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Image Gallery
They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, and it must be said that Thailand, and especially Hua Hin, is a very photogenic place that you have to see rather than have described. The Citizen Gallery is where you can show off your images, whether they are of Hua Hin, Thailand or elsewhere, and whether they capture beauty, humour, incidents, events or just something interesting. Please share them, for everyone else to enjoy.
The below article is a welcome insight into our home by well known local photographer, Patrick Jacobs, who regularly delights anyone who follows his Facebook page, Foto’s by Patrick Jacobs, with stunning images, an example of which is below.
Hua Hin Through the Lens of a Photographer
I have been living in Hua Hin for more than sixteen years. During that time, I have seen the city grow and change, but one thing has never shifted: Hua Hin is, and remains, a fishing town. Royal palaces may rise above the coastline, and tourists may come and go with the seasons, but behind this façade is the real heartbeat of the city—the men and women who live by the sea and started this town around 1840. Their lives depend on the tides, their work is physically demanding, and their future is never guaranteed. Yet day after day, they return to the shore to mend nets, prepare boats, and set out again into uncertain waters.
One of the most intimate moments I have witnessed recently is a scene that speaks of both struggle and continuity: a small wooden boat carrying three generations. A grandfather, a father, and a young child, all bent over their nets, cleaning and repairing them together. It is a picture of tradition, resilience, and survival. For me, photography is not only about beauty; it is about preserving these fragments of daily life—fragments that might otherwise be overlooked in a world too focused on comfort and speed.
Hua Hin is often known as a seaside town of palaces and tourists, yet at its core it remains a fishing village. Through my Hua Hin photography, I focus on the fishermen who give this town its soul—capturing their daily lives, struggles, and timeless connection with the sea.
My first book, Hua Hin: When There is a Sea, There Will be Fishermen, (now sold out) grew from this fascination. The project was realised during the quiet years of the COVID pandemic, when Hua Hin was nearly empty. On my daily walks along the shore, I met almost no one apart from monks on their alms rounds and fishermen returning from the night’s work. Those encounters became my window into the soul of the town. The fishermen were not only subjects for my lens; they became a reminder of resilience and dignity in difficult times.
The early morning remains the best time to photograph them. At sunrise, the world feels unspoiled and full of promise. The air is fresh, and the light ever-changing. Depending on the season, the sky can shift from deep blue to glowing gold, from fiery orange to the softest pastels. These brief hours are when Hua Hin shows its true face, before the markets come alive, before tourists arrive at the beaches, and before the day fully begins
Through my photography, I try to shine a light on this way of life. These men and women, often working with little recognition, form the backbone of Hua Hin. They are not simply figures in my photographs; they are a source of inspiration and a reminder of what ties us to the sea.
This article is only the beginning. Hua Hin continues to inspire me with its stories, its people, and its daily rhythms. In future publications, I look forward to sharing more of these moments—both through words and through images—so that the fishermen of Hua Hin, and the life they represent, are never forgotten.
Patrick Jacobs
Video Gallery
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