Bottega Mediterranea is a family owned and run Italian restaurant in the heart of Malaysia’s capitol, Kuala Lumpur. It’s the real deal. The owner of Bottega, Riccardo Ferrarotti, is a close friend and over the years I have shoot much of their photography. When Riccardo asked me if I would be available to shoot all the new food items for their latest menu I jumped at the chance.
Published: The Insurgency Express
Photography by Richard Humphries
Text by Gerry McDermott
Thailand’s insurgency express is a colorful, aging, and rickety train that winds its way across the country’s southern provinces of Songkhla, Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat. Beginning in Hat Yai, the economic capital of the South, the train ends its journey in Sungai Golok, a neon-soaked red-light town and smuggling center on the Malaysian border.
Published: My Photography Featured On The Wonderful Machine Homepage
Really nice to see one of my images from my long-term work in Thailand’s deep south featured on the homepage of Wonderful Machine. Thanks to the team at Wonderful Machine for placing my work front and centre. As a Malaysia based photographer it’s always a treat to have one’s work featured so prominently in other countries and markets. Grateful.
Wonderful Machine is a photography and art production agency with a network of 608 photographers in 41 countries.
On Assignment: UMW Aerospace Malaysia
A while back an assignment for a UK based industrial magazine took me out to the UMW Aerospace manufacturing plant, just 20 mins from my home outside of Kuala Lumpur. UMW Aerospace Malaysia are Malaysia’s first homegrown Tier-1 aero engine component supplier to Rolls-Royce in the Asia-Pacific region. As the Group’s first venture in this industry, UMW Aerospace specializes in the manufacture of Fan Case Assembly Kits for the Rolls-Royce Trent engine assembly plant based in Seletar, Singapore. As a Malaysia based photographer, and an aviation enthusiast, I was really excited about the shoot, and to learn more about what they do here.
From The Archive: Yaba Crazy Drug
Yaba literally means “crazy medicine” in Thai. It used to be called Yama, literally “horse drug”. Sometimes it is called "bikers' coffee" and "kamikaze". Whatever they are called they are tablets containing a potent and highly addictive mixture of methamphetamine and caffeine. This drug combination has been widely used illicitly, especially in Southeast Asian nations.
I have photographed Yaba related issues all over Thailand. But by far the majority of that coverage has been in the country’s far south where Yaba use is widespread. It is especially popular with the youth and the urban middle class. Yaba is now the main form of methamphetamine abused in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia as well as Vietnam and Myanmar, where it is typically manufactured.
On Assignment: Veolia Waterforce Emergency Response
I’m really enjoying spending time rummaging through my image archive for this new website update. As a Malaysia based photojournalist I am always deeply interested in covering humanitarian work around the world. In 2008 I was in China when a massive earthquake struck the Sichuan region of the country. The quake measured 7.9 in the richter scale and levelled towns and cities in an instant. My agency at the time, Polaris Images, assigned me to shoot a reportage story about the work of The Veolia Waterforce team. I joined the team for several days near the town of Wei Schuan as they were constructing a clean water supply for the town’s population.
From The Archive: Howrah Bridge Calcutta
An iconic landmark in Kolkata, the Howrah Bridge is a huge steel bridge over the Hooghly River. It is considered to be one of the longest cantilever bridges in the world. Also known as Rabindra Setu, it connects Howrah and Kolkata. It carries 100,000 vehicles and countless pedestrians daily.
From The Archive: The Festival Of Thaipusam
This weekend the Malaysian Hindu Tamil community will celebrate the occasion of Thaipusam. The word Thaipusam comes from the word “Thai” which means “10th month ” in the Tamil calendar, and Pusam which means “When the moon is brightest”.
From The Archive: Kratom - Thailand Legalizes Plant Based Painkiller
Last year Thailand decriminalised the possession and sale of Kratom, a plant native to Southeast Asia whose leaves are used as a mild stimulant and painkiller. Thousands of legal cases for the possession or sale of Kratom were being dropped, and 121 inmates convicted in such cases would be released immediately. The decriminalisation of Kratom, which involved removing the drug from the official list of controlled narcotics, is the country’s latest move to liberalise its drug laws. In the past two years, Thailand has allowed regulated medical marijuana use as well as the licensed buying and growing of marijuana, and permitted households to grow up to six plants. Harsh penalties remain for hard drugs such as heroin and methamphetamine.
From The Archive: Parliament Hill London
Parliament Hill on Hampstead Heath in North London is one of our favourite places in the city. We always take the walk from Hampstead underground station, through Hampstead town. Turn left onto Flask Walk, pass The Flask pub, walk beside all the magnificent terrace houses, and into the heath. The hill is the highest part of the heath and it’s focal point. The BBC once called it one the “seven man-made wonders” :) Until the 1940’s, livestock was still reared on the hill to be sold through Smithfields, the London wholesale meat market. After we head down to the town, perhaps to The Freemasons Arms or The Holly Bush for a pint ;)