OnAsia Press Release

Bangkok , THAILAND -  December 7th, 2006 - A group of OnAsia photographers has contributed training services to young people affected by the Asian tsunami as part of the inSIGHT Out project (www.insightout-project.org). OnAsia member photographers Masaru Goto from Japan, Suthep Kritsanavarin from Thailand and Patrick de Noirmont from France took part in a series of workshops where tsunami affected children were given the opportunity to explore their communities, their culture and their own personal vision through photography. The photographers offered professional support to these workshops, sharing their skills and encouraging the young participants to discover the possibilities of creativity and visual expression through photography.

“It has been a fascinating and rewarding experience to work with these children. Their spontaneous approach to photography is exciting and with a little guidance produces some quite dramatic results,” explained Patrick de Noirmont, an OnAsia photographer with over 30 years experience shooting stories and covering news events around the world.

Workshops and courses were held in Banda Aceh in Indonesia, one of the worst hit areas and the Phang Nga area in Southern Thailand where hundreds of people were also killed when the tsunami struck on the morning of the 26th of December 2004.

“The images that have come out of these workshops are really amazing,” says Jeanne Hallacy, a Bangkok-based journalist and one of the coordinators of the project. “When people look at the images we have edited from the various workshops they find it hard to believe these picture were created by children.”

To showcase the work of its participants, on Friday December 8th the InSIGHT Out Project is will inaugurate an exhibition at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT) in Bangkok (http://www.fccthai.com/TheBulletin.html). The exhibition will be open from 10:00 am until 11:00 pm from Monday-Friday and will run until the 20th of December, 2006.

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OnAsia is the leading resource for Asian imagery and feature stories. Over 100,000 keyworded images are available for instant download in hi-res formats up to 12X18 inches at 300DPI. The agency also provides feature stories and assignment services throughout Asia with its network of over 130 top editorial and corporate photographers.