Songkran Festival Photos

The photos below are from the Songkran festival shoot. The selected photos below show  what I  experienced and what I thought the festival was like. The photos are bright and colorful and the weather was perfect for the spending the day outside photographing the festival. 

fig 1             fig 2

Figure 1 and 2 show the alter and the monks sat chanting, the string that you see through the photos is connected to the lord Buddha. The tent is full of people who are chanting with the monks. Figure 1 show a large bowl that has a white candle in the middle of it and look down onto the bowl in a statue of Buddha. the photo is cut up because of the strings that are hanging from the ceiling of the tent the string is linked to the Buddha statue that you can see in the far left of the photo.  Figure 2 shows the monks chanting the photos is also cut up with the strings.            

Fig3                                 Fig4         

Fig 5

I wanted to get some portraits of the monks so while they were walking through the crowd collecting offerings from the visitors I managed to get photos of three of the monks. 

 fig 6                    fig 7 

      

I love the photos above as the colour are bright and bold. Figure 6 is of the monks as they are walking through the crowds while receiving rice offerings. Figure 7 was taken a moment late after the monks had past me, the colours are warm and draw you into the photo.        

    fig 8                    fig 9     

The photos above are small parts of the day that I thought made the festival colorful and interesting. Figure 8 is of a water melon cut in to a flower this was done my one of the monks, the arrangement also has carrots that have been cut up as well. The arrangement is very beautiful and they do catch you eye which intricate details of the melon flower. Figure 9 is of paper cut out flags that are brought and placed in sand, this is so the person can have good luck in the up coming year. The colours are amazing and your eyes don't really know were to focus as they is a lot of colours and patterns.        

                fig 10                    fig 11                    

The photos above are of the cleansing the image of Buddha. Figure 10 shows a woman paring fragrant water over the Buddha statue. The photo is slightly over exposed but I love this photo with the shape of Buddha being the main focus but the small damage to the head draws the attention but it also add character as it is not a perfect statue it this shows that has been used before I like that no one has tried to cover it up. Figure 11 is another way to cleans the image of Buddha the water leads to a small statue of Buddha. this image is full of colour but the silver cup is too bright.

fig12                                              fig 13

Fig 14

Figure 12, 13 and 14 are of the traditional tie dancer who were amazing the monk really enjoyed it. The photos are full of colour.

Songkran Festival Contact-Sheet

Attending the Songkran festival gave me more insight in to how the Buddhist celebrate even though the festival is not only a Buddhist celebration but a Taiwanese celebration. The people who attended the festival were all happy and enjoyed themselves. Some of the locals showed to celebrate which was something I did not expect. The first couple of photos are of the chanting in the tent were the monks were sat. Their were also Taiwanese live music from some of the volunteers and traditional Taiwanese dancers. The experience was amazing, I would like to experience the Songkran festival in Thailand in the future.

songkran festival in thialand-photos

By Alex Stephan 

Appropriately dubbed “The Water Festival,” Songkran is a no-holds-barred country-wide water fight that takes place in Thailand under the auspices of a new Lunar Year celebration from April 13 – 15. While it’s almost surely one of the most uninhibited good times to be had anywhere, electronics (even those claiming to be water-resistant or within “safe” confines of a waterproof pouch) are in grave peril during this indelibly soggy but undeniably fun holiday.

These photos document the struggle of a camera’s survival whilst attempting to capture the madness and hilarity of Songkran Festival in its epicenter of action:

#

Looking at the photos has given me some great ideas the festival will be like but what I know is that their will be no water fight which I think is slightly disappointing but at least my camera will be safe. The photos are amazing and have given me some ideas on what I will hopefully be photographing.

Songkran Festival- what is it?

Songkran is a Sanskrit word in Thai form which means the entry of the sun into any sign of the Zodiac. But the Songkran in this particular instance is when the sun enters the sign of Aries or the Ram. Its full name is Maha Songkran or Major Songkran to distinguish it from the other ones. But the people call it simply the Songkran for it is the only one they know and in which they take interest. It is their traditional New Year when they can enjoy their holidays to the full with no economic hindrance

Significance
The festival is the time to remind the people that they need to recognize and respect what their parents have done for them throughout their life. The festival also encourages the people to pay a visit to old neighbors and strengthen relationships with them. 

Celebrations 
During the festival, people visit Buddhist temples and worship the great Buddha. They also offer food to monks and cleanse the image of the Buddha with water and gentle Thai perfume. The latter is supposed to bring good luck and prosperity in the new year. 

Wedding Blessing photos

From the contact sheet I have only selected 4 photos that I liked from the whole shoot as to me they are what I personally took in from this experience and I think they are the main ritual that had taken place.

Fig 1

Figure 1 shows the bride in traditional tie dress. she is lighting the candle the alter as an offering to lord Buddha. I photographed the back of the bride as I did not want to show her face but the style of her hair. Using real flowers, I thought they were beautiful and they draw the attention because of the contrast of her dark hair and the brightness of the yellow flowers. Other then the flower the white of the alter also draw the eye which i hope does not draw too much attention to the subject of the photo.

fig 2                                                fig 3

Figure 2 and 3 is part of the ceremony when the bride and grooms family and friend pure water that has rose petals in over the hands of the bride and groom. This is meant to wash away the sins of the couple. I wanted to get as meany shots of this part of the ceremony as I thought it was a great way to start a married life.The hand of the groom is in focus as I wanted to photograph the rose petals and the droplets of water. Also I could not move from were I was standing so I could not get a photo of the bride hand which was a slight disappointment.        

Fig 4

Figure 4 is one of my favorite photos of the day as the couple are both smiling. You can see the string that is on the top of their heads this is linked to the alter were the Buddha is. The main focus of the photo is the couple but they both draw your attention in different ways, the groom is laughing which shows how happy he is with his family and friend being at the ceremony to celebrate his marriage. The bride get your attention in a different way because the light it hitting her perfectly it is not too strong, she also has a smile on her face.

Contact-Sheet Wedding Blessing

When I found out that their would be a wedding blessing to take place at the temple on one of my visit I did a little bit of research on what I would expect but being their in person was something completely different.The first though photos were mainly on the set up and the monk helping out but when the ceremony started I focused mainly on what was happening. Their was a large number of people who attended the blessing so it was hard to try to get the shots that I wanted. It was a good thing that I had a 18-105 zoom lens so that I could get some great shots.  

Kevin Weinstein

Palmer House Hindu wedding Part One: Rupel & Adam

I was looking for a practitioner who has photographed wedding ceremonies that are of a different culture when I came across this photograph from a Hindu wedding. 

This photo court my eye as I found the contrast of the dark patterns of the henna and the dark background against the light skin to be beautiful. The photo is simple as it only has the hand and a focus point but the decorative patterns on the hand is intricate and eye catching. 

"Photographers tend to be on a quest to learn from what they don't understand.  Some of us are shy and timid, some are gregarious.  But in the end, we have a segue into the lives of other people. Our cameras."

(Keven Weinstein,May 24 2010,http://kevinweinstein.com/blog/article/rupel_adam)

This quote above is exactly what I am currently doing with this project I am on a quest to learn from what I don't understand

Keven Weinstein's work has given me some basic idea on how I can document the up coming Buddhist wedding blessing. I know that the two culture are different but looking at these photos has made me more excited to attend a wedding then I have ever been before.

http://kevinweinstein.com/blog/article/rupel_adam

Buddhist Wedding blessing

Wedding customs

The Buddhist views on marriage are very liberal. In Buddhism, marriage is considered as personal and individual concern, and not as a religious duty. Buddhism does not compel a person to be married. It does not force somebody to remain as a bachelor. It is not laid down anywhere that Buddhists must produce children or regulate the number of children that they produce. Buddhism allows each individual the freedom to decide for himself all the issues pertaining to marriage. It might be asked why Buddhist monks do not marry, since there are no laws for or against marriage. The reason is obviously that to be of service to mankind, the monks have chosen a way of life, which includes celibacy.

Marriage Through The Ages
Buddhist marriages have been considered as secular matters in Buddhist countries. The parties took a blessing from monks at the local temple after the civil registration formalities have been completed. Although Buddhist monks do not solemnize a marriage ceremony, they do perform religious services in order to bless the couples. From the Buddhist point of view, marriage is neither holy nor unholy. Buddhism does not regard marriage as a religious duty nor as a sacrament that is ordained in heaven.

Marriage Rituals

Following are a set of fundamental rituals that commonly feature in Buddhist marriage:-
* In front of the shrine of Lord Buddha all set up with candles and flowers, the to-be married couple, the family and the guests would collect. The boy and the girl and others would recite the Tisarana, Pancasila and the Vandana in either English or Pali.
* The boy and the girl are asked to light the candles and incense sticks. Then they offer flowers to the image of Buddha and around it.
* After this the bride and the groom must recite in turn, the vows that are prescribed for each of them in the Sigilovdda Sutta (Digha Nikilya):

I wanted to look up what a Buddhist wedding ceremony would be like as I will be attending one soon. I thought it would be better for me to get a better understanding why and how.

shoot 4 Magha Puja Day

The images below are a selection of photograph that are from the Magha Puja day shoot . I chose these images as I thought they showed what the day was about.

fig 1

Figure 1 was taken while the monks were relaxing but you can see the head monk at the far left is chanting which was to a couple. Your eyes are drawn to the white cup that was shot while it was moving. I did want to get all four of the monks together which I did but I would like to get a photo from the center instead of  the right. I did get some interesting photos of the monks while they are relaxing before the chanting began.

fig 2

Figure 2 shows 3 of the monks but what interest me the most is all the items that they have with them a phone camera and a book that has the chants in. I like how the monks look relaxed.

fig 3

 Figure 3 shows two of the monks again their is movement with both the monk moving their right hand. What I like about this photo is that the monks are looking away from each other which I think gives the illusion that their is a line going though the middle.

The photos below are of the monk walking around while the people who are lined up put small amount of rice in to each of the monks bowls this is to represent the monk going around the villages collecting food

fig 4

I like the contrast to the dull colours of the visitor, sky and the ground to the bright orange robes that the monk is wearing. Also the monk is bare foot which does catch your eye as the rest of the feet in the photo are ware shoes or socks as it was really cold. the sky does draw some of the attention away from the main focus of the photo.

fig 5

fig 6

Figure 6 shows all 4 of the monks in a line excepting offerings I really like the different shades of orange and red that make up most of the photograph.

Fig 7

Figure 7 gives you and insight to what the area looks like when it is not surrounded by people. I really like how Phra Worapipat is standing on the middle of the area after the people have left. He looks to be looking at the bowl that is full of rice. What I love is that he is Waring sock when in figure 4 Than Thirasak has none on.