Sri Lanka Photography Tips: 10 Expert Secrets for Better Pictures

tips to take better pictures in Sri Lanka by Laurent Dambies
Sri Lanka offers an impressive number of photo locations for photography enthusiasts and travelers, both on and off the beaten path.In the morning, you can take photos of the sun rising behind a fog-shrouded mountain, and in the evening witness capture a vibrant red sunset at the beach. We hope these 10 photography tips will help you in taking better pictures on your trip in Sri Lanka.

1. CHECK THE WEATHER

Sri Lanka’s diverse climate and location make it an ideal destination for photographers all year round. With two monsoons each year – southwestern monsoon from May to September, and northeastern monsoon from October to February – the country’s weather can be unpredictable, particularly in the highlands. For up-to-date weather forecasts, visit the website of the Sri Lanka Department of Meteorology.

tea estate plantation sri lanka

 

 

2. TAKE THE TRAIN

No trip to Sri Lanka is complete without taking at least one train ride. This adventure is highly recommended as it provides numerous opportunities for photographers. Additionally, it is the most economical mode of transportation for reaching various locations throughout the island. It’s also a favorite among locals, making it an excellent choice for people photography.

The Kandy-Ella train journey, in particular, is incredibly scenic as it passes through mountains and tea plantations. We suggest traveling in second or third class to get access the exit doors and windows. Similarly, the coastal train ride offers breathtaking views, especially a few kilometers south of Colombo, where the train runs just a few feet away from the crashing waves.

So, don’t miss the chance to embark on an unforgettable train journey in Sri Lanka and capture some stunning photographs along the way.

 

taking the coast line train to Colombo

sri lanka blue train

sri lanka riding open door

 

 

 

3. BEAT THE CROWD

While Sri Lanka has some locations with relatively less tourists, some popular destinations like Kandy, Ella, and Fort Galle often attract large numbers of visitors. To make the most of your experience in these places, we suggest waking up early to capture stunning photographs of these hotspots before the crowds arrive.

 

nine arch bridge ella

 

 

4. HIKE THOSE TRAILS

Sri Lanka offers numerous hiking trails suitable for individuals with varying fitness levels. Some of the most renowned trails include Adam’s Peak, Ella’s Peak, and the Knuckles mountain range. These locations offer breathtaking views of the landscape, particularly during sunrise when the mist is still present, providing a unique opportunity for capturing stunning photographs.

 

little adams peak in Ella

Top of Little Adam’s Peak in Ella

 

Shadow of Adam’s peak (Sri Pada) at sunrise

 

sigiriya sunrise mist sri lanka photography tour

Golden light at sunrise with mist in Sigiriya

 

5. TRAVEL LIGHT

 

As  you will likely be walking and hiking frequently during your stay, we would highly recommend bringing a small bag to carry your photo gear. It doesn’t necessarily need to be a photo backpack, but it should be padded  enough to protect your equipment while you’re on the move. Given that some hikes can last several hours, it’s also important to be selective with the gear you bring along.

 

tea estate workers sri lanka

Tea estate workers in the highlands

 

 

6. TAKE A LONG LENS

Because of the many photography opportunities available in Sri Lanka, a wide lens or a standard zoom lens might not enough. A long lens (300 mm or more) is recommended for wildlife photography but also for landscape photography to isolate details.

sigiriya rock sri lanka

Sigiriya rock fortress at sunrise

 

Bahirawakanda Vihara Buddha Statue in Kandy at sunset

 

 

7. PREPARE YOUR SHOTS

For landscape photography, we recommend to use TPE (The Photographer’s Ephemeris), available as paid app for Android and IOS and free on a web browser. For train shots, have a look at the timetable as even if the trains do not run fast, you have only few seconds to be on the right spot. Be aware than they can run up to 30 minutes late.

 

passenger train on the demodara bridge in Ella town

Passenger train on the Demodara nine arch bridge in Ella

 

train passing on the nine arch bridge in ella

Passenger train on the Demodara nine arch bridge in Ella

 

 

8. CHECK THE CALENDAR OF FESTIVITIES AND NATIONAL HOLIDAYS

Many people in Sri Lanka are following Buddhism so the Sihanese New Year celebrated during the month of April is a major holiday. This can disrupt your travel plans but also give some unique photo opportunities. For photography there are some festivals like the famous Esala Perahera festival taking place in Kandy during the month of August.

 

fort galle church

Dutch Reformed Church in Galle Fort

 

9. GET CREATIVE WITH ND FILTERS

ND (neutral density) filters block a fraction of the light coming into the camera sensor and thus allow you to have longer exposure times during the day. It is particular suitable for waterfalls and seascapes, and Sri Lanka has plenty of those!

Unless you a shooting in low light conditions (sunrise or sunset) where a ND8 filter could be enough (3-stops reduction), be prepare to use a very dark filter during the day. In the pictures below, a 10-stops reduction filter was used (also called ND1000).

 

sea scape with rocks on the large of Fort Galle Sri Lanka

Tropical beach Sri Lanka long exposure

 

 

 

10. TAKE A SMALL TRIPOD

If you do not carry a fiber carbon tripod, I recommended to take with you a steady and small tripod for long exposure shots. It is even better if you add a fluid head.

 

photography workshop sri lanka

 

 

Learn To Shoot The Fuji Way

fujifilm cambodia

I recently acquired a FujiFilm XT-100 as a second camera. FUJIFILM’s X Series a is a line of cameras fun to use with a good quality of image but also quite different to use than a Canon or Nikon camera.

I can teach you how to can the best of the FujiFilm XT-100 (rental is free for those booking a full-day tour). It is a good opportunity also to try it if you are on a fence and thinking about buying one. Here are below some pictures shot with the 7artisans 25 mm f:2.8 on the XT-100. It is a good opportunity also to try it if you are on a fence and thinking about buying one. If you do not own one, you rent a Fujifilm X-T100 from us (rental is free for those booking a full-day tour).

 

Here are below some pictures shot with the 7artisans 25 mm f:1.8 (40 mm equivalent) 7artisans 12 mm f:2.8 (18 mm equivalent) on the XT-100.

 

fujifilm x-t100 7artisans lenses

Fujifilm X-T100 and 7artisans 12 and 25 mm

 

 

7artisans 25mm f:1.8 mm

devata angkor fujifilm xt-100

devata angkor fujifilm xt-100

devata preah khan fujifilm xt-100

 

ta prohm statue fujifilm xt-100

monk blessing fujifilm xt-100

hindu priest fujifilm xt-100

 

7artisans 12 mm f:2.8

 

bayon relief close up

roots tree angkor fujifilm

red devata angkor fujifilm

chinese tourists smartphone angkor

 

sunset photography siem reap

 

pagoda sunset siem reap

Photowalk in the streets of Battambang

battambang photography

Battambang (also called Bat Dambong which means the  disappearing  stick) is the second largest city in Cambodia with a rich colonial history. It had more than 500,000 inhabitants  in 1962.

Because of its proximity with Thailand, Battambang had a tumultuous history.  It was annexed by Thailand in 1795 until it was transferred to French Indochina e in 1907. But it was not always peaceful, it was in the middle of the French-Thai war in 1940-1941, Thailand finally ceded back in 1946.

 

Because of the quality of its soil, Battambang province is the rice bowl of cambodia. The city center  counts about 800 colonial building spread around the central market called Psa  Nat 0r Psah Nath, west of the Sangkar river. It was built by the same French architects who did the central market in Phnom Penh and Saigon following the art deco style. some old pagoda with Thai influence. They are many shop houses along streets number 1 and 1.5 although many now are defaced because of shops. There is even a 150 years old Chinese active temple.

 

 

A photowalk in Battambang city center will give you plenty of photo opportunities of you like architecture and street photography. The back alleys and the yellow wall will remind of  Hoi An or the Cholon district of Saigon.

Architecture
chinese temple battambang

150 years old Chinese temple
battambang architectureNew Khmer Architecture building  (Sangkum Reastr Niyum)
 

psa nat battambang
Interior of Phsar Nath market (Art Deco)
battambang pagoda
Wat Pipetharam (Thai architecture)
Chinese shophouse Battambang
Chinese shophouse
 

Back Alleys
battambang street photography

 

battambang street photography

yellow battambang photography

 

Background and patterns
battambang photography tour

chain backgroudn battambang

Vintage floor tiles

 

 

Post French period (Sangkum Reastr Niyum).

Pagoda damrey sor and wat pipetharam

 

 

 

Wat pipetharam psa nath
Meatl

People
 

 

People
motodop battambang

 

battambang children

 

street photography battambang

 

Shophouses

 

The lost Temples of Mrauk-U in Myanmar

burma photography tour

Mrauk-U is a relatively unknown and probably the most underrated archeological site in South-East Asia. It is located in the western state of Rakhine in Myanmar (Burma). Rakhine state is a narrow strip of land  bordered on  the Bay of Bengal on the west and by Bangladesh on the north.

Mrauk-U has an interesting landscape as it  sits on a valley with numerous mounds and interconnected creeks, moats, canals and artificial lakes.

Founded in 1430 A.D,   Mrauk-U became after Launggret  the center of the powerful Arakan Empire for more than  300 years until 1785 and an important cultural and commercial hub.

Mrauk-U,  named the “Golden City”  by early   Europeans (Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch) traders and missionaries  who the center of trade for elephants,  rice. It is also known as the fortress city due to its 30 kilometers of fortifications built around it.It is also called Little Bagan because it has  pagoda and temples.

 

Mrauk-U archaeological site is centered  on the old palace and divided in four  main groups: western, eastern, southern and northern, the latter being the most important. You can buy a 5000 Kyats  pass (less than USD 4)  for the temples at Mrauk U, sold at the Shittaung Pagoda.

The temples of Mrauk-U are not as impressive as the ones in Bagan, but their beauty are hidden: you can stroll for hours inside them looking at colored carvings . You can have also many temples by yourself and with some tenacity found new ones which are not on the map. As locals are living within  the ruins, you will have many  opportunities to interact with them and take beautiful portraits.

The most popular temples in Mrauk-U are Kothaung temple (also called the little Borodudur),  Andaw temple

In his last visit to Mrauk-U in december 2016, Kofi Annan (who sits on the advisory commission on  Rakhine state) strongly advocated for Mrauk-U’  UNESCO World  Heritage Status.

 

There is no direct flight from  Yangon at the moment and the construction of the  new airport is being halted due the lack of funding. The only way to get to Mrauk-U is by a 4 to 5 hours scenic ferry ride on the Kalandan river from the city of Sittwe, by bus or private car. With only 4,000 visitors in the temples of Mrauk-U in  2016, you are sure to have most of the temples for yourself.

If you enjoyed  exploring the other archeological sites in South-East Asia (Angkor, Bagan, Borodudur,Sukhothai, Ayutthaya) it is time to go to Mrauk-U before it gets its fame back. Temples are best explored by bicycle or by foot especially the ones in the Northern group, but to move between all the groups it is recommended to  have a private transport.

 

 

mrauku temples sunset

Sunset with some of the temples of Mrauk-U

 

mrauku temple rakhine state

One of the many beautiful temples of Mrauk-U

 

mrauku temple buddha

Buddha statues inside Andaw Thein temple

 

mrauku temple carving

Stone carving in Shittaung Pagoda

 

shittaung temple photography tour

Beautiful carved wall inside Shittaung temple

 

seated buddha mrauk u

Enigmatic Buddha in the temples of Mrauk U

 

koe thaung temple mrauku

The amazing interior of Koe-Thaung temple

 

burmese girls thanaka

Young burmese girls in the temples of Mrauk-U with Thanaka

 

silhouette woman mrauku temples

Local woman going back home at the sunset

Old Colonial Architecture in Yangon Myanmar

yangon heritage houses photography tour

Yangon is the city with the highest density of colonial buildings in South East Asia. Known as Rangoon,  it was the capital of Burma between 1824 and 1948 and one of the province of  the British India Empire. It witnessed a rich architectural development during this period  following  different styles: Art Deco, Edwardian, Victorian and British-Burmese.

Many buildings were built for Scottish companies like Burmah oil, Brothers & Co, A. Scott&Co, Messrs Bulloch Brothers & Co to name a few which operated successful businesses in oil,  import/export of  commodities,  shipbuildings, etc…

Natural disasters (the earthquake of 1930, cyclone Nargis in 2008) and the bombings of Word War II inflicted severe damages to the city and many buildings were lost forever.

The isolation of the country for 50 years after the military coup of 1962 did not help. With all these events, it is actually surprising that so many colonial buildings are still standing today. In 2005, many  government offices were moved to the new capital Naypyidaw, about 350 km north of Yangon and definitely closed.

Nowadays,  many large colonial buildings are occupying  downtown,  along Merchand and Strand roads, and  also on Pansodan street. Some of them have been renovated like  Aya bank headquarters, City Hall  or the Strand Hotel, a famous five stars built in 1901.

This photo essay is focusing on the beautiful and neglected  colonial buildings which will either disappear or being restored in the coming years.

Because of safety concerns some places such as  the Pegu Club are not open  to the general  public anymore. Some others, like the secretariat building,  are under  renovation.
Entering a neglected colonial building in Yangon is like taking a time machine and one cannot help wondering  how it was back then when these places were home of powerful trading houses, banks or offices.

Nowadays, small business offices are sometime occupying premises and  bring some life to these places. Some private buildings have interiors in fairly  good condition and can be accessed after of course seeking the authorization from the owner.

The state of disrepair of some buildings is  such that trees start growing on the walls and entire structures have collapsed.

You can spend hours wandering  in the streets of Yangon looking for unlocked buildings. It is not uncommon while exploring these locations that a friendly local gives you a bit of history about the places, they understand their potential to attract tourists interested in colonial architecture.

Founded in 2012, the Yangon Heritage Trust (YHT), has for goal  to identify and preserve  colonial architecture  in Yangon. YHT installed blue plaques on buildings with historical significance to raise awareness among the public, the first one was installed in 2014 at the City Hall.

 

In 2017, Yangon is at a crossroad and time will tell if authorities in charge manage to save this unique architectural heritage in South-East Asia.

 

 

Old staircase yangon photowalk

Defunct elevator in dilapidated colonial building

 

Defunct elevator in fairly good condition

 

Neglected colonial building from 1905 and its gatekeeper.

 

Apartments building in Yangon downtown

 

Relics of yangoon

Dilapidated colonial building in downtown Yangon

 

Relics of yangoon

Beautiful wooden  staircase in a private building

 

Relics of yangon

Neglected staiway in a colonial building

 

Tenants walking down a beautiful rusty stairway

 

Dark staircase in an abandoned colonial building

 

staircase yangon photo walk

Crumbling staircase in an old building

 

Beautiful wooden stairway in private building

 

Some families are still living in their colonial homes

 

Pickerings elevator rangoon

Amazingly, Pickerings company still exist today and is still manufacturing elevators

 

Beautiful metal staircase with rich pattern

 

Details of ceiling at the Inland Water Office

 

yangon photo walk old building

Beautiful old colonial building interior

 

Heritage photowalk yangon

Metal fence outside a colonial building

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Huawei P9 lite review for photographers

I recently upgraded  my smartphone to a Huawei P9 lite and took  it with me in the temples of Angkor during my photography tours along with a 5D Mark II.

The P9 lite, released in April 2016,  packs a 13M-Pixel (4160X3120pixels) CMOS Image Sensor (Sony IMX 214, 1.12µm pixels) with a   f:2.0 front camera. It lacks the dual Leica  lens system and raw capture from his counterpart the Huawei P9 plus. Focal length has a 35 mm equivalent focal length  of a 27 mm.

 

Camera operation

The camera has a quick access and when in standby it is very quick to start. By sweeping left one can access the menu to switch to pro photo. In this mode,  shutter speed, ISO and white balance can be changed.   When shutter speed is determined by the camera,  exposure can be adjusted with the exposure compensation slide (-4 to +4 eV).  Three  focus mode are available: AF-S (spot), AF-C (continuous) and MF (manual focus). White balance can be changed to the usual values from tungsten to cloudy. Like in many  DSLR, 3 metering modes  are available: spot, center-weighted and evaluative. ISO can be set between 100 and 1600 ISO. In auto, the camera can set it as low as 50 ISO.

 

HDR mode

HDR can be useful  to get more details  in the shadow. The HDR mode of the P9 quite good , however there is no option to chose the strengh of the processing.  It works particularly well with textures like on this 9th century temple strangled by a tree in the lost city of  Koh Ker in Cambodia.

 

prasat pram koh ker huawei p9 lite

 

 

Macro

The P9 do not have a  dedicated function for macro  but the focusing distance of  about 3 cm make up for it. The amount of details picked up by  the camera is quite impressive. This macro shot of a praying mantis was shot in a very bright light and the details are in the same levels than a DSLR (the DSLR shot being slightly out of focus). For comparison you can see below a  cropped version of the P9 and a Canon 750D side by side:

 

praying mantis macro picture Huawei P9 lite

huawei p9 lite dslr side by side

 

insect macro huawei p9

 

 

Panorama mode

angkor temple photography panorama huawei p9 lite

Panorama mode is accessed from the camera by sweeping up the screen from the left. From there is an option to do either horizontal or vertical panorama.

Generally the stitching is quite good although errors can happen at low ambient light. One of the main drawback I have  found is that it is not possible to lock the exposure before taking a panorama so it high contrasted scenes are difficult to capture.

 

Night Photography

 

pagoda siem reap huawei p9 light painting

Light painting on a pagoda. Pro photo mode 8 s pose, ISO 100

 

Swiping up the screen from the  left let you choose  two modes: night shot and light  painting. In  night shot mode, ISO can be set up between  100 and 1600 ISO and shutter speed  up to 32 seconds. Using the 2-second timer (by  swiping up screen from the  right) helps to avoid blurry pictures.

The second mode available is Light painting  and has 3 presets:  Tail lights, Light graffiti, Silky water and Star track. They differentiate themselves by the ISO settings: Tail lights, Light graffiti: 64 ISO / Silky water:  auto ISO / Star track: 800 ISO. All presets allow very long exposure time, the camera stays open until  the shutter button is pressed again. Pro mode can be used  for  night photography but exposure time is limited to 8 seconds.

The Light graffiti preset was designed to write letters or paint shapes in the dark with a LED light but it can be used in more creative ways  to  create abstract backgrounds like this backlit laptop  keyboard below.

laptop keyboard graffiti mode huawei

Laptop keyboard backlit. Graffiti mode 7.2 seconds, ISO 64

 

Slow Motion

The Huawei P9 can record slow motion at 120 fps but be aware that the resolution is quite low at only 640X480 pixels (VGA). You can see on the video below of a lotus flower opening, both normal and slow motion sequences (4 times slower).

Conclusion

The Huawei P9 lite  is the ideal companion for any travel photographer and has a good image quality. Of course it cannot be compared to a DSLR but in some situations it can the best camera as it can fit in your pocket. The different modes available  allow you to produce some really creative images.

 

 

bayon temple huawei p9 photography tours

 

devata bayon huawei p9

 

 

beng mealea huawei p9

The atmospheric temple jungle of Beng Mealea

Most Memorable Photos from 2016

2016 in pictures angkor photography tours

The year 2016 ended in a wink. Nevertheless, it was a year full of sweet recollections and splendid adventures, as I travelled here and there, meet new people, and experience new cultures.  Looking through my collection of more than 1000 edited pictures of 2016, I was inspired to select my favorite ones. I picked these pictures not only based on my own personal choice of uniqueness and aesthetic value, but also, by the stories behind.

These photographs and memories were taken in Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, India, France, and the Philippines from my 2016 travel diary.

 

1. Cambodia : Angkor Wat Solar Eclipse – March 2016

angkor wat solar eclipse photography tour

 

This unique picture was taken on the 9th March during a partial eclipse of the sun in Angkor Wat Temple. What make this shot rare is that of the date of the eclipse was less than 2 weeks away from the spring equinox and it was possible to find a shooting location where the sun was just above the central tower at the maximum of the eclipse. According to  ephemerides, the next partial solar eclipse in Angkor Wat temple during sunrise will take place in 2042 ! Due to the nature of this  eclipse, so the passing of the moon in front of the sun could be only be captured using a very dark filter in this case a 10-stop neutral density filter  ND1000 which blocks 99.9 % of the incoming light coming to the sensor. This is a one-of-a kind, unforgettable shot in Angkor Wat as we  were only 2 photographers at this spot. Others have vanished to go see the other temples and most people except few guides were not aware of the solar eclipse that day. To see more pictures of this solar eclipse please have a look at my blog post.

Settings: ISO 400, 105 mm,  f:4, 1/40s, ND 1000 filter

 

 

2. Ho Chi Minh City : Street Scene – April 2016

Saigon street photography tour

Ho Chi Minh is a sprawling city of 8 million and with almost as many motorbikes racing in its streets. Here you can find places to service your motorbike even on sidewalks.

While inside a coffee shop (which is also numerous in Saigon) my attention was caught by this colorful poster across the street. I took few shots of it alone  but it did not come out very well. By moving few feet, I got a much better picture : framing the customer with her red dusk mask waiting for her motorbike to be serviced against the blue metallic wall, while the poster of a future housing development was in the background. The black and yellow line worked as well as a leading line to connect all  the elements of the picture.

Settings: ISO 160, 20 mm, f:7.1, 1/100s

 

3. Cambodia : Boy Planting Rice, April 2016

flooded paddy fields siem reap photo tour

During the month of April, Cambodian farmers are busy planting floating rice on the West Baray, one of the biggest man made reservoirs in the word build during the Khmer empire in the 11th century.To get closer, we boarded a  small fisherman wooden boat  and it was when I took a shot of this  Cambodian kid, knee-deep in water, smiling despite the  hardship of his  work.

Settings: ISO 100, 168 mm,  f:5.6,  1/500 s  

 

 

 

4. Cambodia : Angkor  Wat Vesak Day – May 2016

angkor wat khmer family vesak day

This picture was taken beside the main tower of Angkor Wat (also called Bakan) which is also the most sacred place of the temple. This Khmer family was walking counter-clockwise making several rounds around it, and I waited there to frame the shot with my  20 mm, the minimum focal length from this corner  to fit all the building in a horizontal frame. This scene was taken 2 days before Buddha’s Day (Vesak Day). The act of walking around a sacred temple is called circumambulation and is an integral part of Hindu and Buddhist devotional practices and usually done clockwise.

Settings: ISO 250, 20 mm, f:7.1  1/800 s   

 

5. India : Ladakhi Monk in Lamayuru Monastery- July 2016

This picture was taken during our first photo tour in Ladakh India, more precisely in Lamayuru monastery about 100 km from Leh. We visited Lamayuru Temple during the 3-day annual colorful monastic festival. This monk posed for a brief moment, adjusting his robe, just enough time for me to frame a shot with the door. The colorful mural with its main character looking at the monk add another dimension to the picture.

Settings: ISO 640, 32 mm, f:4, 1/160 s

 

 

6. India : Milky Way in the Himalayas, July 2016

milky way ladakh himalaya photography tour

During our photo tour in Ladakh, we spent several nights in tents at an altitude of 4700 meters. Even during summer months, temperatures goes down below 5 degree Celsius at night. Adding to that the altitude sickness, this night shot sessions was quite challenging but looking at the starry skies and the Milky Way stretching over the Himalaya mountains was quite rewarding. In this shoot the illuminated tent is the one we used for our dinner and gives a touch of color and a sense of scale to the picture.

Settings: ISO 2000, 20 mm f:2.8, 30s

 

7. Thailand : Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok  at Golden Hour –  July 2016

Suvarnabhumi aiport bangkok thailnd photography tour

This shot was taken at the international airport of Bangkok at sunset. Suvarnabhumi, the busiest airport in Thailand handled more than 50 million passengers in 2015. This section of the terminal although not so photogenic came out much better for few minutes with the evening sunlight  illuminating  nicely the arched rooftop.

Settings:  ISO 400, 84 mm, f:4 1/25s

 

8. France : French Medieval Castle at Sunset – October 2016

Beynac castle dordogne France photography tours

During a scouting photo trip in the region of Dordogne in France, famous worldwide for its food and castles, we ended up the day at the village of Beynac-et-Cazenac  just in time for sunset with a view of  the  Beynac Castle built on on a limestone cliff and overlooking the river. This  12th century fortress was built around the same than Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia  and it is tempting to compare the austere architecture of the fortress with the scale and symmetry of Angkor and its fined carvings. Also on the 12th century, only 50,000 people were living in Paris against  800,000 in Angkor according to last LIDAR survey.

Settings: ISO 200, 24 mm, f:5.6,  1/320  s

 

9. Cambodia : Betel Leaves Vendors – November 2016

elderly betel vendors at market siem reap cambodia

In Cambodia, betel consumption is not as widespread as in Myanmar. Most of the time, only the elderly are munching betel unlike in Myanmar where you can see young people chewing them. In this picture, a wooden basket with fresh betel leaves is standing on the floor in front of this two smiling elderly Cambodian ladies.  The three other ingredients making up the so-called betel squid missing from the picture are areca nut, tobacco and lime water (saturated solution of calcium hydroxide).

Settings: ISO 400, 38 mm f:4, 1/160s  

 

10. Cambodia : Red Angkor Wat Sunrise, November 2016

angkor wat sunrise siem reap photography tour

Out of the many sunrises at Angkor Wat temple I have witnessed in 2016, this one was one the most spectacular hat  I have seen. The bright red dramatic cloudy sky were just breathtaking. This picture was taken around the end of November when monsoon season was coming to an end.

Settings: ISO 320 , 20 mm, f:5.6,  1/80s

 

 

11. Philippines : Here Comes the Bride, December 2016

Bride Intramuros Manila photography tours

I took this quick shot at San Augustin Church in Intramuros Manila just when the bride was making her entrance. Intramuros is the frequently visited area in Manila where two beautiful churches are located not far from each other. You can visit the area by taking a horse carriage (kalesa in Filipino), but one of the best way for photographer is to wander around the cobble stone streets in order  not miss any photographic opportunities.

Settings:  ISO 500, 35 mm, f:2.8, 1/15s

 

12. Philippines : New Year Fireworks in Manila , December 2016

Manila new year fireworks photography tour

 

This picture is one of my last clicks of 2016 taken just 5 minutes before New Year’s Eve in Metro Manila. New Year in this megacity is celebrated with loads of fireworks and firecrackers that lighten up the skies around the city. Fireworks and firecrackers are grand spectacles during this year end celebration. The adverse effect though is that hundreds of people injure themselves every year using firecrackers and it gives raise to a peak in particles pollution few hours after.Fireworks were scattered and I was lucky to have a vantage point from a rooftop with the neon illuminated Rockwell Center in Makati just in the frame. Several shots were combined in Photoshop to  have more firework explosions.

Settings:  ISO 100, 25 mm, f:9, 30 s (composite picture)

The First Photographs of the Temples of Angkor

mobile darkroom john thomson angkor
With the widespread use of digital cameras and the recent progress in smartphone photography, ten of thousands of pictures are taken everyday in  the temples of Angkor. We take the ability to take pictures  granted but often forget that the first photographs of the temples of  Angkor were taken more than 150 years ago!

Photographers back then  were using one of the first photographic process created called wet plate collodion. They had porters to carry their darkroom and chemicals as photographic plates needed to be developed on site. In top of that, access to  the temples of Angkor were very difficult as they were still covered by a dense jungle….

Two photographers were credited for successfully captured the first pictures of Angkor. The first one, was a  Scottish Photographer  named  John Thomson, who was 29 years old and  based in Singapore. He did an extensive photographic work during his two weeks spent  in Angkor in 1866. John Thomson was inspired to take this trip by the writings of Henri Mouhot in 1860. Beside Angkor Wat, Thomson took pictures of Angkor Thom and Bayon which were  covered by a dense jungle. It was only in 1911, that Jean Commaille lead an archeology mission from École française d’Extrême-Orient to clear up the trees in Bayon temple and started restorations.

Few months after John Thomson, Frenchman Emile Gsell, 28 years old, based in Saigon, brought  his darkroom to Angkor and captured more than 100 pictures. He returned later on in 1873 part of the famous expedition lead by Louis Delaporte. Gsell developed his glass plates on paper coated with albumen. The pictures of Thomson and Gsell are  today priceless documents as they put in perspective the massive restoration work accomplished  since the beginning of the 20th century in the temples of Angkor.

 


 

THE FIRST PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE TEMPLES OF ANGKOR |

EMILE GSELL

 

emile-gsell-bayon-1866 emile-gsell-angkor-wat-library-1866 emile-gsell-angkor-wat-corner emile-gsell-angkor-wat-1866-1873 gsell-west-gate-angkor-thom gsell-unidentified-temple gsell-statue-leper-king gsell-angkor-wat-corridors-1866 gsell-angkor-wat-aerial gsell-angkor-wat2 gsell-angkor-wat emile-gsell-bayon-temple-head-1966 emile-gsell-bayon-temple-1866

 

 

 

 


 

THE FIRST PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE TEMPLES OF ANGKOR | JOHN THOMSON

(Copyright Wellcome Library)

 

angkor-wat-bas-relief emile-gsell-angkor-wat-1866 thomson-terrace-elephants thomson-panoramic-angkor-wat-1866 thomson-leper-king-1866 thomson-bayon-yemple-1866 thomson-angkor-wat-naga-1866 thomson-angkor-wat-inside thomson-angkor-wat-door thomson-angkor-wat-devatas-1866 thomson-angkor-wat-corridor-1866 thomson-angkor-thom-south-gate central-gateway-western-entrance-angkor-wat-thomsonmobile darkroom john thomson angkor

 

 

 

Best Time to Visit Siem Reap and Take Photographs in Angkor Cambodia

Cambodia sits just about the equatorial zone where the weather is mostly warm to hot all year round. Just like all countries with tropical climates, there are only two seasons – the wet and the dry.

One of the recurring question among visitors and photographers is what is the best time to visit Siem Reap and Cambodia in general?

The dry season starts in October and ends in April and it usually lasts longer than the wet season. This is the time when scorching heat brought about by the northeast monsoon dries up the land turning the Cambodian countryside into spectacles of golden paddy fields and creating fine powdery white to tawny colored dusty dirt roads. There are cool months though, from November to January, which is also considered high season by many tour operators particularly in Siem Reap. Tourists flock the temples of Angkor at this time of the year as they make the most out of the cool weather without having to worry of being soaked in the rain.  Around the months of January and March, hazy skies can be observed giving the sun a fiery red ball effect, perfect for capturing stunning sunset  at the Angkor Thom moat as shown in the picture below.

 

sunset angkor thom photography tours

Red ball sun over Angkor Thom moat in March

On the other hand, wet season runs from May to September caused by the southwest monsoon. It tends to rain most days of the week, generally heavy downpours that usually last for a few hours. There are days when the rain is quite light but it continues all day long. Wet season in Cambodia means low season for tourism in Siem Reap and Angkor Wat. For tourists and photography enthusiasts, visiting during the wet season has its lovely perks. Aside from being less crowded, spectacular cloud formations and charming colors can be seen in the morning. The countryside looks more alive with lush foliage. The green scenery is quite striking amidst the drenched surroundings. The dusty dirt roads are now soggy mud pits and the meadows are flourishing with vegetation. The moats surrounding the temples are filled with water and there are pools of water everywhere ideal for taking reflection photos.

 

angkor wat temple causeway photography tours

Angkor Wat temple seen from the west causeway in September

 

Banteay Kdei temple photography tours

Banteay Kdei with green pond in October

 

Bayon temple reflection photography tours

Bayon temple at dusk with water reflection

 

 

Some temples are putting up their  green moss  robe during the monsoon season  as  in Preah Khan and Ta Prohm temples. You can see more pictures of the temples of Angkor during the green season on our blog Cambodia Green Season.

 

Buddha carving moss preah khan angkor photography tours

Buddha carving covered in moss in Preah Khan temple in October

 

Sandstone moss Ta Prohm photography tours

Numbered sandstone block covered with moss in Ta Prohm temple in September

Sunrise and sunset intervals also change during the seasons. In January, sun rises the latest at around 6:30am while in June, sun rises the earliest at around 5:30am. While the sun sets earliest in January normally around 5:30pm and not later than 6:00pm, it sets relatively late in June at around 6:30pm. Sun path also varies with the seasons. Angkor Wat in particular is exposed to a very different light in the months of June and December: standing on the central causeway you will see the sun rising on the right side or left side of the temple respectively. You can see below the dramatic change in light at the northern corridor.

Apsara carving angkor photography tours

Devata carvings in Angkor Wat corridor in December

 

Apsara carving angkor photography tours

Devata carvings in Angkor Wat corridor lit up by the sun  in June

 

Angkor Wat sunrise photography tours

Angkor Wat sunrise with temple reflection on the pond in October

 

 

Apart from the temples, the Cambodian countryside is changing drastically between the dry and the wet season with lotus and paddy fields  appearing and disappearing  from the landscape.

Paddy field siem reap photography tours

Farmer working on a paddy field in the Cambodian countryside in November

 

lotus flowers field

Lotus flowers  pond in August

Each season has its advantages and disadvantages, nevertheless, if you are a photography aficionado, any season is a good season to visit Siem Reap and capture the beauty of Angkor.

 

countryside siem reap Cambodia

Countryside landscape near Siem Reap Cambodia in September

To conclude, especially if you are a photographer, all year around is good to take pictures in Cambodia. 

 

If you are heading to Cambodia soon and you are wondering about the weather in Siem Reap, you can have look at the live siem reap weather map below.

Spring Equinox Celebrations

Equinox, an astronomical event that marks a change in season, is the time in which the sun passes over the celestial equator causing the length of night and day to be roughly equal. In the northern hemisphere vernal equinox marks the beginning of spring while autumnal equinox marks the beginning of autumn. Vernal equinox is usually celebrated in March while autumnal equinox in September. In the southern hemisphere, it is the other way around.

Spring equinox is not just any ordinary season celebration. In most cultures, it is a religious observance embracing a symbolic sense of spirituality. It has been celebrated for thousands of years in many countries with different traditions with almost similar themes, the start of new beginnings. For Christians, spring equinox plays a vital role in determining the Christian Easter and the same goes for the Jewish celebration of the Passover. While a tradition from ancient Chinese calls for balancing of eggs to bring good fortune and abundance. For Iranians, spring equinox marks their New Year or Nowruz established from the Zoroastrianism beliefs. St. Patrick’s day in Ireland is also an observance related to the spring equinox.

In Pagan traditions, spring equinox is a celebration in honor of the gods and goddesses. Ancient Romans celebrate in honor of the mother goddess of Rome, Cybele, who with some divine intervention and help from Zeus, resurrected her lover, Attis after he castrated and killed himself. Germanic tribes celebrate Ostara, originally from the word Eostre, the Germanic goddess of spring; while Ancient Egypt celebrate the Festival of Isis, the goddess of spring and rebirth.

The native Mayan people in Central America celebrates spring equinox for ten centuries in the Mayan sacrificial ritual pyramid, El Castillo or the Kukulcan Pyramid, in Chichen Itza, Mexico. The pyramid has four staircases and at the base of the stairs stands the carved head of a snake deity, Kukulkan. The pyramid is designed with quite an impressive precision that during the equinox, as the sun sets, shadows and sunlight plays an illusion of a snake sliding down the staircase. They call this occurrence as “The Return of the Sun Serpent”. At present, El Castillo is also one of the famous venue for equinox observance.

Stonehenge, a celebrated tourist attraction in England is another well-known venue for the equinox. One function of the Stonehenge’s blueprint is to serve as an astronomical observatory to forecast and calculate celestial occurrences. During the equinox, Druids and Pagans gather early in the morning to witness the sun rising above the stones. This structure has become a very prominent venue for those seeking some kind of an extraordinary spiritual encounter during the equinox.

Another remarkable site to experience the equinox is the Grianan of Aileach, a group of ancient structures on top of a hill in Count Donegal, Ireland, with structures believed to have been built in the 6th or 7th century AD. During the equinox, the beam of the rising sun is dividing the inside of the stone ring-fort which is the main structure, into a northern and southern part.

Mnajdra, a temple complex in the the island of Malta, is considered as one of the most ancient religious sites on earth. The structure is believed to have been built during the 4th Millenium B.C. During the equinox, a ray of sun pass thru the temple and lights up its main axis.

Finally, being considered as one of the shrines of the ancient world, Angkor Wat near Siem Reap Cambodia  is the most popular venue in Southeast Asia to celebrate the spring equinox. The structure, aside from its magnificent design is also drafted to forecast celestial phenomenons. Angkor Wat temple features a very distinctive and spectacular sunrise during the equinox; the sun rises exactly behind the pinnacle of the central tower, the most sacred point of the temple rising 65 meters above the ground.

For this upcoming Spring Equinox we are doing a special photography tour, please visit this page for more details. Here are few pictures below of sunrise at the equinox in Angkor Wat temple.

angkor wat sunrise equinox photography tour

Angkor Wat spring equinox sunrise

 

angkor wat sunrise equinox photography tour

Angkor Wat sunrise during the equinox

 

sunlight angkor wat central tower angkor photo tours

Sunlight behind the central tower of Angkor Wat temple

 

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Sunrise over Angkor Wat temple during Equinox

 

angkor wat tourist crowd sunrise equinox

Crowd waiting for sunrise during the equinox at Angkor Wat temple