ZiZ Asia

Photography Tips & Trips in Thailand

Embark on a photography workshop packed with photography tips for amateur and semi-professional photographers in Thailand that takes you on a journey through the streets and backwaters of Bangkok to the jungles of Kanchanaburi on the Burma border and onwards to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ayutthaya to photograph the evocative 14th Century ruins of Thailand’s former capital. Return home with a portfolio of unique and eye catching gallery-style images and many photography tips.

Our new photography travel tour of Central Thailand (Bangkok, Kanchanaburi and Ayutthaya) is run by Gavin Gough, a renowned British travel photographer who will take you straight to the most photogenic locations on the journey and provide you with all the photography tips and technical aspects of digital photography that you need to capture a dramatic portfolio of travel photos. This is a practical, hands-on photography workshop in which you define your photographic objectives.

One of the unique aspects of this photography tour is the way you are taught to enhance and develop your visual awareness; to see! This is a vital talent to nurture no less so in a city like Bangkok that is notorious for totally overwhelming its visitors with a combination of traffic jams, heat, chaos and bedlam. This workshop wastes little time on adjusting camera settings instead focusing on exploring effective compositions, experiencing the locations and interacting with the locals.

Bangkok Photography Tour

In amongst Bangkok’s haphazard planning, its nooks and crannies, its heritage, culture and daily toil, photo opportunities abound but spotting a scene that could translate into a winning photo can often be completely missed and this is where the Bangkok Photography Workshop excels by providing you with a keener eye and a greater appreciation of your surroundings.

The workshop begins with an evening trip to Wat Pho. Dating back to the 16th century it is Bangkok’s oldest and largest Temple, it houses the largest reclining Buddha, the largest collection of Buddhist images in Thailand and the renowned School of Thai Massage. This is a nocturnal shoot which takes advantage of the floodlit buildings grounds.

After the Wat Pho shoot a short walk brings you to your Chao Phraya riverside restaurant and from the roof-top bar you have un-obscured views of Wat Arun (The Temple of Dawn) on the opposite bank as well as a panoramic view of the Chao Phraya River at night.

The following day you dive into Chinatown, a rabbit warren of narrow side-streets and intrigue before heading to Bangkok’s main flower and vegetable wholesale market. The morning is packed with photo opportunities from Bangkok Chinatown’s locals going about their day to day life to the historic architecture, the gold shops, ornate signs, fruits, herbs and spices before reaching a climax of colour in the flower market.

The afternoon is spent aboard a chartered riverboat which weaves its way through Bangkok’s network of canals (klongs) on a pre-charted course to reveal the natural ambience of Bangkok Noi, hidden historic Temples and makers of stone polished bronze ware whose craftsmanship skills are centuries old and a pharmacy which has been trading Thai herbal and traditional medicines for over 70 years. It’s a day packed with an eclectic mix or photo opportunities.

Mahachai, Mae Khlong & Ampawa

The following day has a distinct local produce and lifestyle theme. Stroll down Mahachai’s seafood pier, one of the longest in the Gulf of Thailand to capture images of local fishermen offloading their catch, a scene in which deckhands manually propel baskets full of fish, shell fish and shrimp off the boats and into the hands of awaiting traders on land. The board a local train for the one hour journey to Mae Klong which passes right through the middle of a busy fresh market, market stalls lining the rails so close that they have to be moved to provide passage for the train.

After the hustle and bustle of the market its out on the local canals again to meader through fruit orchards and past local homesteads where modern life seems miles away; traditional Thai houses perched on the banks of the canals, the two features of equal importance to the day to day life of the residents. You also have the opportunity to visit and photograph Wat Bang Kung, an ancient Temple dating back to the Ayutthaya period which today is completed embraced and supported by a huge Banyan Tree.

After a well deserved rest strike out early to Tha Kha floating market, a travel photographers dream scene where women trade a vast assortment of vegetables, exotic fruits, Thai homemade sweets and piping hot soups from a plethora of flat-bottomed canal boats.

Kanchanaburi

Upon arrival in Kanchanaburi located to the west of Bangkok and not far from the Burmese border you board another local train that runs along the infamous death railway, constructed during the Second World War by order of the occupying Japanese who used Prisoners of War as well as local “dispensable” labour at a massive cost of life. Skirting a cliff face, the scenery is dramatic and the ride poignant. Bed down for the night on a river raft in the jungle accessed by river.

The following morning early risers may be rewarded with the sight of elephants bathing in the river which often trundle down with their Mahouts from the nearby Mon village. With or without the elephants, the photo opportunities as the sun rises over the jungle canopy should not be missed.

After breakfast board a long tail boat which propels you into the depths of Sai Yok National Park, the river fringed with dense rainforest and waterfalls.

Ayutthaya

The photographic expedition then reverses its course from the borders of Burma (Myanmar) back towards Bangkok via Ayutthaya, Thailand’s former capital (Siamese) constructed in the 14th Century before being ransacked by the Burmese in the 18th Century.

Dine on the river aboard a converted teak rice barge where you will get your first illuminated glimpse of the very historic monuments that exist in what is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Foreign visitors to Ayutthaya during the 17th Century, a period when the city’s population had reached one million inhabitants, are reputed to have said that it was the most illustrious city that they had ever seen.

Another early morning start will pay dividends to capture the procession of Buddhist monks receiving alms against a backdrop of historic buildings. Return to your hotel for sustenance before heading out on your final photographic soiree amongst the historic temples of Wat Yai Chai Mongkol, Wat Sri Sanpetch and Wat Mahathad.

Thailand Photography Travel Tours

This 6-Day photography tour in Thailand and Photography Workshop is part of a responsible travel programme in which photographers are taken to the most fascinating and photogenic locations with ethical considerations in mind. By joining a photography workshop you are encouraged to ensure that there is a mutual exchange between your photographic objectives and those of the local community. This sensitive approach almost always creates opportunities that are denied of casual visitors.

Prices start at US$1,515 per person for the 6-Day photography expedition and this is a scheduled photographic expedition. For more details regarding scheduled dates, accommodation and any further information that you may require please Contact Us at ZiZ Asia.

ZiZ Asia also offers other photographic workshops starting from half a day onwards in Bangkok and other areas of Thailand and also in Cambodia in and around the Temples of Angkor. For the scuba divers among you taking a course in Underwater Photography is highly rewarding and we offer underwater photography courses in Thailand both in the Andaman Sea (Phuket, Koh Lanta etc) and the Gulf of Thailand (Koh Tao, Koh Samui etc).

Book your Photography Workshop in Thailand with ZiZ Asia.