All posts tagged: photography

Krysada Binly Panusith Phounsiri: Back to Birthplace in Bokeo

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  Krysada Binly Panusith Phounsiri, better known as Binly, is a community builder, systems engineer, poet, b-boy dancer, and photographer based in San Diego, California. On his second visit to Laos last month, Binly captured intimate photos of daily life in his parents’ hometown and his birthplace of Huay Xai, the capital of Bokeo province in northwestern Laos. What was your first reaction visiting your birthplace?  “The first time I went back to my place of birth was 10 years ago. It was surreal to say the least. My mom was in tears. We hadn’t been there for 16 years. I sat where I was born for a little bit and let the ambiance seep in. I felt like I finally connected with the energy I was born into. 10 years later, I couldn’t go inside the house. We don’t own it anymore. This time around, it was a brief visit. I stood outside feeling good. I was almost convinced that I needed to buy this house and the land back. But the thing with my mom …

These beautiful past vs. present photos of Vientiane landmarks will make you nostalgic

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The world is slowly taking notice of a growing group of young Lao artists, designers, filmmakers, and photographers in Vientiane capital. And so should we. At the age of 12 in Luang Prabang, Thanavorakit Kounthawatphinyo already knew he was in love with art. But he didn’t know what to do with a couple of rolls of Kodak film and a nice camera at the time. After losing those rolls of film to light exposure, he paused his passion. It wasn’t until he was almost done with high school that the Lao education system forced him to rethink the typical path most youth were supposed to take. Go to a good school. Get a good job. Live a good and successful life. “When I was free from formal schooling, I spent most of my time on the Internet, messing around and looking things up. That’s how I learned a lot of things school didn’t teach me.” Born and raised in a middle-class Vientiane family, Thanavorakit moved back home to pursue his love of photography. After a …