"NO PHOTO" is the ubiquitous non-greeting found in virtually every Night Entertainment Venue in the Kingdom.   And it is most often accompanied by an outrageous threat of fine to the customer (even though there is no law on the books against taking photographs).   But in the final analysis, is 'NO PHOTO' really the operant agendum?   We are about to find out there are more than a few exceptions.

      In an earlier era, it was quite acceptable to take photos in the A Go-Go bars, provided you asked permission prior to snapping away.   However, with the advent of 'Sex Tourism' and the explosion known as the Internet at the end of the last century (and the mountains of follow-on negative international publicity), bars put a stop to virtually all photography.   Door girls, door touts, mamasans, et al, with all the zeal of true converts, became aggressive, if not hostile at the sight of an unsheathed camera.   That mind-set, for the most part, prevails today.   (We were recently threatened by a door slug at the Crazy House because we walked past the front of the bar with a camera strung around our neck.)

VIDEO CLIP

      The various Night Entertainment Venues give a number of elaborate reasons as to why photography is banned in their Venues, however there is really only one legitimate reason: privacy for the young ladies working within.   Most of the dancers / hostesses have lives outside the 'bar arena', and would prefer that their employment in a bar area not be public knowledge.   All the rest of the reasons (with the possible exception of videotaping the cashier) are poppycock, but the girls' individual privacy is a legitimate concern - and should be heeded by all.

VIDEO CLIP

      But this does not mean that there is NO photography going on in the A Go-Go bars.   This photography falls into two major categories -
The first category, ' WITH knowledge of the management' is further broken down into "WITH the dancers' knowledge and permission", and "WITHOUT.".

      An example of photos properly taken in Nitespots is the Nana Group photos appearing regularly in the Stickman Weekly <link>.   And there are many other examples of photos legitimately taken inside bars - for example, many A Go-Gos have their own websites, which include their own 'permissioned' pix.   Also, there are a number of Thai Nightlife websites which have published photos taken in various bars, and have obtained prior permission.   (Note: these pix are almost always copyrighted, and should not be misused by others.)

      However, examples abound of bar owners/ managers abusing their position.   Many bar owners post photos on their websites without permission of the dancers.   Other bar owners create videos unbeknownst to the girls, some of which are shown to the public outside the bars, and others end up on YouTube or other Internet sites.   Several bars now have CCTV - taping virtually everything going on in their bars.   (A friend recently related that a dancer in a bar well-known for 'showing' was afraid to give him her phone number because they were being observed by a CCTV 'eye-in-the-sky'.)   This group of bar owners (to include some who have 'nanapong-type' shows) know who you are.

      The last group of 'gentlemen' who take pictures and videos in bars are those who do so surreptitiously and without permission.   Much of this ending up on YouTube and elsewhere is very low quality, and just plain sleazy - akin to those Japanese toilet-cam and Japanese shoe-cam videos that make their way onto the web.

      A last word of caution for those wanting to photograph the Nitescene - when shooting the ladies, get permission, take photos where it is allowed.   Best not to ruin your holiday to Thailand with an ugly bar scene, and perhaps a broken camera....

Graffiti #974
Tiare Tot
8 ft high x 13 ft

Graffiti #975
Eye Pandora
8 ft high x 9 ft

Graffiti #976
History In Copper
16 ft high x 65 ft  (Wrap-around)

Graffiti #977
Trash Talks
6 ft high x5 ft

Graffiti #978
Uptown Boy
8 ft high x 6 ft  (centerpiece)

Graffiti #979
Tiger Bomb
8 ft high x 29 ft

Graffiti #980
Long Worry
7 ft high x 12 ft