Photography

steve@thaib · #1 15-04-2007, 14:46

Just a few pics to share, I don't know where to start really because I already have in the region of 900 pictures on disc, but I hope these shots say a bit about Cambodia.

steve@thaib · #2 15-04-2007, 14:47

The monks were all pretty approachable, and very photogenic in such a listless place.

steve@thaib · #3 15-04-2007, 14:52

Angkor itself was fairly disappointing, but maybe that's just an indication of what a cultural peasant I am.

The light was pretty bad for most of the day, fierce bright direct sunlight, so I struggled for decent shots. I think the ones across the lake may make good black and white conversions but that will have to wait until I get home.

It should also be possible for me to pick out the colour in the monks clothes and preserve that whilst converting the rest of the shot to B&W.

steve@thaib · #4 15-04-2007, 14:54

This is the road to Poi Pet, which is where we crossed back into Thailand, and this is also one of Cambodia's major highways!

steve@thaib · #5 15-04-2007, 14:57

One of the smaller towns, of only half a dozen on the route, count the legs on the cyclist. If anyone is wondering, that is a traffic island on their main street.

steve@thaib · #6 15-04-2007, 14:59

I was lucky to get these, I just leaned over in the car as they passed us and snapped them. They have come out pretty well I think.

steve@thaib · #7 15-04-2007, 15:01

Songkran in Poi Pet.

steve@thaib · #8 15-04-2007, 15:12

Poi Pet street kids.

slinggalin · #9 15-04-2007, 17:11

thanks for sharing. have it on my list to go there one of these days

IRISH JONNY · #10 15-04-2007, 17:24

Nice Pics Steve...was Great To Meet You Last Nite........come On The Utd..........55555555..................ij

MrDK · #11 15-04-2007, 22:01

Thanks for sharing you memories ... I got to make it over there ... for so many reasons.

Bushdoctor · #12 16-04-2007, 06:14

Cool pics. I especially liked the pigs on the scooter. I don't see much of that here in Florida.

Captain · #13 16-04-2007, 15:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bushdoctor

Cool pics. I especially liked the pigs on the scooter. I don't see much of that here in Florida.

You mean you don't have police on motorbikes in Florida???

K2 · #14 16-04-2007, 16:14

You captured the ssence of Cambodia in those pictures Steve - enjoyable memories.

Nanook · #15 16-04-2007, 16:25

Real nice pictures Steve, They give a nice view on Cambodian life. Thanks for posting.

steve@thaib · #16 16-04-2007, 17:25

I'm never confident of doing a place justice, but I think these pictures really caught Cambodia. I'm fairly pleased with what I have

visa2003 · #17 16-04-2007, 17:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by steve@thaib

Angkor itself was fairly disappointing, but maybe that's just an indication of what a cultural peasant I am.

The light was pretty bad for most of the day, fierce bright direct sunlight, so I struggled for decent shots. I think the ones across the lake may make good black and white conversions but that will have to wait until I get home.

It should also be possible for me to pick out the colour in the monks clothes and preserve that whilst converting the rest of the shot to B&W.

Last time I was in Chaing Mai, there was a "professional" photographer who was selling photos where he had done just that!!! He managed to just have the robes in colour and the rest in B&W. They looked great!!!!!..... I bought 5 of them!!!

Nanook · #18 16-04-2007, 18:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by steve@thaib

I'm never confident of doing a place justice, but I think these pictures really caught Cambodia. I'm fairly pleased with what I have

This is always the hardest things to achieve in my opinion. I used to do quite a few slide shows of my private travels world wide in the past and always try to really get the local atmosphere on the picture.
Even though one pays more and more attention, you usually go home with some 25-30 pictures (out of about 1,000), which really capture the image exactly as you intended it to be. The rest is more than OK too, but those few ones are really it. For me it still is the challenge.
The best ones, I got in Peru and Ecuador during my trip back in 2000. I have also a few nice ones form Bali.

I think the ones you posted in this thread are really wonderful and I can understand that you are pleased with them.

Pad Mc · #19 19-04-2007, 22:04

Yeah, some great shots there, especially the first four portraits.

I didn't think Buddhist monks could or are permitted to smoke? Or is he a "full on" Monk at all?

jimbulljag · #20 20-04-2007, 02:02

Steve,
some interesting shots. I guess it goes to show that we all see things from a different perspective. I find angkor pretty spectacular and i don't see that a border crossing is really representative of Cambodia. Just my opinion.
JJ

JayBee · #21 20-04-2007, 04:45

Nice pics, Steve. You've got a good eye!

steve@thaib · #22 20-04-2007, 13:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pad Mc

Yeah, some great shots there, especially the first four portraits.

I didn't think Buddhist monks could or are permitted to smoke? Or is he a "full on" Monk at all?

No idea about the smoking thing, but they are definitely monks and IIRC it's Theravada Buddhism (spelling?), the same as Thailand.

steve@thaib · #23 20-04-2007, 14:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimbulljag

Steve,
some interesting shots. I guess it goes to show that we all see things from a different perspective. I find angkor pretty spectacular and i don't see that a border crossing is really representative of Cambodia. Just my opinion.
JJ

I think my disappointment at Angkor came from my Tuol Sleng and killing fields experience, it took me a little while to get over that. I also think that, having not seen too many ruins before, Angkor just struck me as being so representative of Cambodia in that it's another broken thing. It's the perfect metaphor for Cambodia.

As far as the border crossing goes, I would look at it as being very much representative of the country. I did some research when we got away and Cambodia is still a fairly desperate place.

96 percent of the roads are still unpaved, which means that the 2 lane highway between Pnom Penh and Siam Reap is the best road in Cambodia, and those pictures are exactly what the rest of it looks like.

Also, there is still 40 percent of the population living below the poverty line. Look at the pictures of those kids, they are smiling because it's new year but I think that Poi Pet would generally be a miserable place.

I'm not bagging on Cambodia, I see my experience there as a positive and I'm glad I went, but you can't just get off a plane in Siam Reap, have a night out down Bar Street, take some pictures of Angkor and then go home thinking you know what Cambodia is like.

I'm not trying to put people off going either, I think that tourism is very much part of the future for Cambodia and I think that we should all go if we can, but I also think that Siam Reap is an oasis in the middle of a fairly battered and very poor country. Not that I've seen it all.