Morning trip to Thailand's west coast (part 1)

My last post lamented that it had been three years since my previous post to this blog, but that I had continued to shoot (frequently), so I have lots to catch up on and present here.

Rather than go too much back in time, here are some images from a recent trip down to Ban Bang Tabun on Thailand's west coast, and a trip round the salt ponds.  More of salt production in part 2 of this post.

Let's kick off with the sunrise that morning from the river mouth, requiring a 4am start from Bangkok.  I have some great sunrise shots from the drone - but saving these for another post!

We then took a brief road trip to the local dawn market at the river by Wat Koh Kaew (วัดเกาะแก้ว).

Not a ship's mast . .

. . but a "faux" mast on a concrete jetty.

Quaint houses adjacent to small ponds were to be seen on the way to market, as well as locals going about their business by boat.

As the only foreigners at this local market we were overwhelmed by the friendliness of the local people towards us. I guess not many tourists venture to this market which is well off the beaten track.

It's been a while (video) . .

. . in fact three years since I've posted to this blog.  I guess life intervened.

Nevertheless, I've continued shooting, have loads and loads of images, never posted, and I bought a drone, a DJI Phantom 3 Advanced.  What better way to kick off my return from absence with some images and a quick video.

These were all shot on Thailand's west coast, near Chaam.

Video: Please do watch this in HD in case your settings have defaulted to lower quality.

Testing cinemagraphs

Testing a cinemagraph with the X-T1.

I've been "X"ed!

Out of the blue a camera comes along which makes one think that yes, I'm carrying too much gear and beginning to overlook the joy of photography. This isn't helped by the constant stream of new innovations, improved technology and of course marketing which leads to gas.

I'm talking of Gear Acquisition Syndrome, and not "wind", and which I believe many of us have become afflicted with over the last several years, particularly the last two or three.

But quietly, one firm has been developing and improving a new breed of camera (lets not go into techie details) and which has culminated (so far) into a little marvel, negating the weight and bulk of the equipment I've simply been stockpiling as I need this lens, or that or those . . .

I've been following this firm's progress, waiting to decide when to jump in, and now's the time. Yup, I've gone "X".

Recently I acquired a Fuji X-T1, and boy, has its performance surprised me . . massively. This is the camera that'll make me sell all my DX lenses, bodies (d80, d300, d7000),  add-ons, and add-ons, and add-ons and . . .

I won't belabour things here - each day brings a new review, and a new "follower" of the camera, to the internet . . a quick search of "Fuji X-T1 review" will bring you all the up-to-date info you need. Almost universally the reviews are good; like all cameras there are a few flaws, but in my view they are minor.

The best thing is to put one in your hands, and play.  And see what it can do.


Some examples: 

This series was shot at 1/640th, into bright sunlight.  No compensating flash.




f4, 1/30th at ISO 6400 in a dull room:
 


Old habits die hard, and HDR/digital blending is easy, i.e. in taking the several images you want is as easy as on a dslr - maybe easier.
 


f8, 20secs at ISO 100 - even night shots are "cool":
 


f4, 1/90th, ISO 200 - shot as jpg, not raw.
 


And for really low light: f2.8, 1/45th, ISO 6400. I was impressed.
 


As the song goes, "I'm a believer" . . My task now, "should I choose to accept it" is to ensure I don't go mad and start buying lenses, filters, flash units, etc . . BEFORE I have sold my (or elements of) DX gear. That said, this "tape will self-destruct in 5 seconds".

A brighter dawn for Thailand?

With the news that Thailand's self-appointed leader of the People's Democratic Reform Committee declared another push to uproot the so-called "Thaksin regime", urging people to come out and protest en masse on Sunday; I thought we could do with some uplifting images.

 Perhaps in hope, one way or another, for a brighter future for Thailand

The tattoo'd lady.

Many people think of Bangkok's notorious Nana Plaza area as a nighttime haunt for single (and oftentimes married) men looking for a good time. It is certainly a great place for people watching.

In fact Nana rarely if ever actually shuts. It maybe quietens down around 4am as the bars have closed, but not the unofficial bamboo carts that have set-up for those looking for a last drink or nightcap before going home. It also catches the disco-goers at 5am as they wend their merry way home (or to others' homes, or hotels).

But come 7 or 8am bars open again, hoping to catch the foreign maybe hungover tourist seeking a cheap breakfast, more often than not an English breakfast with toast and coffee or tea; the "full monty". It's not unusual to see westerners with a beer in hand as early as this, perhaps trying the hare of the dog remedy; or perhaps they are just off the plane, and bodyclocks have not adjusted to the Bangkok timezone.

In any event, even during daytime Nana is great for people (and girl) watching.

In search of sunrise

It has been many moons since I last blogged. April 2012, in fact. Anyway, this is not so much a blog entry, but a posting of images from a trip this morning in "search of sunrise", and as the first few images show, we got there ahead of the sun.

We were early enough that we caught the monks out on their morning alms.

Then on down to the river's edge only to discover that it was a dull and misty morning. The sun had just come up above the horizon, but we couldn't yet see it.

But at last, it made its appearance.

It was a very misty start to the day. Down at the jetty, next to a temple, there were numerous dogs hovering around.

Since we didn't find a decent sunrise, we went off in search of a decent breakfast, and visited a floating market.

Some of the sights at the market:

A nice easy drive back to town, and a stop at lunchtime for a pleasant cooling ale, (or few). As we were getting into our car in the car park, at last heading home, a merry mix of masseuses from across the road bade us a fond adieu.