If you’ve been following our blog at all you probably already know that those of us who work for Rejuvenation constantly have lighting on the brain, pretty much everywhere we go. My December post mentioned I was headed to Thailand for a little R and R. While we traveled all over the country and experienced totally foreign culture, delicious cuisine, beautiful landscape and historically rich art and architecture, wouldn’t you know, I found myself photographing all sorts of lighting!
While I know many of you have a love or hate relationship with compact fluorescent bulbs, it seems much of Thailand has really embraced CFLs. I only make this reference because sometimes it made for a funny juxtaposition: a 200 plus year old, expansive and elaborate Buddhist temple , with the modern day squiggle of CFLs all around. The pictures speak for themselves. I’ve also included a few other lights that caught my attention before my travel companion threatened to take my camera away, if I photographed one more light for work!
One small ceiling fixture with a faux painted canopy and sweet little scalloped shade.
Ecclectic stylings: a buddhist shrine, Christmas lights and industrial style shade
Here's the whole shrine, just for context. They were so beautiful and everyone had one.
Lots of simple pendants with CFLs and beautiful gold Buddhas
These lights hung over the entry way to a restaurant we wandered into in a mall in Bangkok
Festive lights from the small village town of Pai
Lumpini Park in Bangkok. Thai Warehouse style lights?
I bet you had a great trip; saw many fascinating things and met exotic people from all over the world. Great pics. Thanks for sharing. Your travel partner kinda sounds like a wet blanket. Who doesn’t like pictures???
Hi DV,
Thanks for your comment. It was a fabulous trip! As for my travel buddy being a wet blanket, this was really more about our long running joke that I’m always working when we go on vacation. He was just pointing out that even half way around the world, I was doing something work related when I was supposed to be relaxing. I managed to do plenty of that relaxing thing too though.
When entering traditional Asian interiors, bear in mind how they were originally lit and appreciated, with oil lamps that flickered. In such light, colors mellow with age, gold takes on gravitas, patina and wear by the elements lend rich texture. Long ago, pigments were organic and earthy, which evolved with time and took on a character of its own.
Watch the interiors during a religious festival, usually at dawn or dusk, and see them come alive, in mythic proportions in the twilight.
Hi Andrew,
Thanks for the comment. You are absolutely correct! The interior colors were just stunning. I hope to get back to that part of hte world some day to see more.
Best,
Nicole