Leo Laksi’s Bangkok And Back

REA

Graffiti can always be interesting to photograph.  Because of its urban grittiness and creative designs, graffitti can be a living, breathing embodiment of inner city expression.  Even in Bangkok.  The letters “BNE”, in sticker and graffitti forms, are all over Bangkok and after awhile the triteness of this limited message is compounded by a sense of dreariness.  Not so in the free form expression found in graffiti.  Take a look around your city and try your hand at graffiti.

Photos taken with a Nikon D700 and Sigma 150mm f/2.8 macro lens.

60's pop look

Big and bold

Limited space

Sweets

Sometimes, people the world over are reluctant to take photos of strangers on the street.  There are all kinds of explanations for that reluctance.   Sure a photographer can sneak a shot but sometimes this only aggravates their feeling that they are doing something wrong.  Most of the time, my experience has been that the problem lies with the photographer’s feelings of fear of the unknown and not necessarily the subject’s reaction to having his photograph taken.  There are times when subjects may not react pleasantly and, if so, try smiling and move on.

There are a few ways for the photographer to become comfortable with street or documentary photography and that’s what I am going to discuss today.

Price of rice

• Locate an area where there are plenty of people engaged in some activity.  A street fair and weekend market come to mind but think of some location with plenty of people.
• If you are apprehensive about shooting people, shoot an activity or object as I have done in these photographs.  This is the first step.  Subjects can be less suspicious if they see you photographing activities and not them.
• Smile and make eye contact.  Talking  to them is a good thing.  They will feel less threathened and you can end up becoming part of the scene and not an intruder.
• If you feel the time is right, you should consider taking the shot.  If you’re uncomfortable, smile and ask them if it’s ok to take their photo.  You have nothing to lose.  If they say “no”, thank them anyway, smile, and move on.
• If the activity is an ongoing event, attend frequently.   After a while you end up being familiar to everyone and people will be more at ease with you.  They end up recognizing you as the “camera” guy (or gal).
• Practically every photo of people that I’ve posted on this blog is the result of this approach.  Sure, sometimes people will pose by smiling for the camera.  Others won’t.  Either way, you will become more comfortable with taking people photos.

Yes, even eggs

These photographs were taken today at a street market that I visit about every Sunday.  The vendors have seen me so many times that they sometimes smile at me as I approach.    Most of the time, they don’t pay attention to me.  When I first visited this location, I shot photos just like the ones here.  Food, food and more food.  I talked about the food, I smiled at the food and I bought food.

Deep-fried fish

Give this approach a try and see if it works for you.  Granted not all people and cultures are the same but you may find that this approach is universal and can be successful regardless of where you live.

Once you become more comfortable shooting people in the above manner, then you can branch out to other types of street shots.

More fish

Photographs taken with a Nikon D700 and either a Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 or a Sigma 150mm f/2.8 macro zoom lens.

Lots of chilies

Pigeons are waiting for you

Birdwatching and photography go hand in hand although sometimes the photography can be somewhat exotic, requiring longer lenses and well-developed skills to capture that perfect shot.  But you don’t have to travel to the country (or even to a park in the city) to try your hand at bird photography.  Most cities are home to flocks of pigeons, to the extent that they are considered pests.  But pigeons are easy to find and because they have become accustomed to people, one can move in and shoot away without spooking them.

But it doesn’t have to pigeons.  It can be seagulls, sparrows, really any birds that are common in your neighborhood.  For more photos, check out these photos of a child with pigeons in Vancouver, Canada.

The pigeon photos were taken with a Nikon D700 in and Sigma 150mm f/2.8 lens in Bangkok; the seagull with a Leica M8 with a Summilux 75mm f/1.4 in San Francisco.

Looking at me

Really looking at me

Slight difference

Another city bird

First sight when entering the temple

The Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho is a very difficult subject to shoot, mainly because of its length, the closeness to the figure itself and the large columns that support the roof.  You end up having to shoot head first, feet first or between the columns.  Because of the limited vantage points, a wide angle lens gives you enough “room” to capture the entire image.  However, I think the best shots are of the detailed areas of the Buddha and not necessarily the entire figure. The wide angle also affords a better view of some of  the intricate detailing on the ceiling and support columns.

Photos were captured with a Nikon D700 and 14-24mm f/2.8 zoom lens.

Straight up

Between the columns

Lengthwise

Two pillows high

Sikh man on train

One of the best ways to organize your photowalk is to pick a theme and then stick with it throughout the day.  On this particular day, the stroll through the train station picked the theme for me.  It didn’t take me long to decide to take photos of train passengers through the windows.  In picking a theme, you can then focus your attention on the photo itself.

For more information and photos of this train station, take a look at the posting prior to this one.

Photos taken with Nikon D700 and Sigma 150mm f/2.8 macro lens.

Reading

Day dreaming

Reading too

Waiting for the train

Waiting for the train

One of the best venues for photographs is the main railway station, Hua Lamphong.  As you would expect, the station is bustling with passengers in various stages of travel.  Mainly they are waiting for their trains to depart and in this lack of activity, are occupied in their own worlds.  Some daydream, some sleep, while others pass the time communing with others.

I spent a few hours at the station over the last couple of days and found the personal side of humanity compelling.  Most people had no objections to taking their photos and those that did say no, did so politely.   Photos at this venue are completely different from photos taken uptown, mainly because rail travelers in Thailand are not focused on the latest trendy clothes or accessories but merely going home to loved ones.

Although, it’s a marvelous site for photos of trains, the station and the hustle-bustle of activity, I decided to photograph the human side of the station.

Photos taken with a Nikon D700 and Sigma 150mm f/2.8 macro lens.

Looking up

Three men getting haircuts

Girl power

Passing the time

Magnetic smile

If you follow my blog, you know that I’ve  spent the last few Friday afternoons at Central World Shopping Center.  I like to schedule business meetings in the various coffee shops located there.  In addition to being a comfortable venue for meetings, Central World is also home to free indie concerts on Friday.   As a result, there is always a crowd of tweens roaming around.  When you toss in a handicrafts market in front of the massive mall, well, that spells an opportunity to get out your camera and fire away.

Photos taken with a Nikon D700 and Sigma 150mm f/2.8 macro lens.

Happy girl

Looking to buy

Boy tail

Really big glasses

Sweater and hat

Street fashion has always thrived in Bangkok.  The confluence of European design with modern Thai style has led to some dynamic and always interesting style and color combinations.  There is a large degree of confidence in the way younger Thais assemble their wardrobes.  Also take a look at my other recent postings from Central World for more examples.

There are some influences from Japan and perhaps Hong Kong, though these cities tend to be of  lesser importance and somewhat niche in their appearance.  If you want to see street fashions in Bangkok, spend some time around Siam Square, and other nearby shopping areas such as MBK, Siam Paragon and Discovery and Central World. These shopping destinations are all within one kilometer of one another.

Photos taken with a Nikon D700 and Nikkor DC 135mm f/2 lens.

Horizontal stripes

Red hair and tattoo

The man and..

...the woman

Casual and confident

Vendor on phone

For the last several weeks I’ve posted about the “twenty-something” street vendors selling handicrafts and other items on Friday  in the open space in front of Central World.  In addition to “real” handicrafts, some of which are being made on the spot, and the crowds of people, this area is ground zero for interesting photographs.  There is also live music that can add to your picture-snapping enjoyment.  It’s a great place to practice your street photography.

These photos of various vendors were taken with a Nikon D700 and Nikkor 135 DC f/2 lens.

Hey, I see you.

Waiting for the first sell.

Zebra vendor

Hat woman

Sometimes when you are out looking for something to shoot, one can overlook detail.  One of the exercises I learned early on is to look for and shoot detail.  Not the kind of the detail that requires a macro lens, but the kind of detail that can train your eye to look for a successful photo in a partial image of an object or person.  Perhaps go out on a photowalk with just an emphasis on hands as I’ve done in this series of photos.  Of course, it doesn’t have to be hands, almost anything will do.   How about car wheels?  Or tires.  Or windows.  Again you’re shooting for detail so partial images of objects are ok.

I’m not guaranteeing success with every shot but I do guarantee that you will develop an eye for detail that will make your photos stand out.

Photos taken with Nikon D700 and Nikkor DC 135mm f/2 lens.