Bangkok, a great city for street photography
Like most travelers visiting Thailand, we also landed in Bangkok. The Thai capital’s airport is well connected to the city with public transport (train, bus and mini vans). We decided to take a taxi, which made more sense after flying/sleeping at airports for over 20 hours… The taxi ride was almost 1 hour – due the heavy traffic jam that seemed to be present all day, every day in the city. There is a huge selection when it comes to accommodation. Our hotel was very close to Wat Saket and the Golden Mount but most backpackers stay on Khao San Road, the center of the backpacking universe.
Just a few weeks ago the nation’s beloved King Bhumibol Adulyadej passed away and the government has set a mourning period of one year. If you are visiting Bangkok in the near future, you will find that many people are dressed in black. Foreigners are asked to wear black or at least black ribbon (you can get them anywhere in Thailand) and be respectful.
How many days should you spend in Bangkok?
The “City of Angels” (abbreviated Thai name of Bangkok is Krung Thep, which literally means city of angels), compared to other Southeast Asian cities, has much to offer. This huge metropolis has beautiful temples, interesting museums, giant markets, luxurious hotels, fantastic massage places, exciting nightlife, fancy rooftop clubs and so on. The list is endless. You’d need at least 3-4 days, to see the major attractions. Tourists who use Bangkok merely as a stop-off point on their way to the white sandy beaches miss out on an incredible experience.
Why Bangkok is a perfect place for street photography?
Exploring the real Bangkok offers an excellent opportunity for street photography. But what do we mean by the ‘real Bangkok’? Bangkok is a very busy, fast and modern city filled with skyscrapers, business and commerce but it has a more quite and slow side too. By walking around – away from business and tourist areas – you will find narrow backstreets and ‘sois’, small roads where you will have the feeling that time has stopped many years ago. Here, people live in communities, sitting in the street, gathering with friends, eating, cooking, chatting and just enjoying. You can see plenty of interesting ‘every day life’ scenes happening right in front of your eyes and in front of your lens of course.
The other reason why Bangkok is a great place for street photography is that taking picture of the locals is never really a problem. Thais are one of the friendliest and most welcoming nation on the planet. If you want to make a portrait of a person, simply ask, and most likely they will happily say yes.
What are the best places for street photography in Bangkok?
The city has great photography opportunities for those who are willing to get off the beaten track and make an effort to explore the real Bangkok and its locals. Stay away from guide books, tourist traps and immerse yourself in the culture.
This is the area we walked around the most but there are definitely thousands of other places too. Bangkok is huge and very interesting. The main rule is to get off the busy main roads and discover the backstreets and walk along the canals. Grab your camera and start snapping away! 🙂