Silom: 850nm Infrared

It's not a great time of year for infrared photography. It works best when the sky is bright, clear, and sunny. Right now, it's the rainy season here in Bangkok, but nevertheless, I set out on a little photo walk the other day with my Kolari Pocket camera to shoot some infrared photography. Since I was downtown, I carried along my 850nm filter, a monochromatic infrared filter which is especially good with shooting architecture.

*Some of these pictures feature the Mahanakhon Building, currently the tallest building in Thailand. A couple of years ago, I braved wind and weather to attend the grand opening of this fantastic modern landmark.

Photos shot on Kolari Pocket with 850nm filter in Silim and Lumpini Park, Bangkok

The statue to King Vajiravudh (Rama VI) which stands outside of Lumpini Park is one of the more iconic landmarks in Bangkok's busy downtown area.

This sundial, shaped like a crane with a neck pointing towards the heavens, stands in the middle of a sunny field at Lumpini Park. 

This Chinese-style pagoda is one of several permanent structures at Lumpini Park. Offering shade and a place to rest, the pavillion was a gift from the government of China to the Kingdom of Thailand on the occasion of King Bhumibohl's 72nd birthday in 1997.

It's a great place for some IR photography, because you can see grass, trees, plants, buildings, and sky all in one place. It's one of the few wide-open spaces in the middle of one of Bangkok's most crowded neighborhoods.

850nm infrared photography is often used for architecture photography because of the way it makes manmade structures stand out against the sky. The clouds turned the sky a pale grey, but if it had been a clearer and sunnier day, the sky would have looked stark black.

The Skytrain is the 

Saladaeng Intersection is one of the busiest in the city, connecting several of Bangkok's most trafficked roads. Thankfully, there is both a Skytrain and Metro station nearby, so I have never had to take a taxi to this part of town.

This area is full of bars, shops, massage parlors, and restaurants. It's a busy part of town I rarely visit, but which makes for fantastic street photography.

Every soi, or alleyway, in Bangkok tells a story. There's not one that isn't worth peeking down.

The Mahanakhon Building is the new tallest building in Bangkok (that is, unless you count the architectural spire on top of the Magnolia Waterfront Residences). It's a super cool and iconic design for one of the city's most outstanding architectural wonders.

Though a new tallest building is currently under construction - one which is due to dwarf the Mahanakhon Building - it will be hard to design a more eye-catching skyscraper.

What's so interesting about Bangkok is how every neighborhood has its own unique character. This busy downtown area is so vastly different from the riverfront, the old town, or the more middle-class and quiet Chatuchak District where I live.

I've never walked this way. Photography as a hobby has really led me to explore Bangkok in ways I had never thought to before.

Once, Bangkok was known as the "Venice of the Orient". Today, a handful of tiny, choked canals remain, though small ones like this are no longer used for anything but drainage. They tend to get quite smelly in the heat.

Bangkok has a lot of character. It's a city that is infinitely worth exploring. Even after eight years of very deliberate exploration, I've barely scratched the surface. What it really takes to get to know the city is getting well and truly lost.

Downtown presents a different side of Bangkok, far removed from the temples, palaces, and shop houses which one more frequently imagines when picturing the City of Angels.