Loi Krathong in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Posted on 16th June 2019 in adventure, events, foto story, Street Photography

When I arrived in Bangkok in the winter of 2017, I met up with Donovan. He rented a scooter and showed me around like a local. One day while sitting in the restaurant at his swanky hotel he said: “Ned, I have to go see about a job up in Chiang Mai. I think we should catch the night train and head up together. You’d love it up there.”

I balked, hesitated, and deliberated (I guess I was still not in the journey mindset I so love and appreciate). I had just got to Bangkok and was just feeling grounded and my goal was to find a great place and enjoy the winter in peace.

Another friend of mine, Alex, was also up in Chiang Mai for a lantern festival and had told me that was her destination. Generally while traveling I kind of let the forces of the world lead me forth so my research is more along the lines of asking a local what I should do. Lantern festival? What’s this, never heard of it.

Loi Krathong (Thai: ลอยกระทง, pronounced [lɔ̄ːj krā.tʰōŋ]) is a Siamese festival celebrated annually throughout the Kingdom of Thailand and in nearby countries with significant southwestern Tai cultures (Laos, Shan, Mon, Tanintharyi, Kelantan, Kedah and Xishuangbanna). The name could be translated as “to float a basket,” and comes from the tradition of making krathong or buoyant, decorated baskets, which are then floated on a river.

Loi Krathong takes place on the evening of the full moon of the 12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar, thus the exact date of the festival changes every year. In the Western calendar this usually falls in the month of November. In Chang Mai, the festival lasts three days, and in 2018, the dates were 21–23 November.

I arrived three days before Loi Krathong. I watched the city amp up for the celebrations. I saw the quiet city before, I felt the roar coming. It was truly a crazy experience. It was hard to find a place to stay, the main streets were all pedestrian traffic. Locals I’m sure stayed mostly away except to capitalize on the tourists by selling things. And then, just like that, it was all over and the city cleaned up.

At a point in the festival I had stumbled upon a beautiful Wat (temple) that people were allowed to be inside and setting off the lanterns. It was mesmerizing watching everybody set them off. After that moment of brilliance, I suddenly began seeing everybody around me and turned my lens more towards them, all sweaty, tired, drunk, and saturated.

Loi Krathong, Chiang Mai, Thailand
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Vancouver Street Photography

Posted on 3rd October 2015 in Street Photography, wandering

It’s been a while since I wandered a city for street photographs; people of the street that look interesting enough for me to press that shutter. I always see people that are interesting, but a lot of the time I leave my fast camera at home and stick to my smartphone camera. I guess part of the reason is I spend some much time editing photoshoots that I just feel like walking sometimes.

Anyways, I’ve been trying to re-kindle some young love in me and have taken to the streets of Vancouver to try and learn some new gear that I’ve got – specifically a Sony a7.

I always shoot a mix when I’m out wandering. I look up, I look down, I look around and through. This is the people on the street I photographed, you can see everything else in this post on architecture and graffiti. My path? I walked from Chinatown, to Gastown, to Granville St and Robson Street, back East through Yaletown, across the viaduct between Rogers Arena and BC Place Stadium, and back through Chinatown.

Ned Tobin Street Photography Vancouver Click here to read more.. »

Faces of Athens, Greece

Posted on 12th February 2014 in adventure, Street Photography

This is the final segment of my Athens photographs. I hope you’ve enjoyed them. If you missed them, you can find

I know, it’s been a great journey. The city was just so culturally rich, and such a beautiful place for me that it deserved so much attention.

If you’ve been following along in the series, you’ll probably recognize some of the places, or scenes, I’ve talked about.

Athens - 092012 (164 of 411) Click here to read more.. »

Graffiti in Athens, Greece | Part II

Posted on 21st November 2013 in adventure, explored, photojournalism, Street Photography, wandering

Re-visiting these photographs, I can remember one night as I walked the streets strolling down a lane with no cars allowed, and the restaurants all had their tables out in the lanes. As a walker, you had to weave your way in and out of tables and people eating, so naturally I sat down and ordered a bottle or house red.

The old world is such a beautiful experience. To walk amongst buildings that have existed for over a hundred years, some as much as 2000 years old. Hard to come by this kind of industrial history in North America.

See Part I if you missed it!

Athens - 092012 (65 of 411) Click here to read more.. »

Graffiti in Athens Greece | Part I

Posted on 13th November 2013 in adventure, explored, photojournalism, Street Photography, wandering

During my time in Athens, Greece (September, 2012) I was continually astounded by the immensity of the graffiti scene. So much so, the second day I was there I dedicated to walking around and finding as much graffiti as I possibly could.

It’s not that it was particularly fancy graffiti, but just that it was everywhere. EVERYWHERE. I think the coolest thing for me was recognizing the same artists in different places. I tried really hard to find some artists putting up, but they all eluded me.

Coming from Canada where any graffiti is taken down the next day after it’s put up, it brought a lot of questions to mind: Is it just that everybody – all the store owners – in the country are too poor to pay money for paint to cover it up? Is it that the graffiti scene is too vicious if it’s painted over it’ll be graffiti’d over again that night? What do the citizens think of it? Is it abnormal for them? Do store owners like it?

I know on some of the stores, artists were commissioned to put up some nice fitting graffiti.

When talking to the locals this scene started around 2005 when political and civil unrest began to surface. Before that, it wasn’t as covered, from what I understood. See Part II of this series.

What do you think of it? Could you enjoy living in a city like this? Does it encourage art?

Athens - 092012 (3 of 411) Click here to read more.. »