Kelsey + Travis | Thailand Portraits

Kelsey and Travis just spent the last six months living in Mumbai, India, where Travis was working as a tennis pro. I’m a huge tennis fan, and I’ve shot the Australian Open a few times, so once we started chatting online about photography and tennis, we knew we were a great fit for a photoshoot together.

They had a holiday coming up in Thailand, I was working in Koh Samui at the time, so the stars aligned and we met in Chewang for an early morning stroll along what is, I have to admit, a pretty tired looking main drag. But we were on the hunt for images that were a little bit different, so backing off the beach and into the rundown parts of town actually worked really well for us.

We had big plans for the afternoon session, which were completely derailed by an epic car ride getting lost in the mountains (roads had been washed out by severe flooding the week before), and then a hike up a waterfall that severely tested my ability to breathe. Both Kelsey and Travis are, shall we say, just a tad fitter than me. I had to stop and catch my breath a few times as they bounded up the sheer slopes.

So, we decided to make up for the lost afternoon by having another late afternoon shoot at a great secluded beach area on the north side of the island the next day. And it couldn’t have worked out better. Plus, we got to hang out for an extra day, which was pretty awesome. Hopefully they’re moving to Phuket this fall, and it would be great to be able to see them from time to time. Maybe Travis can help me with my backhand.