If you are flying Thai Airways this month, take a look at my article in Sawasdee magazine about Ang Thong province, just north of Bangkok. I also have the cover shot.

The image was taken at Wat Muang, home to Phra Buddha Maha Nawamin, the largest Buddha statue in the country and the ninth tallest in the world. This spectacular 92-metre high (300 feet) and 63-metre (210 feet) wide seated Buddha towers over worshippers as they reach up to grasp its huge fingernails and whisper their prayers. Construction of this monumental golden image began in 1990 and was finally completed in 2008. Today, the faithful make merit here in the belief that they will be more successful in business.

In Bangkok, freshly killed beasts arrive in the markets at around 3 a.m. It’s common for groups of vendors to club together and hire jobbing butchers who prepare the carcass for them. I recently went to a market in the early hours to watch a butcher prepare a whole cow in less than an hour. It’s a challenging situation in which to take photography; poorly lit with florescent lights, hot and with a lot of deft hook and knife action. When the job is done the meat is shared between the vendors who sell it from around 5 a.m. This is a daily process, with the exception of Buddhist days of worship or wan phra when the butchers don’t work.

Last night, the finalist exhibition of the Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year 2015 was held at The Mall Galleries in London. Unfortunately I couldn’t attend this year’s prestigious event but I am pleased to say that I was awarded third prize in the Politics of Food category.

The prize-winning image above was taken in north west Laos and shows table of wild food openly onsale in the market. One of the first things you see when entering the airport at Vientiane is a huge sign about wildlife trafficking. Wild food always has been a part of the diet in Laos, especially with the rural communities of the north. Although a table of python, civet cat, bamboo rat and an assortment of other jungle creatures may look gruesome, the real issue is not local consumption but mass smuggling of anything that moves to feed the voracious appetite of China. Corruption and incompetence ensure that little is being done to address the problem.

I also had another image on show at The Mall Galleries in the Politics of Food category. The “Highly Commended” shot, “chickens on a bike” was taken in Yangon, Myanmar and shows the indifference to animal suffering that is frequently encountered in Asia.

Shortlisted but not making it into the final selection were these “Commended” images:

“Man versus manta ray” – an enormous ray cut up on a quayside in Myanmar which was in the Politics of Food category.

“Crabs for somtam”, an image taken in Phuket Town, Thailand was shortlisted for the Cream of the Crop category.

“Just one more spoonful” of a mother feeding her daughter in Kompong Cham morning market, Cambodia…

…and “street-side lunch” from Yangon, Myanmar – both from the Food for the Family category.

The above photographs and my extensive library of food and food culture images are available through my agency, StockFood.

You can see all the finalist images online here or can pop along to The Mall Galleries, just of Trafalgar Square in London. The exhibition is free and open to the public until the 10th of May.

If you are flying Thai Airways in April, take a look at my feature in Sawasdee in-flight magazine about Khomapastr textiles.

Here’s a few images from the cutting room floor that didn’t make it into the article.

The Khomapastr screen printing workshop and retail outlet is in Hua Hin. There’s also another shop in Bangkok.

The workshop is a big – and very hot – shed with lovely light.

Khomapastr also has an interesting history which you can discover in Sawasdee magazine.

Visit Khomapastr here. They also have a Facebook page here.

On December 26, 2004, at the peak of Thailand’s tourist season, Phuket and the western coast of Thailand felt the full and devastating force of a tsunami.

Today is a day of remembrance in Thailand, marking the tenth anniversary of the disaster. A multi-faith ceremony will be held at Tor 813 Memorial site at Bang Niang, Khao Lak.

The paintings of local school children on the wall of the Tsunami Victims Cemetery serve as a powerful reminder of the tragedy.

I’ve been paying a few visits to a fish market close to where I live in Bangkok.

At night the place sorts and sells sea fish trucked up from southern Thailand but in the day the catch is all river and farmed freshwater fish.

There are lots of small mackerel, one the most popular fish in Thailand.

The market acts as a distribution centre, sending the sorted fish to other markets around Bangkok and up country.

The most plentiful fish are farmed Nile perch or pla nin.

All  sections in the market are owned and run by Chinese-Thai traders but the hardworking labour is from Myanmar.

It’s hungry work and pla tu, fried mackerel, are always a firm favourite.

You can see more of my market shots from Bangkok and elsewhere in the region at www.stockfood.co.uk Follow @mickshippen and @stockfood_UK

Nakhom Phanom is a lovely little town pushed up against the Mekong in Thailand’s upper northeast and opposite the equally characterful Tha Kaek on the Lao side of the river.

Although I have been to Tha Kaek many times in the last few years, it is almost two decades since I visited Nakhon Phanom.  When I returned last week I immediately questioned why I had left it so long. It’s a charming town, and along with nearby Sakhon Nakhon, makes for a great destination for those interested in heritage, regional culture, and local cuisine (more on that in a future post).

In the 1920s many Vietnamese settled in the area and built French-Vietnamese style shophouses along the riverfront. Coming across such gems in Issan is a wonderful surprise and although some have sadly fallen into disrepair many are in remarkably good condition.

There’s also a strong Chinese-Thai community in Nakhon Phanom and some fascinating old shops to explore that have remained unchanged for decades.

You can get direct flights from Bangkok to Nakhom Phanom now with Nok Air making it a great destination for a distinctly different weekend break.

I’ll be heading back in the cool season for a few lazy evenings beside the Mekong eating good Issan food.

I had a wander around Bangkok’s Chinatown yesterday and captured this familiar street scene.

On a recent visit to Ayutthaya I called in at the intriguing Wat Niwet Thammaprawat.

Built during the reign of Thailand’s King Chulalongkorn Rama V (1853 – 1910), Wat Niwet Thammaprawat is one of the country’s most surprising temples. From the outside, the building looks like a Gothic Christian church and there are few clues revealing that it is actually a Thai Buddhist temple.

Inside, the ornate décor continues the Christian style but with Buddhist imagery. The colourful stained glass windows include an image of King Chulalongkorn in royal attire.

For visitors who enter the beautiful temple it is a strange experience that plays with preconceived notions of religious imagery and its context.

The way of reaching the temple is equally unique. It is located on an island in the Chao Phraya River which is spanned by a small trolley-like cable car. Ring a bell and monks will bring you across. A visit to Wat Niwet Thammaprawat can also be tied in with a trip to Bang Pa-In Palace which lies on the opposite bank.

Another quick bit of news. “To Thailand with Love”, the latest book in the “To Asia with Love” series published by Things Asian Press, has just been released. Described as a “travel guide for the connoisseur” it is a collection of articles and insights by writers who known Thailand better than most – including yours truly. None of my photos this time; just words.  However, the book does feature a handful of great images by Marc Schulz. My two contributions are on the Phi Ta Khon Festival in Dan Sai, and the island of  Koh Sichang. The book can be ordered through Amazon.

If you are a budding photographer, check out Marc’s blog. I think it’s one of the best around – full of useful information and inspiration to help you make better images, and more importantly, devoid of all the egotistical bullshit that inhabits many other photo blogs.