Most of my days on the island are spent volunteering at the resort, but during my spare time, I make it my mission to go beyond the beaches and check out the local life here.  

So after lunch one day, Jay and I stopped by the only school on Koh Phayam and I hopped off my scooter to take some pictures. As I approached the playground where some kids were hanging out, a couple of girls immediately took interest in my camera. They didn’t want to just pose for the photos, they wanted to take them.  

Star, on the left, and her friend Mai

I set my camera to Auto Mode and wrapped the camera strap around Star, a 6 year old girl who spoke English and Thai fluently.  I showed her how to take a photo and after a few snaps, her face lit up.  “I love this!” she shouted, peering up at me then taking my photo. So I let her roam around and snap away (keeping a careful eye on my Fujifilm). Feeling a tad jealous that I didn’t have my camera, I pulled out my iPhone to capture the action.

Star in action

Star seeking her next shot

I was so impressed by some of her shots that I felt compelled to share them here. I even made one of them my Instagram profile picture. It was also fascinating to see the photographs from her perspective- a solid 2 feet shorter than me. 

She either got lucky or she’s a natural. I like to think the latter :)

(all photos are unedited and shot by Star unless otherwise noted) 

Modeling for the camera (shot on my iPhone); pictured below is the shot Star took

Jay taking pictures of Star taking pictures

Little Star, shot by Mai