An unexpected turn: I came to a shopping mall and found Miss Universe Thailand 2023 pageant there. As I learned from the Internet, it was Preview Day: The Keyword Showdown (July 16, 2023). Several dozen girls, one from each Thai province, competed for the honorary title.
In Thailand, this contest is really popular; girls, sometimes from remote provinces with limited opportunities for professional growth, have a chance to win prizes and become a representative of the country in the international contest Miss Universe (in El Salvador on 18 November 2023), but also a chance to make a career as a TV star or get a great boost in any type of business.
I would like the girls and their fans to be able to find these photos, so I will list the names of those who got into my frame. From left to right in the first image:
Sing Buri Province / Yada Thagerngdach (ญาดา เถกิงเดช)
Ranong Province / Pichayada Kunthong (พิชญดา ขุนทอง)
Samut Songkhram Province / Chalita Tuntisook (ชลิตา ตันติสุข)
Lamphun Province / Nicha Poonpoka (ณิชา พูลโภคะ)
Uthai Thani Province / Ploypailin Leib (พลอยไพลิน ล้ายบ์)
I only had a 50mm lens, so later I had to cut out images to get rid of unnecessary details. Alas, there was no way to come closer.
Uttaradit Province / Worawalun Phutklang (วรวลัญช์ พุฒิกลาง)
Chachoengsao Province / Pimlapat Chuemaneesawan (พิมพ์ลภัส ชื่อมณีสวรรค์)
Sa Kaeo Province / Saranyaphat Ketmaneephong (สรัญญพัชร์ เกษมณีพงศ์)
In the end, I chose to stand behind the stage, where I could see the girls relatively close and photograph them against dramatic black curtains.
Sometimes there was a dense crowd around me, and sometimes almost no one. It's because some participants have a large fan club.
Ranong Province / Pichayada Kunthong (พิชญดา ขุนทอง)
But for most of these girls, all this was new - no fan club and no experience to be a star.
I didn't try to take pictures of every participant, I just enjoyed attending the event and taking images of anything that looked interesting, for example, scenes where the girls got emotional.
Sing Buri Province / Yada Thagerngdach (ญาดา เถกิงเดช)
Ranong Province / Pichayada Kunthong (พิชญดา ขุนทอง)
Samut Songkhram Province / Chalita Tuntisook (ชลิตา ตันติสุข)
Lamphun Province / Nicha Poonpoka (ณิชา พูลโภคะ)
Samut Prakan Province / Panida Suthinphuek (ปณิดา สุมินเผือก)
Nonthaburi Province / Alongkon Mitmanut (อลงกรณ์ มิตรมนุษย์)
And there was a reason for emotions - in front of me, the girls were standing in line waiting to go on stage.
Phitsanulok / Krongthong Chantarasompoch (กรองทอง จันทรสมโภช)
Accredited photographers photographed each group of girls after they descended from the escalator. And before going on stage, they could be photographed (from a distance) by fans and bloggers - guys with mobile phones (among which I was). Some participants, noticing our attention, posed for us.
Nakhon Pathom Province / Vichayada Chatthirarat (วิชญดา ชาติธีระรัตน์)
Phang Nga Province / Sunaree Chaimungkun (สุนารี ชัยมุงคุณ)
Samut Prakan Province / Panida Suthinphuek (ปณิดา สุมินเผือก)
Maha Sarakham Province / Chanya Tonngam (จรรยา ต้นงาม)
Phitsanulok / Krongthong Chantarasompoch (กรองทอง จันทรสมโภช)
It was also interesting to photograph the communication and body language of the girls.
Nan Province / Nithiwan Phonthip (นิธิวรรณ ฝนทิพย์)
Each girl tried to take control of her emotions in her own way. This was my favorite part as I could watch and photograph dramatic scenes.
Buri Ram Province / Nichakun Senawong (ณิชกุล เสนาวงษ์)
Having visited this event, I changed my attitude towards the competition. Girls don't just compete in beauty. The main test here is to remain graceful and witty in a situation of great stress and everyone's attention. Basically, it's an acting competition and a TV fit test.
What is your attitude to such contests? 🤔 Share your opinion in the comment section! 🙂
Meanwhile, the contest continues. The final event will be on August 20. I will definitely check if any of the girls from my photos were among the finalists.
More stories from Southeast Asia are ahead! Check out the previous ones on my personal Pinmapple map.
I took the images on July 16, 2023 with a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G on a full frame Nikon D750 in IconSiam shopping mall, Bangkok, Thailand.
Great photos buddy. Like how you call think of yourself as a wandering photographer.. I hope to one day just wander.. Wander safely my friend.
Thank you!
It's cool but... don't forget, everything has the dark side either and also "be afraid of your desires" 🙂
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A bit of self-promotion 😃
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