A wet Songkhran on Silom Road today

 

"Backpack tank for squirt gun"

“Wet n wild”

For the first time in ten years, I celebrated Songkhran, the Thai New Year, in Thailand.  Usually I duck the holiday by travelling abroad for the first two weeks in April.  This year I cancelled a trip to Japan and found myself spending this week in Bangkok.

"Getting ready to squirt"

Usually people in Bangkok celebrate on Silom or Khao San Road.  It’s one big water fight with all manner of water weapons, from the smallest squirt gun to a shoulder weapon that is similar in size to a RPG launcher.  Some celebrants resort to throwing ice cold water from buckets.  And then there’s the fire hydrants.  Quite a wet day.  Nowadays, partiers also smear a water-soluble powder on faces as you can see from some of these photos.

Silom was closed to traffic for the day and there must have been fifty thousand “water babies” engaging in hand to hand combat at five paces with water guns.  And the smeary powdery liquid.  Although it sounds like the makings of a disaster, it was great fun.

For today’s raucous time, I used my Nikon D300s and the AF-S Nikkor 70-300mm f4.5-5.6 VR zoom lens.  I didn’t want to risk other more expensive lenses, knowing that the lens (and camera) would get a soaking.  As a ready holster, I used my waterproof Ortlieb shoulder bag, unzipped.  Although the camera came under some “attack” from the squirt guns, all in all, it survived with no problems.  After I reached home, I thoroughly dried the camera and lens.  Good as new.

At times, I thought I should have brought another lens or two (14-24 or 24-70 zoom lenses) but felt it was wiser to restrict potential disaster to one lens.  Afterwards I realized that I should have used my AF-D 28-200mm f3.5-5.6 for its wider angle instead of the 70-300.  Oh well, there’s always next year.

"Posing for the pic"

"Didn't get me"

"Time to get wet"

Part 1. Planning a trip up the Mekong River – From Phnom Penh to Pakse

Map of Cambodia

Several years ago I began thinking about a trip up (or down) the Mekong River from its source on the Tibetan Plateau 4350 kilometers away from its delta near Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.  It’s a river diverse with flora and fauna, sadly under attack by countries along its length for its hydroelectric potential.  Of course “hydroelectric potential” translates into damming the river.

Before the Mekong “disappears” under one dam project after another, I decided that I must see the river.  The upper reaches of the river have been subjugated by dams in China.  The lower reaches are still dam free although for how long is subject to discussion.

I am kicking off this discovery in early February with a leg known for its magnificent waterfalls in southern Laos and the Irawaddy dolphins, a endangered species that still lives in small numbers in this area of the Mekong River. I will be traveling by car from Phnom Penh, Cambodia to Pakse, Laos.  Along the way I intend to tweet my journey and post to this blog.  The objective of the trip is to photograph the waterfalls, the river, and life along the river.

This trip will head north east via highway 7 to Kratie, famous for its small pod of  Irawaddy dolphins, then thru the town of Stung Treng before crossing the border into Laos.  Between the border and Don Khong are the mighty waterfalls that brought the French ambition to travel by ship to interior China to a dead end.

In Part 2 of this series, which I will post in the coming days, I will discuss the equipment I am bringing on this trip.

Sunflowers in Thailand with Nikon D700 – a rainy day.

Sunflowers on a rainy day.

One of the most popular pastimes this time of year is to drive to the Saraburi area 100 km north of Bangkok to look at the planted fields of sunflowers.  I’m talking about sunflower fields that sometimes nearly touch the horizon.  In sunny weather, these flowers broadly open and track the sun from sunrise to sunset.  At night and in less than ideal conditions, the flowers slightly close up so that their appearance isn’t as spectacular.

On this day, there was an uncharacteristic steady fall of rain that detracted from their appearance.  And heavy cloud cover.   However, rain (or water) can add a sheen and a richness in color that can be beautiful.

In sunny weather, you might consider bringing a water mister on your next outing for sunny flower photos.   And water drops can be beautiful.

Photos taken with a Nikon D700 and Nikkor Fisheye AF-D  16mm f2/8 or Nikkor AF-D 85mm f/1.4 lenses. Sunflowers located in the Khao Yai area of Thailand.

Put a little motion in your photos – prefocus and slow speed.

Slow shutter speed guarantees visible motion in street photos.

In the digital age, it’s much easier to experiment and develop your own style.  You take the shot and then you instantly review the results.  Nothing could be easier than that, right?  With super accurate autofocus and precise metering DSLRs, one is in a position to take that perfect shot.  And stopping motion.  Try your hand at something just a bit different.  Try taking a shot where motion is an element of the picture.  In other words, you want to see motion.  It seems unnatural in some ways but you may find yourself taking flawed but still interesting photographs.  And motion-oriented photos do convey a feeling.

These photos were taken a couple of months ago with a Leica M8 and Carl Zeiss Biogon 21mm f/2.8 lens.  I prefocused the camera and set the aperture speed at 1/45 and 1/60 sec.  I shot from the hip, through the viewfinder and then over head.  I can’t guarantee your results but you may find yourself taking photos that will be out of the ordinary.

The "hand-twirled" ice cream maker in motion.

Camera high overhead and prefocused.

Food on face.

Old school look.

More photos with the Nikkor 16mm f/2.8 fisheye lens.

Pass on by.

I’ve having so much fun with this fisheye lens.   For me, it’s important to have a subject in the foreground as it draws the viewer into the photo.  The placement of the subject can be experimented with.  Remember that distortion is less in the center of the frame than the edges  where the barrel distortion becomes obvious.   And the more you shoot, the better your photo becomes.   Ideally this lens is at its sharpest around f/7 and a couple of stops past.

Photos taken with Nikon D700 and Nikkor AF 16mm f/2.8 D fisheye lens.

Grilled pork.

Near and far.

Motorcycle taxi.

Really a Christmas tree.

Nikon D700 with Nikkor AF 16mm f/2.8 fisheye lens in Bangkok

No, the dog is not that LARGE.

Fisheye lenses have always been a bit difficult to figure out and most photographers don’t get beyond the relegation of this type of lens to the “don’t have to have” bin.  With it’s extreme barrel distortion, images take on a look that are far beyond an accurate depiction of the captured scene.  Straight lines on the edges bend and curve to the point that sometimes the lens becomes little more than a novelty act.

Yet fisheyes can be useful in drawing one’s attention to the subject of the photo.  Since distortion isn’t  quite as severe towards the center of the photo, that part of the image can retain a connection to the actual appearance of your target.  With slight distortion still present, it lends a perspective that is familiar yet somewhat different.  It’s in these situations the fisheye is at its best.

Photos taken with a Nikon D700 and Nikkor AF 16mm f/2.8 fisheye lens.

Chinese doughnuts in the round.

Centered on the vendor.

Street vendor.

Plain bagel.

Graffiti on Sukhumvit in Bangkok

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

Too shy to photograph people on the street? Step 1

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

Shooting city birds with a Nikon D700 and Leica M8. Good practice.

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

Shooting the Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho in Bangkok with a 14-24mm wide angle lens.

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