Bangkok--21 Dec--Maxima Consultants
For the people of Thailand, the defining image of His Majesty the King is the portrait of him striding through the countryside, with a map and pencil in his hands and a camera around his neck.
During his visits to the provinces, His Majesty the King has taken numerous photographs, even though he has been surrounded by his court and his photographers. The photographs of each place, people, natural surroundings, important temples are worth ten thousand words as they were captured for documentation purposes.
Many of these have proven to be invaluable documents in the study of Thai history and culture. These photos have been included in ‘Through the King’s Lens’, the 168 page coffee table book produced by TMB Bank to celebrate His Majesty the King’s 7th cycle birthday on December 5, 2011.
For those who are interested in the book, please call TMB Call Center 1558.
His Majesty’s photographs reveal the esthetics of pure art to photojournalism which he always uses to document his various projects. They are all crucial elements. Some, for example, illustrate the potential at a selected geographical site to build a dam, reservoir or road. They have all been used as documentaries for his royal initiative projects in rural development.
For example, during the flooding in 1995, His Majesty the King took a lot of pictures to study flood prevention, while the many sights and scenes photographed of the rural areas were for the study of proposed dams. The photographs in the King’s album are well organized and even serialised, each shot has its own number.
Mr. Boontuck Wungcharoen, TMB’s Chief Executive Officer said “Throughout his reign, since 1946, His Majesty the King, devoted his life to improving the lives of his people. The development of a country is no easy task. His Majesty’s leadership, full of dedication and sacrifice, was mainly spent on providing rural areas with sustainable development.
During his frequent visits to the provinces, His Majesty the King always had his camera handy. All of his efforts have benefitted the national development for the peace and happiness of the people of Thailand.
The photography book is divided into three chapters — Chapter one - his biography from a very early age His Majesty born, December 1927; the king and his family living in Switzerland, shared brotherly bonds between King Ananda and Prince Bhumibol and the development of his keen mind. Chapter two - the Royal Lens shows 48 pictures taken by His Majesty the King, “duty and destiny” and reveals His Majesty’s talent to benefit national development for the peace and happiness of the people of Thailand. Chapter three — his Artistic Talents features his talented photography along with the cameras that had been used throughout this period.
In 1994, His Majesty the King mentioned that he didn’t want to use photography only for its artistic aspect or to show-off high technology, but shutter to keep the “good memory” alive. “And if someone has an opportunity to see them, they will also like and feel happy about them. It will be very good to share this happiness with all those who have seen our pictures” said by the King.
Looking at His Majesty the King’s cameras which have kept our memory alive. When at the age of eight, Her Royal Highness the Princess Mother gave the young prince his first camera — CORONET MIDGET.- ordinary camera without exposure meters. His Majesty had to study for himself and had to calculate and set the camera for proper exposure. This camera was used to shoot King Ananda on the throne. After that, His Majesty the King got his second camera, the KODAK VEST POCKET MONTREUX, a mini-box camera. Only six shots can be taken for one roll of film for this camera.
During 1938-1941, the ELAX LUMIERE camera was used when he was a prince and returned with King Ananda to Thailand. In 1950 His Majesty the King got a modern camera from Singapore -- CONTAX II, Zeiss-Option No 821255 and No 885584 Sonnar 1:2 F50 MM. This one he used to photograph Her Majesty the Queen when she was Mom Rajawongse Sirikit Kitiyakara and was used during the Royal Wedding Ceremony at Sra Pathum Palace on April 28, 1950.
After that, as a lucky prize -RICOH EF-90 Lens 35 MM F1.35, His Majesty the King used this camera to take numerous pictures during the flooding in 1995 to study for flood prevention. Then, he gave it as a prize in a lucky draw. Later, he operated many cameras to suit each application. His latest one is a CANON EOS 30D in which he has continued to capture the moment of his people at Siriraj Hospital.
The photos of His Majesty the King are everywhere in Thailand — either at homes or offices, also the photos of his ‘PEOPLE’ is always ‘Through the King’s Lens’, and always in his heart.
For more information, please contact:
Maxima Consultants Company Tel 02-434-8300, 02-434-8547
Suchinda, Saengnapa, Panadda