, located approximately 50 km from the nations capital Bangkok, is home to some of the world’s most unique Buddhist architecture, most notably the Cetiya dome. Covered on the outside by 300,000 Buddha statues, the surrounding courtyard encompasses an area of nearly 1 square kilometer. Due to COVID concerns many participants attended via ZOOM call, with their live webcam feeds displayed alongside each other on large screen around the main courtyard.
All images © 2013-2022 ADRYEL TALAMANTES, UNLESS SPECIFIED OTHERWISE
January 21, 2020: Sunrise over the Gulf of Thailand from a low flying commercial prop plane.
Oct 21, 2023: A Ngiew opera performer looks in the mirror as musicians play backstage at a performance in Bangkok’s Talat Noi neighborhood on the seventh night of the annual Vegetarian Festival, also known as the Nine Emperor Gods festival.
November 17, 2022: United States of America Secretary of State Anthony Blinken takes part in a press conference during the 2022 Asian Pacific Economic Council meeting in Bangkok, Thailand.
July 24, 2022: A traditional Thai long tail canoe team paddles into position before the start of a race in Ban Mee, Thailand. Adryel Talamantes/ Reuters
July 24, 2022: Spectators sit under a large tarp while watching traditional Thai long tail canoes race in Ban Mee, Thailand. Adryel Talamantes/Reuters
November 3rd, 2021: One of M-Fund’s participant’s stands for a portrait in Mae Sot’s Mae Tao clinic. The M-Fund program goal is to provide affordable health insurance to undocumented Burmese migrants in Thailand, who would otherwise not be able to afford medical care.
April 10, 2022: Tourist boats wait on Thale Yaek (Ocean Crossing), two small islands connected with a narrow sandbar popular with visitors. Long known as a popular international travel destination, Thailand suffered massive damage to it’s tourism industry due to travel restrictions imposed by the pandemic. Krabi, a province famous for its jagged limestone cliffs, was virtually deserted for most of 2020 and 2021. The easing of entry restrictions by the Thai government has encouraged more international travelers to slowly return.
January 21st, 2022: A rock climber stands on the top of a massive boulder in Joshua Tree National Park in California, USA.
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March 4, 2021: Hundreds of Myanmar citizens residing in Thailand gathered outside of the United Nations complex in Bangkok to stage a demonstration against the February 1st, 2021 military coup in Myanmar. Aung Sang Suu Kyi’s widely popular National League for Democracy (NLD) had won a landslide victory in the previous year’s election and were set to swear in newly elected members of parliament in the nation’s capital Napyidaw when they were summarily arrested and charged with a litany of offenses.
October 3, 2022: A member of a traditional Chinese performance troupe dances while the final detonation from a large bandolier of fireworks explodes while being slung across his body during the annual Vegetarian festival in Bangkok’s Talat Noi neighborhood.
July 10th, 2022: Worshippers stand a take pictures outside of the mosque after the sermon. Hundreds of worshippers gathered at Bangkok’s Islamic Center of Thailand Mosque in the predominantly Muslim Ramkhamheng district of Bangkok to celebrate Eid Al-Adha. The holiday stems from the shared Judeo-Islamic-Christian tale of the patriarch Abraham being instructed to sacrifice his son Issac to his God, who in obedience to his diety almost performs the act before he is stoped by divine intervention. Thailand is a majority Theravada Buddhist nation, though Muslims make up roughly five percent of the nation’s population.
October 29, 2023: A man stands against the outer wall of the Sri Maha Mariamman Hindu Temple in Bangkok, Thailand after positioning a fruiting banana tree over one of the main entrances during the Navaratri holiday.
July 27, 2020: Worshippers sit at the top of Wat Phu Khaotong, also known as the Golden Mount, in Bangkok, Thailand.
Jan 4, 2016: A young man squats inside the ruins of Sittwe’s 19th century Jamma Mosque, closed in 2012 after sectarian violence between Rohingya Muslims and Rahkine Buddhists, resulting in the expulsion of Rohingya Muslims into internally displaced people (IDP) camps on the outskirts of Sittwe, Myanmar.
July 13, 2022: Soccer playing robots directed by artificial intelligence stand on the field as their technicians loudly discuss technical problems. Thailand’s capital Bangkok hosted the 2022 Robocup robot technology convention. Teams from 45 countries came to present their products and robotic creations at Bangkok’s BITEC convention center.
July 13, 2022: Soccer playing robots directed by artificial intelligence face off on the field during the 2022 Robocup robot technology convention in Bangkok, Thailand. Teams from 45 countries came to present their products and robotic creations at Bangkok’s BITEC convention center.
April 20th, 2022: A child monk, cared for by older monks and nuns, sleeps in a folding chair set up in an unofficial campsite across the street from the Russian Embassy in Bangkok as part of a prolonged protest against the war in Ukraine.
August 2015: A member of the all-volunteer Vientiane Rescue organization surveys the area around burning building while responding to a call for assistance in Vientiane, Laos.
May 1, 2022: A man gestures forward after lighting the fuse on a rocket. A rocket festival in the Mon tradition hosted in Pathum Thani, Thailand. Instead of launching into the sky the rockets are suspended by a metal cable and launched sideways, which was historically done to light a monk’s funeral pyre. Adryel Talamantes/Reuters
July 25, 2022: A statue of one of the Four Heavenly Kings stands partially obscured by the painted main entrance door of Wat Mangkorn Kamalawat in Bangkok’s historic Yaowarat neighborhood.
February 16th, 2022: A homeless man stands and looks out into the distance as the sun begins to set over the Pacific Ocean in Venice Beach, California.
February 17, 2020: Three members of a traditional Chinese dancing lion troupe take part in Chinese New Year celebrations in Bangkok’s historic Yaowarat neighbourhood.
Macrh 7, 2020: Miss Transgender Mexico Valentina Fluchaire stands in the dressing room while having her hair styled during the Miss Tiffany Universe 2020 competition in Pattaya, Thailand. She would go on to win the competition later that day.
June 15, 2018: A man leans against a portico in Ramkhamhaeng’s Foundation for the Islamic Center of Thailand mosque during Eid Al Fitr.
July, 2018: Worshippers light candles before taking part in a wian tian ( candle circling) procession around the main ubosot of Wat Pathumwanaram during the Buddhist holiday Asahna Bucha in Bangkok, Thailand.
November 17, 2013: Approximately 25,000 sky lanterns are released during the traditional Yi Ping ceremony, part of the Loi Krathong Buddhist holiday celebrations in Chiang Mai, Thailand.