fotofugitive

There are a few spots left on the upcoming Laos Photo Tour that Gavin Gough and I will be hosting this October. If you’ve been thinking of participating in a photo tour or workshop and haven’t yet experienced the wonder that is Laos, then I would encourage you to take a look at the tour site. This will be something special!

Laos is one of the few countries in SE Asia that remains relatively untouched by the outside world. But this is changing. This is an opportunity to see and experience a unique country and culture before it changes forever, and alongside a world-class travel photographer in Gavin Gough, no less!

But this is more than merely a photo tour. You will get the opportunity to give back to local communities and NGOs as we visit ethnic minority tribal groups and community development projects. Both Gavin and myself will be donating a portion of the tour fees to a local NGO and we encourage participants to do the same. As a group, we will photograph a community development project and each donate a selection of our images to the NGO for use in media and marketing materials to promote their vision and mission.

The tour runs from the 11th to the 24th of October from Vientiane (you will arrive on the 10th, and the tour concludes on the evening of the 24th). The cost is $4100 USD from Vientiane and includes all in-country travel, food and accomodation. You will need to make your own way to/from Vientiane. For full details and registration details, please visit the tour site.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact either Gavin or myself through our websites or the tour site. We look forward to welcoming you in Laos!

“…and it came to pass that they made a green as green as grass. Green as green leaves on a tree, green as islands in the sea.” (Extra points if you recognize the reference)

Today’s wallpapers are brought to you by the colour green.

That’s right folks, I’m feeling so generous, I’m offering two wallpapers for your viewing pleasure this month. The first was made early one morning at the flower market in Bangkok and the other on a side street in Vientiane, Laos.

Part of the reason you’re getting two is the that the focus on the woman in the first image is quite soft. But I like it anyway, so I’m posting it here. If it bugs you, then hey, you’ve got another choice Enjoy!

Wallpaper 1 Download Links

June Wallpaper 1280 x 800 (or click on the relevant image above)
June Wallpaper 1440 x 900
June Wallpaper 1920 x 1200

Wallpaper 2 Download Links

June Wallpaper 1280 x 800 (or click on the relevant image above)
June Wallpaper 1440 x 900
June Wallpaper 1920 x 1200

June’s wallpaper was taken in Wat Sissaket (Sissaket Temple), one of the oldest temples in Vientiane, on my recent visit to Laos. It was great being back in Laos after two years, though as expected, things had changed a little. I was able to observe our Metamorphic training program in full and catch up with some old friends.

Back to the Wallpaper! The image is a hand of one of the many Buddha statues that line the alcoves of the temple courtyard. The brilliant colours are from the robe draped over the Buddha.

Laos is primarily a Buddhist nation, with 67% of the Lao population identifying themselves as Buddhist. In practice, Lao Buddhism consists of a mix of Buddhist and Animist beliefs and ceremonies.

As usual, the wallpaper is available in a number of sizes:

June Wallpaper 1280 x 800 (or click on the image above)
June Wallpaper 1440 x 900
June Wallpaper 1920 x 1200

I realize this is extremely overdue, but here’s the wallpaper for May. I’ve been in Cambodia and Laos for Metamorphic programs and just haven’t had the time to really maintain an online presence lately. It’s been both exhausting and absolutely brilliant at the same time. After a month away, I’m more than ready to head home and see my family. I’m in Bangkok today and tomorrow before catching the midnight Thai flight to Brisbane tomorrow night.

This shot was taken in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. A big thankyou goes out to photojournalist Jack Kurtz, who kindly lent me a lens after one of mine died while photographing the red shirts a month ago.

You know the drill. Various sizes available below.

April Wallpaper 1280 x 800 (or click on the image above)
April Wallpaper 1440 x 900
April Wallpaper 1920 x 1200

I’m very excited to finally introduce fotofugitive[tours], an initiative that provides socially responsible and culturally sensitive photo tours focusing on development initiatives and cultural events in developing countries, with an emphasis on respect, compassion & humility. And I’m especially excited to announce our first tour which will be in Laos from October 10 through 24 and hosted by myself and travel photographer extraordinaire Gavin Gough.

As most of you know, I lived in Laos for two years and loved every minute of it, so I just can’t wait to give you a glimpse into the magic of this wonderful country. The tour will cover Temples and Festivals in the capital Vientiane, dramatic karst scenery in Vang Vieng, ancient World Heritage listed temples and processions of saffron-clad monks in historic Luang Prabang, and the colourful dress and cultures of ethnic minority tribes in Luangnamtha including the opportunity of an overnight village stay.

We’re very lucky to have Gavin Gough on board for this tour. This is a unique opportunity to travel, shoot and learn from one of the best travel photographers out there. If you haven’t seen his recent coverage of the Wai Khru Tattoo Festival and the Red Shirt protestors in Bangkok, then do yourself a favour and check it out. You will also benefit from having someone leading who has lived, worked and played in the places we will be visiting – yours truly

The tour runs from the 11th to the 24th of October from Vientiane (you will arrive on the 10th, and the tour concludes on the evening of the 24th). The cost is $4100 USD from Vientiane and includes all in-country travel, food and accomodation. You will need to make your own way to/from Vientiane.

There is more information on the tour website, so rather than prattle on here, without further ado I’ll simply direct you to the Laos page on fotofugitive[tours] where you can read all about it, sign up and ask any questions you may have. Feel free to drop questions in the comments below too.

Looking forward to meeting up with you in Vientiane …

Hi folks, here is the wallpaper for March. Yes, I do realise we’re already halfway to April. I’m not off with the fairies that much … yet :-) Our laptop hard dive finally gave up the ghost at the beginning of the month, so I’ve been playing catch up for the last couple of weeks. This one’s for Jack from gotpassport (@DrGotpassport on twitter) who contacted me specifically to enquire about the wallpaper. Thanks mate!

A snapshot of life on the street in Vientiane, Laos for March. I like the diagonal line created by the motorbikes/scooters. As usual, there are a number of sizes available.

March Wallpaper 1280 x 800 (or click on the image above)
March Wallpaper 1440 x 900
March Wallpaper 1920 x 1200

Enjoy the rest of the month. I’m off to Papua New Guinea for almost 3 weeks next Wednesday, so I might have a wallpaper from PNG for you in the coming months.

Belated though it may be, here is the monthly wallpaper for February. Just a simple one this month. The green background is a verdant rice-field in Xiengkhouang Province, Laos. This province was one of the most heavily bombed during the Vietnam war, and you often see fences and houses made from bomb shells as well as many craters in the surrounding landscape. It is estimated that more than 1.3 million tonnes of ordnance was dropped on Laos between 1964 and 1973, making it the most bombed country in the world per capita. MAG (Mines Advisory Group) is one of the fantastic organisations working on UXO (unexploded ordnance) clearance in Laos. From their website:

“Up to 30 per cent of some types of ordnance did not detonate. Unexploded ordnance (UXO) still contaminates the ground, affecting a quarter of all villages. There were at least 50,000 UXO casualties between 1964 and mid-2008. Accident records for 2008 are not yet complete, but extrapolating the data already available indicates that there may have been a doubling of casualties from 2007, to about 600.

UXO contamination also keeps people poor by preventing them from using land. It is therefore one of the prime factors limiting long-term development in Lao PDR. It diminishes food security and denies access to basic services, resulting in widespread poverty amongst rural populations.”

- MAG Lao

Be sure to check out the MAG website to find out more about the lifesaving work MAG is doing in Laos and around the world.

As usual, the wallpaper is available in a few different sizes:

January Wallpaper: 1280 x 800 (or click on the image above)
January Wallpaper: 1440 x 900
January Wallpaper: 1920 x 1200

:::

Here is the wallpaper for January 2010. It was shot along the roadside in rural Laos between the capital Vientiane and popular backpacker hangout Vang Vieng. Laos was once known as the Land of a Million Elephants. Unfortunately, due to habitat loss and hunting, the wild elephant population in Laos is now estimated at less than 1200 animals, with a similar number of domesticated elephants in the country. Domesticated elephants are used for logging, land clearance (ironically), agriculture, transportation and tourism. You can find more about elephants in Laos and what is being done to remedy the situation at eleaid.com , an organisation that is involved in Asian elephant conservation in Laos.

As usual, the wallpaper is available in a few different sizes:

January Wallpaper: 1280 x 800 (or click on the image above)
January Wallpaper: 1440 x 900
January Wallpaper: 1920 x 1200

Wishing you all the best for a fantastic year ahead. I know I’m excited about this years opportunities!

More to come …