The streets of Bangkok

[Stephane Tougard]

As usual, beside a rescaling, those files are jpeg strait out of the camera, no post-processing whatsoever has been applied. On the Leica M9, the following setting were used:

Exposure compensation: +1/3
Compression: JPG fine
Sharpening: Low
Color saturation: Vintage B & W
Contrast: Medium low
ISO: 800
Aperture varies from 5.6 to 11, speed varies for each shot, usually on the high range (250 to 500).
Lenses are Voigtlander 40mm f1.4 and 21mm f4

 

[Martin Scharnke]

I particularly like the umbrellas!

 

[Stephane Tougard]

January 2nd, around 4pm, my working day is ending and I decide to go out to try to catch the last rays of light of the sunset in the street.



I setup my Leica M9 with the Kodachrome profile. It's my favorite, but it's as well the most difficult to use because the sensitivity is very low.



Sharpening: Medium high
Color saturation: Standard
Contrast: High
ISO: 160



The Voigtlander 40mm f1.4 mounted on the Leica is set to an aperture of F2. This allows me a shutter speed of 1/125 of a second in most situations. But the very short DOF makes it difficult to focus in the fire of the action. That gives a few blurry shots, impossible to reproduce with a modern DSLR that always give a perfect focus in all cases.




I love the narrow DOF of this mode, even with the 40mm, added to the strong vignetting of the lens at this wide aperture, it forces the eye to focus on the main subject of the photograph.



As usual, those jpeg are strait out of the camera, no correction, no post processing, however imperfect they are, it has all been done during the shot.

 

[Martin Scharnke]

The family on the moped and the one man sitting alone at the bus-stop (?) are particularly engaging.

 

[Stephane Tougard]

A new bar has open in Bangkok, no idea how is the drink and the food, but at least the place is original.



I've never really worked on architecture photography, I'm not really good at it and I'm disturbed by the miss of action.



But here, it's so different and original that I could not resist to put my skills at test.



I've the feeling that I need to find a model and go back there. It's like it's missing a feminine presence on those picture.



As usual, those photographs are jpeg strait out of the camera. Made with a Leica M9 and a Voigtlander 21mm f4

 

[Pete Askew]

What an interesting building and a super set. I especially like the third shot of it.

I like the other sets too and it is interesting seeing both everyday activities and those details that make a place itself.

 

[Stephane Tougard]

Last day of 2023 in the streets of Bangkok. It's a desert, most shops are closed and the very few street food sellers still there are desperately waiting for customers, in vain.





A few usual scenics, but not a very good day for the street photographer hunting for some action.







In despair, I end my day with the photograph of a wall, just a wall.



As usual, those jpeg are strait out of the camera with the profile I call "BW Modern"

Leica M9
Voigtlander 40mm f1.4
Sharpening: Medium high
Contrast: Medium high
Color saturation: Black & White
ISO: 400

 

[Ivar Dahl-Larsen]

a fine set of pictures I'd say.

 

[Stephane Tougard]

A few random shots from my walks in Bangkok. All shots are made with Leica M9, Voigtlander 21mm for the 4 first ones and 40mm for the last one. All jpeg strait out of the camera with no post processing, except for the priest where I cropped the photograph to remove an absolutely uninteresting part from it.



That's the only photograph I could get from this dog. Once his interest for me past, he turned away and no noise I could make was interesting anymore for him.



In a house, a priest comes to bless a familly.



In the middle of Bangkok, where houses are stuck together, a huge place is reserved for golf players.



The men in Orange are everywhere, they ride scooters and for 30 THB (around 1USD) bring you anywhere in Bangkok. All Thais use their services, they are so used to be passenger that they don't hold anymore. Who talked about an helmet ?

 

[Stephane Tougard]

It did not rain on Bangkok for the past few months, the sky is blue, blue, blue so blue and there is so much light that it is a paradise for the photographers. Yes and no, we need to renew ourselves and to do so, we need changes in the surrounding conditions. In westerns countries, we have seasons. But what to do when the sky is always blue?



Last time it rained on Bangkok, I was outside with my Nikon Zfc and I used the opportunity for a few shots. Fortunately, the Zfc is a very good companion when the light misses and the conditions are bad.



Don't think for one minute that rains will stop daily activities of Thai. When the rains falls on Bangkok, it may even lead to floods. I still remember once, on the way back to my hotel, I was in a cab when it started to rain very strong. So strong that the level of the water was rising. At some point, in the traffic jam caused by the flood, we felt the car floating and moving.









Those photographs have been shot with a Nikon Zfc and its companion the 16-50 mm in RAW. Then post processed with a Fuji Velvia fiter for the color shots and TRI-X for the black & white. I think I played on the vignetting on the second one.

That reminds me that the Zfc corrects the defects of the lens, so the photographs always appear in their best condition. That's something I do not like. I like the vignetting of a lens at its full aperture, I play with that. I've ordered an adapter to mount my M lenses on the Zfc, to see if I can get the best of both world.

 

[Stevenson Gawen]

Great photos. (as usual !)
The first one with the two (?) children being taken on the scooter is a little scary but a very cool photo.

At some point, in the traffic jam caused by the flood, we felt the car floating and moving.

Gosh! Did the taxi keep going?? Some cars have the air intake set too low for that kind of thing... RIP engine...

That reminds me that the Zfc corrects the defects of the lens, so the photographs always appear in their best condition. That's something I do not like.

I don't know what RAW developer you use, but in darktable (my choice) the correction is disabled by default, which I like. RawTherapee and ART also allow this, I'm not sure what the default is though.

 

[Stephane Tougard]

Great photos. (as usual !)
The first one with the two (?) children being taken on the scooter is a little scary but a very cool photo.

I've seen up to five (5) people on those small motorbikes.

Gosh! Did the taxi keep going?? Some cars have the air intake set too low for that kind of thing... RIP engine...

Water did not rise so high that it was dangerous for the engine. However, there was some water inside the car.

I don't know what RAW developer you use, but in darktable (my choice) the correction is disabled by default, which I like. RawTherapee and ART also allow this, I'm not sure what the default is though.

When I shot raw (which I don't do anymore), I use Capture one. The thing is that those modern lenses have a lot of unbearable defects to be good. You have no choice than correct those (if you don't want to have a fish eye).

That's why I want to test using M lenses on the Nikon, those are optically good and there there is no way they can be corrected automatically by the camera or the raw decoder.

 

[Stephane Tougard]

Just opposite my own block. Some days of the week, there is a Fruit stand here where I can find some durian (in the good season).







Two grab delivery drivers take a rest between two deliveries.



Washing machine.



Shot on January 2024, in the streets of Bangkok with a Leica M9 and a Voigtlander 21mm f4. All files are strait out of the camera, no post processing whatsoever has been applied.