I feel I’d be remiss in my responsibilities as Cultural Correspondent for the Divided Queendom if I didn’t represent some of the misunderstood (or externally ignored) classics this country has produced. I’m at a loss to think of too many that aren’t globally renowned on at least a cult level, but there is one that’s never far from my mind as deserving of greater recognition across the Atlantic.
Summer Reading Book #1: Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins
Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins
Average Joe Photography #2: Night Sports Photography with Chiang Rai United FC
Chiang Rai United FC v. Samut Songkhram F.C. 12.5.13 (Joe Grez/Sesame/Joup)
The Raging Mackerel of Samut Songkhram were visiting the The Fighting Beetles of Chiang Rai this past Sunday so I decided to take my camera to United Stadium near the airport for this Thai Premier League clash and capture the action. Now in retrospect, I should have seen if I could garner a press pass. Joup after all is a publication, but I caught wind of the game a bit late so I was subjected to the stands and certain positions that were still within 5m of the action. Using my normal average Joe set-up I stuck with my 55-250mm the entire night because of the necessity for distance shots. Let’s look at what we came up with and go into detail about the shots:
Average Joe Photography #1: Buddhist Monks in Procession: Tachileik, Myanmar
A Buddhist Monk in serach of an exiliir in Tachileik, Myanmar (Joe Grez / Joup)
The Premier installment of Joup’s Average Joe Photography. My co-publisher Shawn Baker came up with another great idea (he’s full of’em…really). It started with him asking how I got a certain shots in the Muay Thai pieces I wrote a few months back (Main Gallery). I explained that Muay Thai leads itself to Black and White Photography but how the scenario was tricky to shoot because you have people moving at a fast pace in an outdoor low light situation. And one can’t vary well set up a tripod next to the ring! So I talked with him a bit about using higher ISO with as quick of a shutter speed as I could. And also what I did in post production to present the images in the most true to form as possible.
Capturing a Traditional Lanna Buddhist Wedding in Thailand
Doa, the bride of our traditional Lanna Buddhist wedding. (Joe Grez/Sesame)
Why Coachella 2013 and YouTube got it Right
Coachella and YouTube team up to bring music to the world. (Courtesy of Coachella Music + Arts Festival)
“Wow, just Wow.” I keep telling myself as I watch the French band Phoenix performing live at the Coachella Music Festival on a channel created specific to stream the entire weekend. As a matter of fact, Coachella worked with YouTube creating THREE channels! Streaming live performance of nearly 75 artist through 3 days. Such acts include the aforementioned Phoenix, Blur, Teagan and Sara, Ginderman, Spiritulaized, Vampire Weekend, Franz Ferdinand, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and the first performance in some years of The Postal Service.
Paradise Burning: Fires rage in Pai and Mae Surin, Thailand
Fires and smoke near Wat Phra That Mae Yen, Pai, Thailand (Joe Grez/Joup)
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