Wat Pa Pao, primarily services the Shan Burmese immigrant community of Chiang Mai. I attended day 4 (?) of the shin byu or novice monk initiation ceremony (shin byu (or pyu) ceremony - means to 'make a monk'). The boys, ages roughly 5-15 are dressed in finery (mimicking the dress of princes of Burma). The ceremony symbolises their passage into manhood and maturity.
They are treated as princes which means their feet are never allowed to touch the floor. Parents and family members feed and then carry the youngster around the temple. They are placed on horses (or elephants in some places) and in some cities paraded through the streets. This last bit is not part of the Wat Pa Pao initiation so I'll be scouting around for opportunities for next year.
Love the way, in addition to the subject, you've caught the intricate detail of the building doorways in pics, 2,3, 4 and 5.
Wish we had a bit more authentic ceremony in Vietnam.
Lot of wow factor in these for me. Nice work.
Posted by: Sticky | April 10, 2011 at 11:32 PM
Wonderful reverence in your photos, thank you for sharing such a special time for these amazing people! Chiang Mai will be such fun in a couple days Erd-Frid. Sawadee Be Mai! Do get wet!
Posted by: mary-anne durkee | April 11, 2011 at 01:16 PM
Sticky - Thanks. This is really a special temple in Chiang Mai. Lots of character, definately my favorite. It does seem like a lot of VN culture has been gutted in the great push forward. Let's hope for a 'renaissance'.
Mary-Anne - Water and Camera's don't really mix but I've got the rain gear and a positive attitude. Thanks for the 'good karma'..wish me luck!
Posted by: Dave | April 11, 2011 at 06:30 PM
hey david.. been wanting to drop you a note but ive been so busy with work i totally forgot about that. i dont buy photography magazines but the last month of digital dslr magazines which focus on bnw caught my attention and thats where i got introduced to your work in asia... i read you resides in penang now? cool. very cool. imi from penang and currently work in kl. i love your photography. they're so real and i can easily picutre myself in those moments...
i blog at zeeknotgeek.tumblr.com and i love street photography too! here's a short article i did in my blog intorducing your work...
http://zeeknotgeek.tumblr.com/post/4339940306/shooting-asia-deliciously
Posted by: Zeek | April 12, 2011 at 09:28 AM
Thanks a lot, Zeek! Really flattered by the kind words and support. I'll try not to disappoint in the future! Stay tuned.
Posted by: Dave | April 12, 2011 at 02:29 PM
Amazing shots. And am always a big of fan of your photos on EatingAsia. I was wondering if you carry a tripod around with you and how do you deal with low light conditions? Love all your sharp pics! You make ordinary street life pictures very meaningful :)
Posted by: Teri Y. | April 15, 2011 at 05:19 AM
Thanks,Teri! I do carry a tripod at times but not this time. The light levels were pretty good so I was able to manage shutter speeds in the 1/1000 range shooting at f1.4-5.0.
I rarely (if ever) shoot above ISO 400 so if I can't get my shutter speeds up then I'll look for something to lean against to form a 'tripod'. Failing that I tuck my elbows into my ribs, take a deep breath and hope for the best.
Drop me a line if you have any questions.
Posted by: Dave | April 15, 2011 at 12:14 PM
Thanks for the very useful tips, Dave! Always great to get tips from a professional. I've been trying to figure out what really is the difference between the exposure compensation and shutter speed setting on the camera since both functions adjust how bright the picture will turn out (although shutter speed is also useful for moving objects)?
By the way, I always tell my husband that when I "grow up" I want to be a traveling photographer and writer like you and Robyn :) It's very cool what you both do.
Posted by: Teri Y | April 17, 2011 at 12:46 AM
Thanks again, Teri. If you are ever in KL or Penang you might consider one of my photo walks.
We are pretty lucky to be able to do what we do, but trust me growing up is not a necessary 'pre-condition'.
Posted by: Dave | April 17, 2011 at 08:13 PM
Great stuff, what wonderful pictures thank you for sharing these!
Posted by: wall art | June 12, 2012 at 10:33 PM
Beautiful photos!
Posted by: Mohka | August 28, 2012 at 05:29 PM
Thanks, Mohka!
Posted by: Dave | August 28, 2012 at 06:12 PM
Such beautiful colours, thanks for sharing your photos.
Posted by: art on canvas | October 02, 2012 at 11:06 PM
Oh David,I'm salivating now to arrive in CM and see the wonderful sites you've captured here. It's a blast of color to jet me out of snow & brown here in Wyo. Hope to see you next week!!
Posted by: Deb Olson | January 22, 2013 at 09:54 PM
Thanks, Deb. We're trying to figure out how to make CM work. Hope to see you two, soon. Safe travels!
Posted by: Dave | January 23, 2013 at 10:51 AM