MAI LA THAI
Editorial Features
PUBLICATION
CONTEXT
Forbes editorial features spanning aviation, motorsports, automotive, and travel, often involving specialized access and on-location production.
ROLE
Editorial Photographer
SCOPE
Photographed each feature on location, choosing the moments, angles, and images that best supported the story.
RECOGNITION
The U-2 feature was selected as a Forbes Editor’s Pick.
Part 1:
'Scuse Me While I Kiss The Sky: What It's Like To Fly In A SupersonicT-38 Talon
ABOUT THE SHOT
Photographed on the flight line
at Beale AFB just before the
T-38's takeoff.
AS PUBLISHED IN FORBES
Writer Jim Clash gives thumbs up that he is ready to go in the
T-38 at Beale AFB
Photograph: Mai La Thai
Part 2:
U-2's 'Michelin Men' Pilots Go High, Stay Low Key
ABOUT THE SHOT
Photographed from the passenger seat of the U-2 chase car as the aircraft touched down.
AS PUBLISHED IN FORBES
Chasing the U-2 at 120 mph in a Dodge Charger on the Beale AFB runway is no easy task.
Photograph: Mai La Thai
Pocono Raceway Gives Verizon IndyCar Fans More Than Just A
Thrilling Race
ABOUT THE SHOT
Inside the pit capturing the intensity and split-second choreography of the crew before Will Power returned to the race.
AS PUBLISHED IN FORBES
Team Penske's Will Power won the 2017 Pocono 500, despite being a lap down at one point.
Photograph: Mai La Thai
PUBLICATION
CONTEXT
What began as a volunteer boatbuilding experience became a story idea after a board meeting made me realize the organization could benefit from greater visibility. I pitched the story to WoodenBoat.
ROLE
Writer
Photographer
Story Originator
SCOPE
A firsthand experience that later became a story I pitched, wrote, photographed, and brought to publication.
IMPACT
One original pitch resulted in two placements in WoodenBoat No. 270, Currents and Launchings. In 2019, annual contributions rose 217% year over year, reaching their highest level in the
years reviewed.
After the pandemic shutdown, funding gradually recovered. By 2024, when my second story appeared in WoodenBoat No. 299, the organization had reached its strongest post-pandemic financial position to that point, with growth continuing into 2025.
Currents
WoodenBoat · No. 270 · September/October 2019
FROM THE ARTICLE
“I am a photographer and artist with zero experience in woodworking, let alone boatbuilding. Yet, I wanted to jump right in.
The most handiwork I had done before this experience was to assemble office furniture with an Allen wrench.
Soon, I found myself operating industrial equipment and power tools. They trusted me to design and build parts for the boat, including the rudder and various components.”
AS PUBLISHED IN WOODENBOAT
“By chance, Mai La Thai got started in boatbuilding in New York City by wandering into the Village Community Boathouse
in Manhattan.”
Launchings
WoodenBoat · No. 270 · September/October 2019
ABOUT THE SHOT
Photographed from Pier 40 on launch day. Later, after others had taken turns rowing, I joined the DAVID T. HEIM as a guest rower, my first time rowing the boat I had helped build.
AS PUBLISHED IN WOODEN BOAT
“In February 2019, volunteers at the Village Community Boathouse on Pier 40 in New York City celebrated the launching
of the DAVID T. HEIM, a 25'
rowing gig…”
Photograph: Mai La Thai
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Currents
WoodenBoat · No. 299 · July/August 2024
Celebrating 50 Years · 1974–2024
ABOUT THE SHOT
Detail of the rudder and tiller of the HUDSON STAR, the new racing gig built at the Village Community Boathouse in Manhattan.
AS PUBLISHED IN WOODENBOAT
Five years after my first story, I returned to document the building of HUDSON STAR, a reconstruction of the historic 1824 AMERICAN STAR. The story appeared in Currents during WoodenBoat’s 50th anniversary year.
Photograph: Mai La Thai
