Exploring Thonburi: Hidden Gems of Bangkok

Photographs Of My New Home

I had never planned on living in Bangkok, but what a wonderful city to end up in. I am living close to Thonburi, on the west side of the river Chao Phraya River. Thonburi is the old capital of Thailand, and whilst the big lights of the city centre are far away, there are numerous areas for exploration on my side of town. Bangkok may well be a place for another photo project; however, it is a city that has been photographed from every angle by some very talented photographers. My heart has not settled on a project yet, but I am having some ideas.

Exploring Movement, or Bangkok at Night.

This image was captured with a slow shutter speed and took a fair amount of editing to get the look just right. Capturing this kind of image can be more about luck than judgement. As with many things, the more you do it, the luckier you get. The prompts of ‘Movement’ and ‘Night’ are two areas I will be exploring. Night has been done to death, so movement may be the way to go, or maybe ‘Night Moves’. Admittedly, ‘Night Moves’ sounds a little cheesy…

Cars (and Bars?)

Cars may be the way to go. Bangkok bars could get me into trouble! Bangkok does appear to have more than its fair share of old classic cars. Many of them looking like they have seen better days and are in various states of disrepair. Of course, this makes them much more photogenic. I found this example just round the corner from Wat Arun Temple. I could have posted a beautiful landmark instead of a car, but that would be boring. In addition, how can I compete with the millions of images already taken of these majestic buildings?

People

People are clearly my favourite subjects for photography. The above example is an environmental portrait of a barrel maker whose shop is in the heart of Thonburi. A ‘cooper’ is the title given to someone who makes barrels. Thank me if it comes up in a pub quiz. In China I worked on getting to know the people I took photographs of, so this may be a way forward.

Thats All Folks

Well, that is all for now, and I promise I will try and be more regular with my blog posts. I certainly have no excuse of there being nothing to photograph. If anything, there is too much. It excites me to be back in a place full of vibrant street photography opportunities. However, this time I am looking for more than just street photography, and I am loving the journey.

Take Care and Keep Clicking, Chris