Bangkok Transport System (BTS)
Regular readers of my blog will know that when things go quiet it’s because I’ve been busy with… well, you know… work. Yes, one of the drawbacks of being a working photographer is that occasionally one has to actually work. Hence the paucity of blog posts in recent weeks, for which I offer my humble [...]
Grief in Bangkok, hooray for Hanoi.
Bangkok is slowly returning to normal and news of photo workshops in Hanoi, Vietnam.
A postcard from Paris and news of Bangkok Photo School courses for summer 2010
A selection of black and white images from Paris from a couple of hours stroll and news of new courses for the summer at the Bangkok Photo School
Vietnam Media Tour 2009
So, last week I was in Vietnam photographing as part of a media delegation. As guests of the Vietnamese National Tourism Authority we were treated especially well and although I’m generally happy as long as I have a warm bed and some means of boiling water for tea, the opportunity to stay in five-star luxury [...]
You can’t beat old ladies
As we’re heading back to Chinatown on Saturday for the Bangkok Photo Walk I thought I’d dig out a few images from the area. All of these have been taken on recent Photo Workshops. I photographed these two ladies on Sunday when out with the incomparable Larry. Larry’s a diving photographer and more used to [...]
Home again, home again…
Just about to set off for the return trip to Bangkok after a busy but really enjoyable two weeks back in the Old Country. It’s been great to catch up with friends and family and those familiar faces and places offer a sense of stability and security in my changeable world. I seem to be [...]
Nepal: Beside the Bagmati
Many visitors to Nepal take the opportunity to see Pashupatinath. A stone’s throw from Kathmandu, Pashupatinath is home of one of the country’s most important Shiva temples. More often known in Nepal as Bhairab, Shiva is the destroyer and also the creator. The temple stands on the banks of the holy Bagmati river, a place [...]
Nepal: Around Boudha Stupa
Bonhnath, or Boudha, is the site of one of the world’s largest Buddhist stupas. The local Tibetan community refer to it as Boudha, Tibet, such are the numbers of Tibetan exiles living in the area, yet it is only a few miles from central Kathmandu. Adherents circumamulate the stupa from before dawn to beyond dusk, [...]
Nepal: Sisters in Bhaktapur
I teach a number of photographic workshops in Asia which are invariably good fun and I tend to get as much out of them as I hope my students do. However, one of the techniques that I can’t teach on a workshop is the “wait and watch” technique. It’s served me very well over the [...]
Nepal: The streets of Bhaktapur
Bhaktapur is about a forty minute drive from Kathmandu. It’s one of the places I visited on my first trip to Nepal, nearly a decade ago and holds fond memories. I also went to nearby Changu Narayan on that trip and would liked to have returned there this time but, sadly, it wasn’t to be [...]
KUL-BKK-KTM
Just to confuse you, I’m currently in Nepal but posting pictures from Malaysia. Confuse you! Who am I kidding? My camera is set to local Bangkok time, my laptop still thinks it’s in Kuala Lumpur and my trusty GPS device is telling me that it’s in a village somewhere outside Kathmandu. Fancy synchronising the metadata [...]
Links, Kinks and High Jinks
Today, I’ll be mostly flying to Kathmandu. For anyone not familiar with ‘The Fast Show’ and ‘Jesse’s Diets‘ that reference will be lost. Whilst in Nepal, I hope to re-create the manly pose favoured by these two rugged individuals. This shot of me and my good friend Matthijs taken at Annapurna Sanctuary in 2004. Taken [...]
Photographs of the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur by day and night
I’m working in Kuala Lumpur for the Malaysian AIDS Council and have managed to snag a hotel room with a direct view of the impressive Petronas Towers. When I arrived this afternoon the daily monsoon downfall was imminent, the dark clouds making for a great backdrop. At dusk I was treated to a different view [...]
Mae Klong, Cha’Am and Hua Hin
I managed to escape for a day last week whilst scouting out possible locations for a forthcoming Photo School weekend workshop and headed towards Hua Hin, stopping at a variety of potential photo hot spots along the way. I’ve picked out a few images from the day, which proved to be great fun. Standing in [...]
Postcard from Ko Samet: On working hard and dunking monks.
I fear that this post might not do much to dispel the myth that travel photographers have it easy. Those who know no better assume that we swan about on tropical beaches, stumbling over the occasional shot before retiring to sip piña coladas beneath palm-fringed canopies with the warm, turquoise water lapping gently at our [...]
Nong Khai Railway Station, Thailand
Crossing the border from Laos to Thailand was straightforward and relatively swift so there was time to play at Nong Khai station before boarding the overnight sleeper back to Bangkok. This seemed to be the only train coming through the station that evening and it was there hours before departure time, giving me the opportunity [...]
Wat Si Saket, Vientiane, Laos
I think of all Vientiane’s beautiful temples, Wat Si Saket is by far my favourite. The Lonely Planet guide suggests that it is “in dire need of a face-lift” but I have to disagree. I think that some things are best left and seeing the temple spruced up would remove the essence of what makes [...]
Pha That Luang
Laos’ most important national momument is Pha Chedi Lokajulamani, “World Precious Sacred Stupa”, and representations of the golden stupa appear on the national seal, currency, postage stamps, Laos TV idents and countless other places. The stupa is built on the site of a former Khmer temple which dates back to the 11th century and is [...]
Looking for lunch in Vientiane
I’m just about to jump in a tuk-tuk and head to Friendship Bridge before beginning the overnight journey back to Bangkok but thought you’d enjoy these two samples of Laotian fare: spicy sausages wrapped in banana leaves and some kind of frog or toad, ready for roasting. Gentle reader, I must report that I declined [...]
Loving being back in Vientiane but noticing changes
It’s been over five years since I last came to Vientiane in Laos and things have clearly been changing. The hotels are more in number and the new ones are modern and swish. The little JoMa cafe which was once a candidate for “Best cafe in the world” with its rustic charm, freshly-baked pastries and [...]
On the night train to Nong Khai
The overnight sleeper train from Bangkok (Hualamphong Station) to Nong Khai is a popular and inexpensive way for people to travel from Thailand to Laos. The First Class sleeper consists of just two fold-up beds in a lockable compartment with a small sink and firmly locked windows. Unfortunately, it’s winter in Thailand at the moment [...]
Excursion to Ko Kret Island
A trip up the Chao Phraya river in Bangkok is one of my favourite journeys in the world. I’m at a loss to be able to explain why, to be honest. Bangkok doesn’t have the iconic landmarks on offer beside the Thames or the Seine and the Chao Phraya doesn’t have the spritual associations of [...]
Dancing with Matt
If you’ve come anywhere near an Internet-enabled computer in the last two years you will undoubtedly have enjoyed Matt Harding’s dancing travel videos. Well, after the New York Times declared Matt’s Dancing video to be an “almost perfect piece of Internet art”, World Hum have just announced that Matt is their Traveller of the Year [...]
Scenes from Victory Monument
I was taking photographs at Bangkok’s Victory Monument this morning. The large roundabout forms a transport hub in the centre of the city and, as you can see, is crowded with buses, taxis, cars, bicycles and tuk-tuks at ground level with a pedestrian walkway circling the roundabout and a higher level carrying the BTS Skytrain. [...]
