pagespicsPhotographing Thailand’s Urban Beaches
Posted on December 12, 2025
Pattaya and Hua Hin
Pattaya
It takes two hours to drive to Pattaya from Bangkok, making the city close enough for a weekend of photography. All life can be found there, from the young hip crowd seeking the thrills of Walking Street, tourists seeking sun and sand, and old men looking for cheap beer and company. It makes sense that life spills onto the beaches. The best time of day is when the sun starts to set, and the light is not so extreme.
Gear
I packed my trusty OM System EM5 due to its compact and discrete nature. In the bag went my 17mm 1.8 for Street Photography, and my 45mm 1.8 for portraits. Both these lenses work well when the light gets low. As always, the images were edited in Lightroom Classic, which is always improving at removing the noise created by the higher ISO required to shoot in the evening and at dusk.
The People We Meet…
Most people sporting tattoos are quite happy for their pic to be taken, and this bloke was no exception. As always, the moment past in a flash. I wish I had asked about the significance of 1992! Tattoos are something that are always on my shot list.
Hua Hin
Hua Hin is further from Bangkok than Pattaya. If the traffic is fair, then you can cover the distance in just over three hours. The vibe is very different and a lot more relaxed. There are a diverse range of bars and restaurants, ensuring a variety of activities and people to photograph. I was strictly on holiday mode and spent more time reading books than taking photos. Some time was spent playing with intentional camera movement (ICM), leading to the image below, which is more than a little inspired by Maggie from Gisborne Camera Club!
Happy Christmas
Well, that may be all from Pagespics until 2026. I will be in the South Island of New Zealand for Christmas and returning to Thailand in time to see Fat Boy Slim play in Phuket. My camera will be with me, so looking forward to lots of family pics and landscape photography.
Take care and keep clicking, Chris
Exploring Halloween Ghouls in Sukhumvit, Bangkok
Posted on November 3, 2025
Location, location, location
For Halloween I headed to Sukhumvit in the center for town and focused on the area between Soi Cowboy and Nana. This area is a notorious party zone with plenty of bars and clubs that spill out onto the street, offering ample opportunities for Street Photography. I was looking to capture portraits, rather than candid moments. I’m not sure I quite hit the brief as I failed to return with as many face shots as I hoped. However, as always, I had fun trying. There were certainly some great outfits to be found.
Did I Choose the Right Lens?
Photogenic characters can always be found along Sukhumvit in Bangkok, even when it is not Halloween. For this photo walk I took my OM System EM5. Shooting at night with a M4/3 (Micro four thirds) camera creates a lot of digital noise, which I fixed in Lightroom. Using a 35mm equivalent lens ensured I could go wide enough to capture the action. However, on reflection a more portrait orientated lens may have captured the finer details of the weird and wonderfully made-up faces of the night.
Like, follow, and what’s in the pipeline…
Like, follow, and share! I will be continuing to post tips and photo guides that will help lift your photography game. Planned but not promised, images that did not quite make it into the book, ‘The Bangalorean‘, even if they maybe should have!
That’s all for today folks as it is Sunday afternoon the evening is screaming for a movie to be watched. Take care and keep clicking, Chris
Exploring Chang Mai with the M.Zuiko 14-42mm Lens
Posted on October 19, 2025
Injury!
I have just returned from a week visiting Chang Mai, in Northern Thailand. My last visit was over 30 years ago, so unsurprisingly the city has changed a lot. A recent leg injury from an ill-advised game of football meant I could not explore to the degree I would have liked and required light packing. To keep weight down for this trip I chose my OM-5, mainly paired with my rarely used M. Zuiko 14-42 kit lens. For low light conditions I had the M.Zuiko 17mm, 1.8. One benefit of this setup is that it can be taken on board a plane as carry on, assuming not too much else is pushing the 7kg weight limit. Kit lenses are not known for their sharpness or contrast, so I was looking forward to how my images would look.
The M.Zuiko 14-42mm
This lens is incredibly small and light. It does not match the more pro lenses but holds its weight during day light hours. The full frame equivalent of this lens would be 28 – 84mm, so it works well for landscapes and portraits. The aperture is variable and opens within the ranges of 3.5 – 5.6, so will not capture beautiful creamy bokeh when taking headshots. The flip side of this is that it is easy to make sure everything is in focus! Digital Camera World has gone so far as to name this piece of kit, ‘the best pancake lens ever’.
Projects
Having a new country and home means there are new photography projects, and at the moment old cars are one of my ‘things’. In between visiting the many temples in Chang Mai, I found this rather nifty looking Volkswagen Beetle. The image is plenty sharp enough and helps cement the 14-42’s place in my camera bag. It is worth noting that the lens has an electronic zoom, which is not something I generally love as they tend to be slower to operate than their mechanical alternatives. Having an electronic zoom is one way the weight is kept to a minimum.
Conclusion
This lens will continue to be a favourite travel partner. It weights almost nothing and is one of the smallest lenses I own. It has a wide focal length, meaning it can shoot wide or close up, which in this instance may have saved my damaged leg from too much moving around. It struggles in low light, thus requiring a high ISO which leads to noisy images, admittedly, this is something that can be fixed to some extent in post-production.
So, if you are like me and have held your kit lens in low regard, you may wish to dust if off and give it another try. If you have an unsung hero in your camera bag I would love to hear about it in the comments below.
Take care and keep clicking, Chris
Exploring Thonburi: Hidden Gems of Bangkok
Posted on October 6, 2025
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
Street Photography Adventures in Dongguan
Posted on December 11, 2024
If you are thinking of wandering China with a camera, Dongguan is probably not your first place to visit. However, it has everything there for a great weekend of street photography. I headed for the alleys and the street vendors. I prefer grunge over the high-rise vistas of steel and glass. So, these photos do not accurately represent the city as a whole. Still, it provides a glimpse into the more miniature ‘urban village’ life. You would find the most wonderful Bao in the wicker baskets above. It is a steamed bun filled with either pork and vegetables or sweet red beans. Travel is not always about the photos but also about the food! The best food is often found around China’s famous wet markets.
Wet Markets
Many people have read about the wet Chinese markets after COVID-19. They really are a spectacular image of color and noise. The above photo was taken in the largest meat market in Dongguan. If this meat does not look fresh enough, the live chicken below is what you need. It will, of course, be butchered in front of you, and you get to keep the head and feet. You may not know that the chicken’s feet are more expensive than the breast meat. I don’t know what the other birds are, and I don’t want to know how they taste! Pigeon pie, anyone, or maybe it is a day for fish?
Fresh Fish
If you are looking for fish, there is plenty to offer. Carp is a popular river fish, while many salt-water friends are raised in intensive fish farms. The patterns of fish scales and the vivid colour of their entrails make for garish and slightly gruesome street photography. The busyness of these locations lets you get quite close to people. Most vendors are too active to care about a middle-aged photographer. A key takeaway is that the busier the location, the easier it can be to capture candid shots. Of course, it helps to have the right settings.
F9 and be there…
It has been a while since I spent the day with the camera stuck in this classic setting. I was using my Olympus Em5, and F5.6 was enough to guarantee that most of the frame was focused. Not quite so with the image below, but I think the shot still works. Lens choice also influences how sharp a photo is. I used the very portable and excellent M.Zuiko 17mm 1:8 fixed lens. This is a great piece of kit, cheap as chips, and absolutely perfect for street photography. For those who care, 17mm on an M4/3 camera is equivalent to 34mm on a full frame. This relates to how wide the camera lens is. Many Street Photographers shoot at 35mm, or 35mm equivalent.
You can break the rules…
The photo below breaks the rule of ‘come in from the left and head towards the right of frame.’ I realise that this image will irk some photographers. You can get quite lost looking in the background. Once you get past the lady at the front, it becomes interesting. So, I like it. Does it matter what others think? I would love to know your opinion: Is the photo a keeper or not?
Colour
Colour is always a good thing to look out for. This is true unless you are a fan of shooting in black and white. Who can resist the allure of orange and blue? I don’t know if I noticed this colour combination when I took the photo. In addition, it was luck that he was eating an orange. I guess the more you shoot, the luckier you get!
End Of The Day…
Most of my favorite shots are often at the start or end of the day. The light is at its best. People are busy in the morning, and in the evening, you catch the crowds unwind. This group of men were quite happy for me to take a few pics. They were too engrossed in the game to pay me much attention. Majong is played throughout China, often by the older generation with photogenic faces pressed in concentration. Be aware that there are some sketchy gambling laws in China. As a result, taking photos of people playing cards can be more of a challenge.
And People…
Street photographers are a nosy bunch. We like watching people, whether they are eating, arguing, or playing games. Sometimes, I want to slip in and out unnoticed. For example, when I took the above photo, I was discreet. Other times, I seek permission to capture an image. Having a small camera keeps everything discrete to a point. However, lately, I just like to stay still for a bit. On another note, 2025 may be my last year in China, although I hope not as I like it here. I want to make the most of it, so expect more adventures on my bike or on my feet.
Take care and keep clicking, Chris
The World’s Highest Street Photo.
Posted on July 14, 2018
Bit of a long post here, mainly a reflection on a great adventure. Feel free to read it or pass it over. If you just want to see the pics, then here is a link…
https://pagespics.com/himalayas/
A Story…
This is a tale of friendship, family, photography, and travel. Forgive me if I stray from the narrative of cameras and the like, but photography does not exist on an island. My claim to have captured the highest Street Photo in the World admittedly relies on a relatively restrictive definition of what this genre entails. However, I will leave the nit-picking of definitions to others. I believe a Street Photo usually has to be taken from a Street (duh) and in an urban environment. Komic, a small village in the Himalayan Mountains, fits this definition as it is the highest village in the world accessible by road, sitting at 4587m above sea level.
Proof I Made It (Photo by Taeko Page)
Photography Gear For Hot Climates
Posted on May 1, 2018
What do you need for a Days Street Photography in a hot country?
India is HOT at the moment. Currently, Bangalore is subject to brief, but heavy tropical rains. This weekend I found myself taking photos in one of the Cemeteries close the to centre of town. On the way to town, the skies turned black. By the time I arrived at the Graveyard the heavens had opened, and it was raining cats and dogs. I ran to the nearest area of shelter, on the edge of the cemetery and sat amongst the gravediggers waiting for the rain to subdue. Sometimes adverse conditions lead to opportunities, and I came away with photos to compliment a project I am currently working on.
Traveling with the Olympus EM5ii.
Posted on March 21, 2018
During the last couple of weeks, I have not been posting much online. I have been visiting a remote location with no wifi and a phone that ran out of credit. However, I have still been busy on a couple of projects. The photos will emerge at some point, so watch this space. Here is a little teaser of what I have been doing.
Karate Kid was happy to perform for the camera.
The Nilgiris Hills, India
I am fortunate to have spent the last week camping out with my Grade 6 class at the Nilgiris Hills, in Southern India. As well as being responsible for student wellbeing, I also had the task of photographing the week’s events. My gear of choice was the Olympus Em5ii with the 12-40mm and 25mm lenses. I am used to using this camera for a day’s photography. However, using it for a full week, from when I woke up to when I went to bed was going to show up its strengths and weaknesses.
Battery Life
I took two batteries with me; one is an official Olympus battery and one a cheap knock-off from China. In general, there was always a charging point nearby. However, the life of these batteries is still way shorter than with my Nikon D7100, which can run for days without a charge. A couple of tips, turn the screen around and just use the EVF. I also turned off the image stabilization for a lot of the time; mainly when there was a lot of sunlight. Mirrorless has caught up with DSLR’s in every aspect but battery life, and the Olympus range of cameras is no exception.
Lens Choice
The 12-40mm lens will remain my go-to choice for Street and People Photography. However, in this situation, there were times when I wished my lens had more reach. While nature photography is not my usual bag, if I see a wild animal then I damn well want to capture of shot of it. As well as a plethora of exciting bird life, I was privileged to witness a herd of wild Gaur, these are huge horned cows and are pretty dangerous. I managed to get reasonably close for a picture but would have loved a longer lens. The 12-40mm range also falls short when needed for sporting activities, such as abseiling. On the Street, I can get close to people, but with nature and sport, this intimacy is not so achievable. Olympus have a 12-100mm lens that would be ideal for this kind of camp, but I don’t think I would want to be using a lens that big and heavy every day. The strength of the 4/3’s system is, in part, due to its compactness.
A Wild Gaur. One of the few times I wish I had more reach with my zoom.
Firmware and User Experience
I had updated the firmware and lost my customized settings, and this meant I had to set my camera up once more. Re customizing my camera turned out to be a good thing, and I am now pretty happy with my settings, which I will share with you at some point. People criticise the controls of the Olympus cameras, but time spent customizing your Olympus camera will make it sing. While away I also had a chance to play with the pixel shift technology, for some reason the camera chose to shoot in Jpeg format, which while not ideal, helped to ensure that I got it right ‘in camera.’ However, this is not a feature I am likely to use much.
Landscape taken using the Olympus ‘pixel shift’ technology. Edited with a filter using On1.
Photos and Video Quality
Once again, I love the images captured with this camera. For a short period, I will leave the album up on this site (https://pagespics.com/nilgiris-camp/). The photos are a little different from my usual fare, but it is a great way to share the images with the students who came on camp. Again, I always shoot RAW to get the best out of my camera. To edit the multiple photos quickly, I used the synchronize option in Lightroom.
I do not usually use my Olympus for a lot of video. However, this may change as I am happy with the footage captured. The 5 axis image stabilisation worked a treat. You can see the final edited version of the movie on my YouTube channel. The image stabilization meant I could leave my tripod in the bag. Again, with Micro 4/3’s less is more! I love to travel light. My editing was carried out using iMovie, although basic, it is a piece of software that gets the job done, plus the price is perfect!
Final Thoughts
I had a great week, taking pics with my camera. I loved its compactness and versatility, and the photos look great. I would have liked the batteries to have had a better life and would have appreciated a little more length on the zoom. If I threw money at these issues, I could get a battery grip and the 12-100mm lens. However, there is no extra pay for taking photos when I am at work, so it would be hard to justify the cost. Adding these extra’s would also negate the advantage of the system’s compactness, plus I do not need either of these items for my Street Photography.
The Week Ahead.
Tonight I head for a brief stint in the UK, which is covered in snow. It has been a few years (at least) since I last experienced cold weather and I own NO warm clothes. Hopefully I will get a chance get out and capture a little Street Photography.
Street Photographers. We’re Fantastic.
Posted on December 13, 2017
We are Preservers of Our Time!
The ancient Egyptians mummified their Pharaohs, preserving the bodies forever, all be it in a somewhat gory manner. Today there is no need for it. Our photographs will help shape history. However, with the glut of pics that flood the net every day, which photos will stand the test of time? This issue has been particularly salient to me this week for two reasons. Firstly, I have had my annual cull as my hard disk was reaching the critical point. The cut tipped 1500 images, a sure sign I need to start slowing down and taking less, but better photos. The second reason history entered my chain of thought is that I have recently visited Tharangini, a traditional block printing company in Bangalore.
Finished Sari’s are stunning.
INSPIRATIONAL STREET PHOTOGRAPHER #9
Posted on November 29, 2017
Robert Capa
“What’s the point of getting killed if you’ve got the wrong exposure?”
Robert Capa
Robert Capa founded Magnum Photography, and as such is included in this series. Calling Capa Street Photographer does not do him or his work justice. Capa was a journalistic war correspondent. I include him in this series as his photos capture human activity and life on the streets. As Street Photographers, we can learn a lot from him.
Robert Capa
pagespics 