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  • Home
  • REPORTAGE & STORIES
  • Photography
  • Publications
  • Prints
  • Services
  • BLOG
  • About
  • Contact
DOCUMENTARY PHOTO ESSAYS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

REPORTAGE & STORIES

DOCUMENTARY PHOTO ESSAYS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Explore photo essays about people, cultures and traditions.

  • Dancing with the Forest Spirits

    Masked Baining dancer running barefoot through the flames
  • When the Gods Take to the Streets

    Devotees carrying a divine sedan chair during the Chingay Night Parade
  • Behind the Satin Curtains

    Sai Bo Hong Chinese opera actors from Bangkok preparing for a performance in Penang
  • Salt from Fire: The Salt Makers of Enga

    Marcus, a traditional salt maker from Enga
  • Coffee, Butter and a Great Deal of Smoke

    Coffee beans at Kun Kee, a traditional coffee roaster in Penang
  • The Last Songkok Maker in Penang

    Haja Mohideen Mohamed Shariff making a songkok in his George Town workshop
  • Letters Carved to Last

    Kok Ah Wah carving a wooden Chinese signboard in his George Town workshop
  • One Bead at a Time

    Handmade Nyonya beaded shoes by Tan Kok Oo in Penang
  • Keeper of Penang’s Rattan-Weaving Tradition

    Lee Soo Kee making rattan furniture in his Penang workshop
  • The Last Handmade Joss Stick Maker in Penang

    Lee Beng Chuan making traditional joss sticks in his Penang workshop
  • Slap, Twist, Lift: Handmade Popiah Skins in Penang

    Gary Lim making handmade popiah skins at Chowrasta Market in Penang
  • Behind the Satin Curtains

    Sai Bo Hong Chinese opera actors from Bangkok preparing for a performance in Penang
  • Where the Ground Trembles: The Enga Cultural Show

    Suli Muli dancers stamping in unison at the Enga Cultural Show
  • Dumpling syndrome

    Blue Nyonya Chang wrapped in bamboo leaves in Melaka
  • When the Gods Take to the Streets

    Devotees carrying a divine sedan chair during the Chingay Night Parade
  • Dancing with the Forest Spirits

    Masked Baining dancer running barefoot through the flames
  • When the Spirits Come Ashore

    Duk-Duk and Tumbuan spirits at the National Mask Festival
  • Can Cau Market, or Where to Sell Your Buffalo

    Vendor displaying traditional Hmong clothing at Can Cau Market in northern Vietnam
  • When the Bamboo Begins to Sing

    Young Bougainville dancer holding a bamboo pipe at the Bougainville Reeds Festival
  • Masks, Mud and a Royal Welcome

    Elema dancers performing at the Gulf Mask Festival in Toare, Papua New Guinea
  • Ten Kilos of Roses, Please

    Pink roses for sale at Pak Khlong Talat flower market in Bangkok
  • Travel to the Afterlife: A Hmong Funeral in Vietnam

    Hmong funeral near Mu Cang Chai in northern Vietnam
  • Tofu Before Sunrise

    Bowl of soybeans used for traditional tofu making in Mu Cang Chai, Vietnam
  • Water Buffalo or “Iron Buffalo”?

    Water buffaloes tethered at San Patong Buffalo Market near Chiang Mai
EXPLORE THE STORIES

Discover new photo essays,
gain insight into cultures and traditions, and
follow the stories behind the images.

Based in Geneva, Switzerland
© 2026 Olga Fontanellaz Photography. All rights reserved.