Umbrella Festival For The Seasons

18 February 2015

Bo Sang, Chiang Mai, Thailand. January 2015. Shops lined with hand crafted umbrellas.

Umbrella Festival For The Seasons, photo essay by Anthony James Bennett

Every year in the middle of January the umbrella making Village of Bo Sang in Chiang Mai, Thailand opens its doors and holds an umbrella festival.
The main street is lined, every shop, every house shrouded in bright hand crafted umbrellas. Beauty contest, cultural music and the buying, selling and making of these spectacular hand made all weather protectors.

Bo Sang, Chiang Mai, Thailand. January 2015. Umbrellas hung high above the road.

Bo Sang, Chiang Mai, Thailand. January 2015. UV protection in Asia

Bo Sang, Chiang Mai, Thailand. January 2015. The beauty contestants cycling through the village.

Bo Sang, Chiang Mai, Thailand. January 2015. The paper making process for each umbrella.

Bo Sang, Chiang Mai, Thailand. January 2015. Hand crafted handles and frames by skilled villagers.

Bo Sang, Chiang Mai, Thailand. January 2015. Getting the frames ready for the paper.

Bo Sang, Chiang Mai, Thailand. January 2015. Size doesn’t matter, applying the paper to the frames.

Bo Sang, Chiang Mai, Thailand. January 2015. Hand painting and decorating.

Bo Sang, Chiang Mai, Thailand. January 2015. They don’t just protect, they also inform.

Bo Sang, Chiang Mai, Thailand. January 2015. Waiting to be sold.

Bo Sang, Chiang Mai, Thailand. January 2015. Maybe a record breaker.

anthony_bennett_-1 Anthony James Bennett, 1969, freelance photographer from Scotland. Being an avid hobby photographer from his teens he has always had a camera close at hand during his travels. Self taught and always learning he ventured into professional photography in 2013. With a passion for black and white photography he travels (a lot) and shoots.