Although I had previously visited Thailand in 1988, 1991, 2001, and 2002, my 2016 visit to Phuket included two firsts for me. It was the first time I had ever visited this southern resort city. It was also my very first visit to a Thailand without a reigning monarch. The country’s beloved King Bhumibol had died only seven weeks before this, my final visit, to Thailand, took place. His heir apparent, the Crown Prince, had yet to take the throne. The 88 year-old King had ruled Siam, (long since renamed Thailand) from 1946 to 2016, making him the world’s longest reigning monarch. (His grandfather was immortalized in the Broadway musical and film, “The King and I.”) The streets of Phuket were hung with black crepe, and memorial displays, such as this one in a large jewelry store, were plentiful. I used spot metering to make this picture, exposing on the white mums. The resulting image makes the background go black, suspending in space the golden framed painting of the king in his younger days, along with three exquisitely crafted memorial urns. I make the entire display float in darkness, a metaphor for grief and loss.