“Boy and Fish” Photograph

This young boy couldn’t quite decide which was more interesting: the fish in the fancy tanks or the farang (westerner) standing behind them. In the end the fish won.

Photograph taken at “Saturday Walking Street”, Chiang Mai, Thailand

“Ring of Faces” Photograph

I have no idea what had caught the attention of these women, it could have been a cute dog, some tasty-looking street food, an eye-catching stall or perhaps a street performer. Whilst taking these photographs I usually concentrate on the people so much that I don’t actually notice the market itself.

I like this photo as an example of a tightly-cropped picture that still has room for empty space.

Photograph taken at “Sunday Walking Street”, Chiang Mai, Thailand

“Female Family” Photograph

Three female generations sticking together in the crush of a busy street market.

Sometimes it works quite well when somebody gets in the way when taking a photograph. This is a composition I would not have planned, and this is part of the reason why I like shooting from the hip as compositions are less restricted by my limited ideas of a balanced composition through the viewfinder. This shows me that I need to loosen up when composing photographs but that’s a skill that doesn’t come automatically to me so for now I release some compositional control by shooting from the hip instead. Sometimes it's a disaster, sometimes it works well.

Photograph taken at “Sunday Walking Street”, Chiang Mai, Thailand

“Stretching” Photograph

Could this perhaps be a cat in a stray dog’s body?

Photograph taken at a temple in Rangsit, Bangkok, Thailand

“Ear Boy” Photograph

Young kids so easily get lost in their own world unrestricted by self-conscious concern about what others might think. At some point the idea of his “image” will develop and he’ll stop walking around pulling his ears. Unless, of course, that’s the image he chooses to portray.

Photograph taken at “Saturday Walking Street”, Chiang Mai, Thailand

“Hands Up” Photograph

Of all the possible explanations for why this man has his arms up like this (my favorite being that it’s a result of a domestic argument still raging in his head), unfortunately, the reality was just a mundane hair-checking.

Photograph taken at “Sunday Walking Street”, Chiang Mai, Thailand

“Road Busker” Photograph

Not quite in the middle of the road this man has chosen an unlikely place to sit and busk – just where two busy roads merge and people passing by are generally too worried about their own safety whilst crossing the road to enjoy his music. He is also sitting in full sun on a very hot day, wearing black.

But perhaps this isn’t such a bad place after all. People feeling the heat and stress of dodging traffic perhaps have more sympathy for somebody suffering even more than they are. His takings don’t look much but they might have been removed to enhance the effect.

I couldn’t actually hearing his playing above the traffic noise.

Photograph taken in Rangsit, Bangkok, Thailand

“Shy Seller” Photograph

This lady hiding at the back of her market shop is clearly hoping her goods can speak for themselves. It could be that she was just waiting for a busier period before emerging from under her hat but she is exactly the type of stall-holder I like – one who leaves me alone. Unfortunately, her goods didn’t suit me.

Please also note that her electric fan has lost its front grill and the whirring blades, although only plastic, are quite capable of mangling any unwary fingers.

Photograph taken in Rangsit, Bangkok, Thailand

“Hanging On” Photograph

Whatever she is explaining, he doesn’t seem convinced.

The different ways that couples hold on to each other are quite interesting. Unless it’s mutual hand-holding it seems that there is usually just one of the two people doing the “holding”. Yesterday’s photo was another example with a different type of couple.

Photograph taken at Saturday Walking Street”, Chiang Mai, Thailand

“Armhold” Photograph

She has a good grip on him and he’s not going to get away so easily. But in general the younger generations in Thailand, who haven’t been too strongly influenced by the western approach, still automatically accept the responsibility to directly care for their older generations.

I speculate that the man in this photograph is the woman’s son and that they probably still live together as an extended family with her receiving the care she needs whilst helping out with childcare and cooking.

Photograph taken at Saturday Walking Street”, Chiang Mai, Thailand

“Waiting” Photograph

“Jai yen” is an important characteristic in Thai culture and means calm or patient (literally “cool heart”). Losing your temper here means you also lose face. This guy was just about keeping his but if whatever he was waiting for took much longer I suspect he may have become a bit “jai rawn” (“hot hearted”).

Photograph taken at Saturday Walking Street”, Chiang Mai, Thailand

“Bus Windscreen” Photograph

Taken through a bus window in between wiper swipes, this picture shows a strangely large gap in the traffic. Rainfall usually slows everything down to the extent that there aren’t any gaps in the traffic anymore. The answer lies in how bus drivers are often too lazy to pull over at bus-stops, instead just stopping in whatever lane they are traveling in at the time. This is what our driver did, to avoid the awkward parked car on the left, and only one car from behind managed to squeeze passed before we set off again.

Photograph taken somewhere in Bangkok, Thailand

“Hi Up There” Photograph

It is high up here, little boy, and I’m glad I don’t live down there amongst all the bags and legs anymore. He is actually looking up at my face but he isn’t waving at me – he was throwing his arms around in his own little game being played in his own little world.

Photograph taken at “Saturday Walking Street”, Chiang Mai, Thailand

“Passenger Monk” Photograph

At least the shadows seem to be wearing helmets.

I wonder if the monk is the one guiding the way.

Photograph taken in Bang Saen, Chonburi, Thailand

“Wistful” Photograph

Perhaps she’s just bored but I find it hard not to read more into the expression on this young girl’s face as she rests her head on a wooden rabbit. Impatient to be grown-up like the shopper just passing or resentful of having to spend her Saturday evenings helping behind a market stall, she just doesn’t seem happy with her lot.

Photograph taken at “Saturday Walking Street”, Chiang Mai, Thailand

“Prawn Dogs” Photograph

Two stray dogs doing an impression of prawns together on some temple steps.

Hundreds of people walked passed them whilst I was there with both humans and dogs ignoring each other. They also looked pretty healthy and seemed to be living an apparently good life without causing a problem. As with many other unowned dogs these two don’t need “saving” or “dealing with”.

Photograph taken at Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai, Thailand

“Chatuchak Layers” Photograph

There is nothing special about this picture but I like it as a composition for its layers. It’s almost two pictures in one with the dark foreground of seated man and umbrellas overlaid on the market behind. The detail in the sky then adds further to this feeling of depth. I was tempted to make this photograph black-and-white but the color in the market actually enhances this separation from the monotone foreground and sky.

Photograph taken at Chatuchak Weekend Market, Bangkok

“Stall owner” Photograph

Whilst the shoppers are casually looking at the goods on offer, the stall holders are often scrutinising them as potential customers. As a street photographer this makes it harder to take candid portraits of the sellers such as this one because they are far more likely than the shoppers to notice a camera pointing at them, even from waist-level.

Photograph taken at Chatuchak Weekend Market, Bangkok

“Traffic Cop” Photograph

The gun, open window and lack of faces makes this look a little sinister but it was actually a very innocent encounter where I think the traffic policeman was giving directions to the motorist.

Photograph taken outside Chatuchak Weekend Market, Bangkok

“Shared Joke” Photograph

I’ll never know for sure what they were smiling about but they may well have been looking at me as I took their photograph from waist level.

Photograph taken at “Saturday Walking Street”, Chiang Mai, Thailand

“Skulls” Photograph

Buffalo skulls, wild ox skulls, deer skulls, crocodile skulls, antlers, pig’s teeth and more. It could only be Chatuchak Weekend Market in Bangkok.

Chatuchak market has a bit of a reputation for illicit trading in wildlife and wildlife parts but these days anything illegal is unlikely to be out in the open. But given the possibly dubious nature of what they are selling I wonder how they would have reacted if they had seen me taking a photograph.

Photograph taken at Chatuchak Weekend Market, Bangkok

“Facial Character” Photograph

From a photographer’s point of view some people are blessed with distinctive faces that cry out to be photographed. With a slight build and his head pushed forwards to highlight his expressive brow, this man really stood out from the crowd as a photographic subject.

Photograph taken at “Sunday Walking Street”, Chiang Mai, Thailand

“Man Control” Photograph

She’s got a nice technique. He can’t wander off by himself and a slight downward pull swings his attention to the right place.

Photograph taken at “Sunday Walking Street”, Chiang Mai, Thailand

“Tight Fit” Photograph

Thai sizes can be a stretch on tourists and it’s not easy try clothes on at a street market. Personally, I would play safe and buy big but even if it doesn’t fit it wouldn’t be an expensive mistake.

Photograph taken at “Saturday Walking Street”, Chiang Mai, Thailand

“Super Tiger Kid” Photograph

Roar, Super Tiger, roar!

Photograph taken at “Sunday Walking Street”, Chiang Mai, Thailand

“Time To Rest” Photograph

This guy was part of a group about to set up a display on the walking street market. But before doing so he sat down in the middle of the street for a rest, which for all I know was actually an integral part of the display. More likely though he was just unenthusiastic about the job.

Photograph taken at “Sunday Walking Street”, Chiang Mai, Thailand

“Handle with Care” Photograph

I’m not sure this is the politest way to carry a mannequin but at least she is wearing some shorts.

Photograph taken at “Saturday Walking Street”, Chiang Mai, Thailand

“Sitting Comfortably” Photograph

A very common sitting position for stray dogs for some reason. It is probably just that standing with your backside above your head isn’t very comfortable so whenever they find themselves facing down a set of steps they sit.

The fur texture of the dog in this photograph was enhanced using Topaz Adjust which runs as a Photoshop plug-in, and in this case worked like HDR (high dynamic range) in increasing local contrast.

Photograph taken at Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai, Thailand

“Bus Rain” Photograph

A grey, rainy day in Bangkok isn’t the most attractive of places. All the grit and grime clinging to building roofs and walls gets washed down to road level to be splashed around again by the passing traffic. The colours and street life are subdued and brief local flooding is common. On the other hand, sitting in a bus with rivulets of rain running down the windows can feel pleasingly snug as other people struggle through the downpour outside. At least, that is, until the bus reaches your stop and you have to join them.

Photograph taken on Wipawadi Rangsit Road, Bangkok, Thailand

“Budding Harry” Photograph

Although this boy may look like he has been inspired by Harry Potter, I think he has actually been more influenced by gun culture and is happily shooting everybody who walks passed. Shooting people isn’t normally acceptable behaviour in a Buddhist temple but in the process he was actually getting some sweeping done as well.

Photograph taken at Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai, Thailand

“Handle With Care” Photograph

I have no idea what he is carrying, although it is probably food, or why he is carrying it in this way but his female friend didn’t show much interest as if this was quite normal behaviour for him.

Photograph taken at “Sunday Walking Street”, Chiang Mai, Thailand