The « Dear Leader » of North Korea, Kim Jong Il died and his son Kim Jong Un is the new leader of the nuclear-armed country where of millions North Koreans suffer daily. Only a few journalists have managed to enter it. They must act as tourists to get a glimpse of the miserable life of a nation which has become the feudal kingdom of the Kim dynasty.

Photos and text by Patrick Aventurier/LightMediation

For more Pictures or Informations please contact – Thierry Tinacci – LightMediation Photo Agency – email: thierry[AT]lightmediation.com – mobile: +33.6.61.80.57.21

In the Philippines, they call this city « The Gun City. » For more than a century in Danao, the people have lived from making weapons. Pistols, revolvers or automatic weapons, they know how to do it all by hand. The City Hall set up a cooperative to legalize this activity. But in order to make more money,thousands of manufacturers continue to produce their weapons illegally…

Photos by Patrick Aventurier/LightMediation Text by Sebastien Farcis

For more Pictures or Informations please contact – Thierry Tinacci – LightMediation Photo Agency – email: thierry[AT]lightmediation.com – mobile: +33.6.61.80.57.21

Every year Ban Khok Sanga, Thai village where the cobra is king, celebrates the Buddhist New Year, Son Kran, using it as an occasion to venerate the Buddha and the cobra. The village owes its reputation to this ceremony. Visitors come from all over the country to be able to get close to the reptiles and to watch an extremely dangerous encounter during which the man has to dominate and then finish by trapping the reptile’s head with his mouth. This finale is called the kiss of death…

Photos and text by Patrick Aventurier/LightMediation

For more Pictures or Informations please contact – Thierry Tinacci – LightMediation Photo Agency – email: thierry[AT]lightmediation.com – mobile: +33.6.61.80.57.21

Amongst the turquoise waters of the Palawan archipelago, in the western Philippines, a man from Brittany in northern France is the only person in the world to have discovered the secret to producing a very rare jewel: the golden pearl. It’s a natural and fragile gem which is cared for like royalty. It takes 5 years for an oyster to produce one of these pearls, and the slightest shock during that time could ruin it…

Photos by Patrick Aventurier/LightMediation Text by Sebastien Farcis

For more Pictures or Informations please contact – Thierry Tinacci – LightMediation Photo Agency – email: thierry[AT]lightmediation.com – mobile: +33.6.61.80.57.21

Considered the cultural center of Bali, the village of Ubud has become, in a few decades, a prized tourist destination. Despite this success, the artistic microcosm has nonetheless managed to keep its identity and charm.

Photos and text by Marc Dozier/LightMediation

For more Pictures or Informations please contact – Thierry Tinacci – LightMediation Photo Agency – email: thierry[AT]lightmediation.com – mobile: +33.6.61.80.57.21

For centuries, the Balinese have strongly held on to their Hindu faith despite being a part of Indonesia, the largest Muslim country in the world. With a dedication to their traditional culture, desa adat, as well as being buoyed by an inherent sense of joy, the people of Bali have found the means to embrace their past while turning towards a promising future.

Photos by Remi Benali/LightMediation Text by Heather Robinson

For more Pictures or Informations please contact – Thierry Tinacci – LightMediation Photo Agency – email: thierry[AT]lightmediation.com – mobile: +33.6.61.80.57.21

Damaged by an earthquake in 1975, the temple had to be fully restored to become again « Bagan’s jewel », the epitome of an exceptional archeological site of 42km2 and displaying some two thousand monuments.

a Photo story by Marc Dozier/LightMediation

For more Pictures or Informations please contact – Thierry Tinacci- LightMediation Photo Agency – +33 (0)6 61 80 57 21 email: thierry[AT]lightmediation.com

The birthrate in Japan is plummeting and is one of the lowest in the world today. In the city of Tokyo, the birthrate in 2008 was 1.09 children per woman and according to official statistics: a full one third of Japanese couples did not have sexual relations in 2007.

A Photo report by Marc Roussel/LightMediation

For more Pictures or Informations please contact – Thierry Tinacci – LightMediation Photo Agency- email: thierry[AT]lightmediation.com – mobile: +33.6.61.80.57.21

Far from the Angkor temples going through staggering revival and tourist development, Cambodia shelters a handful of forgotten temples, unbeknownst marvels still left alone for some time.

Photos and text by Marc Dozier/LightMediation

For more Pictures and Information please contact – Thierry Tinacci – LightMediation Photo Agency – email: thierry[AT]lightmediation.com – mobile: +33.6.61.80.57.21

In Japan, gestures carry more weight than words.For centuries, postures and gestures have been worked,cultivated,codified. To such a degree that moving or remaining immobile, according to the rules, has become second nature.

A Photo story by Sylvain Savolainen/LightMediation

Contact – Thierry Tinacci – LightMediation Photo Agency – email: thierry[AT]lightmediation.com – mobile: +33.6.61.80.57.21