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Photogenic Places – Simple Tips For Photographing Bhutan

The tiny Kingdom of Bhutan might be small but it certainly packs a big punch. A country that remained isolated for a long time and only recently has begun to open it’s doors to visitors. This is a country that is deeply enshrined in Buddhism and nature. So much so that it is the first country in the world with specific constitutional obligations on its people to protect the environment. Like the fact that at least 60% of the country must remain under forest cover at all times. This landlocked country sits amongst the giants of China and India and yet it feels like a world away from those powerhouses. Bhutan translates to “Land of the Thunder Dragon” and a real-life dragon is about the only thing missing from the stunning country. With stunning landscapes, historic monasteries and temples, colourful festivals, and some of the friendliest people in the world, it’s a place that is perfect for photography.

Paro

Most visits to Bhutan will begin with a stunning flight to Paro. As you descend amongst the mountains you begin to realise how stunning this country is. The impressive Paro Dzong can be seen from the airport and is a good place to start your photography. From across the river, you can get some beautiful blue hour shots of the Dzong especially as it is lit up at night. For an alternative wider angle shot, there are several parts of the roads that run around Paro high in the mountains that offer wonderful views of the Dzong in the distance. The other part of Paro that you should aim to tick off is the main street which is dotted with shops.

Thimphu

The capital of Bhutan is one of only two capital cities in the world that has no traffic lights. When one was installed, there was such an outcry that it was soon removed and replaced with a traffic officer instead. Thimphu certainly deserves a day to capture photos in. If you arrive at the weekend, there will be a market which offers wonderful photo opportunities. The Memorial Chorten is also a great place to photograph people. Be sure to capture the prayer wheels being spun by locals as you enter.

Head up to the great Buddha Dordenma, a gigantic Buddha statue in the mountains offering stunning photo opportunities. As well as stunning views of the capital below in the shadow of imposing mountains. Be sure to add a point of interest into your shot of the big Buddha to give a sense of scale. There’s plenty more to photograph. For example, if you have the time a visit to Changangkha Lhakhang is also worthwhile.

Punakha

The beautiful town of Punakha sits majestically in the Himalayas of Bhutan. The most famous sight here is the mighty Punakha Dzong. The administrative centre of the district, it sits at the juncture of the Pho and Mo Chu rivers. The Dzong benefits from the picture-perfect setting of a river in front and mountains in the background. Get here late in the afternoon and wait for the blue hour when the Dzong is lit up. Other notable photogenic spots include the Chimi Lhakhang, otherwise known as the temple of ‘divine madman’. No visit to Punakha will be complete without a walk along the Punakha suspension bridge. It is located close to Punakha Dzong and ideally, you should wait around to get a local crossing the bridge to give your photo a point of interest.

If you drive to Punakha from Thimphu you will have to cross Dochula Pass. At over 3,000 meters, the views of the Bhutanese Himalayas are stunning. On a clear day, you will be able to see Gangkhar Puensum, the highest point in Bhutan at 24,840 feet. It is the highest unclimbed mountain in the world. But what really makes Duchula Pass special are the 108 chortens and the thousands of Buddhist prayer flags that dance in the winds. It’s a magical place that is only enhanced if you are lucky enough to capture in the snow.

Phobjikha Valley

This vast u-shaped glacial valley is home to the critically endangered Blacked-necked cranes. The valley is also known as Gangtey and is dotted with beautifully colourful farmhouses. This valley is a wonderful spot for landscape photography, bird photography and also to photograph people. Walking along the dirt tracks you shouldn’t be surprised to be approached by locals for a chat or even get invited in for some traditional Bhutanese tea. To capture the best photos of the valley walk up to a high vantage point and shoot the valley in the early morning light. If you are lucky you might get some low mist moving across the valley. Otherwise, late afternoon will also provide good light for photography.

The sacred Gangtey Monastery that sits along the road down to the valley is also a special place for photography. Head inside and capture the monks going about their day. They would be more than happy to have their picture taken.

Trongsa

Trongsa is the capital of Trongsa District in central Bhutan. The main sight here is the huge Trongsa Dzong. It is the largest dzong fortress in Bhutan and arguably the most impressive of them all. As you approach the Trongsa along the mountain road you’ll be gasping in awe when you first set eyes on the Dzong sitting on the edge of the gorge. The best photo spot of the Dzong is from the roadside from across the gorge as you approach Trongsa. Inside the dzong, you will be treated to a labyrinth of passages, courtyards and staircases. The photo opportunities inside the dzong are endless as there will be locals and monks wandering around. If you are lucky enough you may even stumble onto a local festival.

Bumthang

This region is the religious heartland of Bhutan. This is where Buddhism originated in the Kingdom and as such it is home to some of its oldest Buddhist temples and monasteries. Tales of Guru Padmasambhava and the tertons (“religious treasure-discoverers”) still linger in this sacred region. Some of Bhutan’s oldest and most sacred temples are found in Bumthang, including Jambey Lhakhang. According to legend, this ancient temple was built by the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo in 659 A.D. as part of a chain of 108 simultaneously constructed temples. This was in order to subdue an evil demoness that lay over the Himalayan region. It is the oldest Lhakhang in Bhutan. There are numerous other temples and shrines worth visiting in Bumthang and many of them are linked to Guru Rinpoche’s visit in 746 A.D. Every one of these monasteries and temples offers a slightly different insight and photo opportunities so make sure you visit all of them.

Beyond the temples, this region is also incredibly fertile and covered in fields of buckwheat, rice and potatoes. Apple orchards and dairy farms are also common sights here.

Festivals

Bhutanese festivals are an incredible sight to witness. Full of colour they usually reenact famous legends with dance and music. There are a whole array of festivals throughout the year and attending one on a visit to Bhutan should be high on your list. Be aware that these festivals are incredibly busy with locals and tourists so make sure you arrive as the doors open to get a good spot for photos. If you have two camera bodies, attach a wide-angle lens to one and a telephoto lens to the other. This will allow you to capture a variety of photos. Set your camera on burst mode and continuous focus. Select a fast shutter speed of 1/200 sec or faster to freeze the action. Don’t forget to take plenty of memory cards and batteries with you. The most famous festivals in Bhutan are:

Paro Tschechu
Thimphu Tschechu
Wangduephodrang Tshechu
The Punakha Tschechu
Drubchen
Black-Necked Crane Festival

Archery & Darts

Archery is the national sport of Bhutan. You will find it hard to go through your trip and not witness some people doing archery in villages along the way. A form of darts is also widely played and both make for interesting photo opportunities. If you see people playing simply walking up to them and asking to take photos will be fine. Just be careful not to get in the way. They are using real arrows and they can seriously injure or even cause death.

Tiger’s Nest Monastery

You may think that you’ve had enough of monasteries by this point. But Paro Taktsang is not just any monastery. It is arguably the most impressive of all monasteries anywhere in the world. Clinging to the side of the mountain it is one of the most sought after photo spots in the world. Legend states that Guru Rinpoche arrived in Bhutan by flying on the back of a tigress. He visited several caves and cliff sides in order to meditate and subdue local demons. He spent a large amount of his time on the mountainside above the Paro Valley, sanctifying the place that would later become one of Bhutan’s holiest monasteries. Reached by a two-hour strenuous hike up the side of the mountain, there are only a handful of well-known spots to photograph the monastery from. The best view is from one of the lookout points that sits directly opposite the monastery. Photography is not allowed inside Paro Taktsang so the only possible photos are of the outside.

Bhutan is probably not the first country on most people’s bucket list. But if you visit you will quickly realise why everyone who has come here, says that it is somewhere special. You will not only come back with great memories but also some incredible photos.

Photogenic Places – Simple Tips On Photographing Bangkok

Sitting on the Chao Phraya River, Bangkok certainly isn’t new on the tourist map. But this is a city that has been captivating visitors for years. Yes, it’s hot, yes, it’s busy and yes, there are usually people that try to rip off unsuspecting tourists, but few capital cities in the world offer the diversity for photography that Bangkok offers. Here are some simple tips on photographing Bangkok.

The Basics

Often the big danger with a place like Bangkok is to try and cram too much into your trip. Bangkok is deceivingly big and unless you are planning on spending a considerable amount of time there you won’t be able to cover too much. Factor in the heat and you will often find that you are short of time to be able to capture everything. So instead of trying to, focus on a few of the key points below.

Grand Palace

No first time visit to Bangkok will be complete without a visit to the Grand Palace. Once the residence of the Thai monarchy, it now sees thousands of visitors pass through it’s gates on a daily basis, but it is still one of the most beautiful tourist sites in the world. The big draw here is Wat Phra Kaew commonly known in English as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (the official name is Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram). This is the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand and as a result there is a strict dress code. Make sure you fully know this before you turn up as you will not be allowed in.

The first thing that you need to accept is that there is no way to get the place to yourself. You will be in a confined space with lots of other tourists, so you need to think creatively on how to capture good photos that don’t have lots of other people in them.

Arrive at opening time (8.30 am at the time of writing), and you will already see masses of tourists descending on the gates. Don’t be put off by this as the crowd moves quickly. Once inside, quickly head to the ticket office with the correct entrance fee (500 baht per person at the time of writing) and get your ticket. Most of the tour groups at this stage are posing for group photos on the main lawn so if move quickly you can get inside and have a few valuable minutes where the main sites are still relatively quiet.

Do you research before you go so you know exactly what photos you want to take so that you can head straight to those locations and capture the photos you want. Once the crowd gets inside unfortunately there will be no quiet period. From this point onwards you need to rely on patience (in the flow of traffic) and also carefully framing your photos to eliminate people behind columns or buildings. If you are willing to be patient you will still be able to capture some great photos even once the tourists are inside. Don’t forget about close ups of the temples and statues that will often look great and can avoid tourists being in your shot.

Other Temples

There are no shortage of other temples in Bangkok. The biggest highlight of the rest is Wat Pho or Temple of the Reclining Buddha which sits beside the Grand Palace and is another busy tourist site. But unlike the Grand Palace, if you can arrive at opening time (currently 8 am) you will get around 45 minutes where the grounds are almost empty. Start by capturing photos of the grounds first and then head over to see the reclining Buddha at 8.30 am when it opens. There will usually only be a few visitors here at this point. From around 8.45 am onwards the grounds will begin to get busier, so as per the Grand Palace you will need to be creative in how to frame your shots.

There are lots more temples in Bangkok other than the big two above and most others will see less tourists than the two above.

Here are a few of the other temples you can photograph:

Wat Arun
Wat Saket
Wat Traimit
Wat Suthat
Wat Benjamabhopit

Roof Top Bars

There can’t be many cities in the world with more roof top bars than Bangkok. There is everything from places that sell cheap drinks with great views, right the way through to amazing skyscrapers where you’ll see glitz and glamour. If you want to capture photographs that show off Bangkok, views from rooftop bars have to be high on your list.

Arguably the most famous view is from the Skybar at Lebua Hotel made famous by the Hangover 2 movie. Currently the bar opens at 6 pm and there are no tripods allowed which means you have to shoot everything handheld. You can rest your camera on the narrow steel ledge of the bar but don’t expect to be able to capture anything at slow shutter speeds. The only way is to bump up your ISO and hold the camera as steady as you can. Be warned that there is a strict dress policy and drinks are expensive by Bangkok standards. But then again you are partly paying for the experience and the view.

If that doesn’t seem the right place for you, thankfully there are plenty of other options. The view from the SO Sofitel bar is one of the best in the city and Baiyoke Tower II is the second tallest building in Bangkok and offers an observation deck. Away from the big skyscrapers, the selection of hotels on the opposite bank to Wat Arun on the Chao Phraya River offer fantastic views at sunset and are a lot cheaper and more relaxed than the big skyscrapers.

Chinatown

One of the most vibrant areas of Bangkok, Chinatown is a wonderful place to just wander around. During the day you’ll see locals going about their day, small markets in every side street and alleyway and an abundance of street food and restaurants. Come here at night and the whole area is a hive activity all lit up by the huge lights on Yaowarat Road. You could easy walk around for hours and capture numerous wonderful shots.

To photograph the lights on the main road the best way is to find a slight curve in the road and position yourself so you that you can see all the way down. Needless to say, that for any low light photography you will need a tripod. The area really is a paradise for photographers and should be a must on any shot list.

Markets

Whether you are after one of the biggest markets in Thailand, a night market or a small local market, you’ll be hard pushed not to at least stumble onto a road with a market. But markets are such a vital part of culture in this part of the world that you should spend time visiting and capture some of them. Most of the markets will be in covered areas which means you’ll be fighting against low light conditions. There are also often narrow walkways between them which can feel claustrophobic and doesn’t give you much room to move around.

Capturing photos in markets can be challenging so try to concentrate on focusing correctly and keeping your shutter speed fast enough to avoid camera shake. Try to capture a mix of subject like locals interacting with the market vendor, the products on sale and even portraits. You will most likely need to set your ISO pretty hight to be able to capture sharp photos so make sure you check your camera’s capabilities before hand so you know the acceptable level of noise it can handle.

Just walk

But above all of the sites and rooftop bars, arguably the best thing to do in Bangkok is just to walk around. You’ll be harassed by tuk tuk drivers asking you where you are going but if you can ignore them and just walk around you’ll often by rewarded with places and photos that you didn’t expect. One minute you’ll see a someone making something in their shop and the next you’ll see monks walking around in a market. Walking in Bangkok is arguably the best thing to do as a tourist and photographer and will give ample opportunities for photos. Just set yourself an A to B point and walk between them. Then set another and so on.

Bangkok is truly one of the most photogenic places in the world. From vertigo inducing views, to charming and friendly locals, from mouth-watering street food to authentic shots of locals going about their daily life, Bangkok has it all. Follow these simple tips for photographing Bangkok and you’ll be coming back with some outstanding photos.