Hello and welcome back to tographyfeelz. In this post we take a look at my favourite shots from a photo mission to one of the most beautiful temples in Bangkok, Wat Loha Prasat. Let's dive in.
Okay, so photo missions, or to put it a different way, heading out with a specific photo in mind is something quite new for me. I found my self wandering aimlessly around the streets of Bangkok, occasionally finding nice shots however I never quite felt satisfied with my results.
A change of plan was needed and so, photo missions seemed like a great of heading out with more intent and clarity. The first photo mission I made was the previous photo mission blog post, Victory Monument and that one turned out great! A natural progression from that mission was a temple shot and Wat Loha Prasat had been on my radar for quite a while, so off I went.
From my pre mission scouting, I had seen gardens at the front of the temple which I wanted to have as a foreground element in my shots. So that was my first stop when I arrived at the temple. I managed to snap this shot before the rain came in and hit hard.
The rain really came down hard so my camera and I took shelter until the weather eased off a little. Obviously, I took some shots from under cover.
Once the rain subsided I took a walk around the temple grounds to figure out if there where any better composition options. I knew this temple was somewhat symmetrical so that had to play a role in at least one shot, so that was definitely guiding my vision. Here are a few shots I managed walking around. A bonus here is the close proximity to Wat Saket otherwise known as the Golden Mount. I may return to rework this particular shot with better light and emphasis on the two temples together.
Now I had walked all the way around the temple and figured the best angles, I found the best composition to be in one corner of the temple which highlighted the symmetrical nature of this awesome piece of architecture. I pulled out the camera and began looking through the view finder hand held to figure out the angles and position on the camera, Ince that had been taken care of, out came the tripod and I locked the camera down! Two shots, one vertical and one horizontal, I just couldn't choose which I liked best. So here they are.
The almost perfect symmetry is just amazing! I really loved these two shots. Its open for debate whether the dark storm clouds are better or worse than some beautiful colours in the sky, but on the day I clearly had no option. In the end, I kind of like the dark sky, it contrasts really well against that beautiful golden design.
With those two shots in the bag, I headed back out to the gardens in an attempt to find a better shot using the flowers as some foreground with the awesome temple behind and in the background. The light was fading fast so I had to move quite quickly.
There are a few different kinds of flowers in the garden, unfortunately I have no idea what they are or what they are called, but they all offer something very different. Some tall in shape, some round. Some blue and some red. All of which change the mood of the image and alter the dynamics of the frame drastically. Finding the correct flowers for the shot would prove to be the difference between the shot working or not.
So I tried a few shots with the taller shape flowers and a few with the rounder shaped flowers. Again I couldn't really choose which I prefer but I think I lean towards the taller kind. It mimics the shape and form of the temple more closely and adds to the shot more. The rounder shape flowers are nice, but contrast too heavily in their shape to the temple, in my opinion.
So once I had settled on the taller flowers I set up the tripod and dialled in some settings for a slightly longer exposure to get some movement in the stormy sky. The settings for this shot are as follows, ISO 100, 30 Seconds, F16. Shot with my Sony A7C and Tamron 28-75 F2.8 at 45mm. I used my Haida Nanopro Variable ND kit to reduce the shutter speed. Here is the result.
Im really happy with this shot! I love how the movement in the sky makes the temple appear more prominent in the frame. I also love how the negative space to the right of the temple is filled with a dark patch of cloud to give a little interest and then obviously the flowers in the foreground as I have mentioned already. All in all, I think the image works okay.
At this point it was almost dark and as usual I wanted to try and grab a few more pictures. I put the tripod away and walked around trying different compositions with the flowers. Here is what I managed to find.
So to conclude this blog, I feel that this photo mission was a success. I definitely like having more focus when I head out with the camera however I won't do that every time I shoot. My previous post was the exact opposite, walking around a temple and market I had never been to before so had no idea what to expect. I do think that having a plan in your mind and then going to execute that plan, or maybe vision is a better word, is a great photography exercise. It will force you to learn how to make the most of every situation, force you to look harder for compositions that show your intended subject the best and finally and possibly most importantly, photo missions are really good fun!
Thanks for reading and I hope you come back for the next blog. Thank you!