Sukumvit and Onnut: 850nm Infrared

I was way out in Onnut, a neighborhood far away from my usual Bangkok stomping grounds, on a secret mission related to this year's special Halloween post (stay tuned for that next Sunday)! It was an unseasonably bright and sunny day - perfect for infrared photography! I still had my Kolari Pocket camera in my backpack with its 850nm filter from the other day, and I ended up taking some pictures in the bright afternoon sunlight. 

Harsh light is perfect for infrared! Here, you can see how much more stunning the black sky looks and how much better all of the buildings pop on a sunny day as compared to the photos I took earlier this week.

Photos shot on Kolari Pocket infrared camera with 850nm filter in Bangkok, Thailand

It was a bright sunny day, and the strong sunlight promised that we wouldn't have any rain anytime soon. I stood at the top of the Skytrain station and snapped some photos of the modern Bangkok skyline along the extremely busy Sukumvit Road.

850nm infrared paints the sky black - the brighter and sunnier the day is, the darker the sky and the brighter the foliage and buildings. This is why people love using infrared to photograph architecture.

Wat That Thong is a sprawling temple complex just off of the Skytrain station. I've seen it so many times while riding past, but I've never been to see the temple up close. I'll have to get around to that sometime!

There was a typically Thai Bhrama shrine outside of a small business park.

Most every commercial building or property will have some sort of shrine such as this.

Normally, I would never take a photo of this scene. Something like this would be boring with a regular camera. However, with infrared, even the mundane can look interesting. That's why it's been such a good hobby for me! Infrared photography has really given me a chance to explore Bangkok in a new way, and to look at the city literally in a different light.

I walked along the sidewalk, past a traditional Thai-Chinese gold shop. Here, you can see how important natural sunlight is for infrared photography. The shaded portion of this image is nearly obscured by darkness. It wasn't that dark in real life, but the infrared filter blocks out a lot of what isn't directly illuminated by infrared light.

Skytrain, market stalls, and skyscrapers.

I had to cross a wide canal to reach my destination. Infrared filters do crazy things to water, too!

I really like this picture. The 850nm filter turns the water completely black. There's no transparency whatsoever, and barely any reflection. Some of my favorite IR photos are those that feature water, trees, buildings, and sky all in one frame.

A parcel delivery man rides past a Chinese shop house on a motorbike. Behind him, a bustling market spreads through the warrenlike alleyways.

Bangkok is home to hundreds of ultramodern condo buildings like these.

I walked down Onnut Road - one of the busier parts of Bangkok, but one that I rarely get the chance to visit. I think this area is popular with expats, but I don't have much interaction with whose whom I affectionately call the "Sukumvit People".

A small community of wooden houses sat above a canal, sandwiched between apartment buildings.

I happened to pass a small local temple, and decided to step through the large outer gates to take some pictures. It was a hot afternoon, and there wasn't much activity around the grounds.

The temple, Wat Tai, is small but ornate.

A tuk-tuk sat in a parking lot, waiting for its driver to carry people up and down the busy streets of downtown.

A small community is built on stilts above a wide and trafficked canal. These communities are of dubious legality, but are mostly tolerated as a part of Bangkok - as long as they don't interfere with development. I think that these stilt communities add to much of Bangkok's character and charm.

Even today, Bangkok's waterways are an integral part of the city's commercial and transportation network. Even I take the river ferries and canal boats from time to time.

Eventually I reached my destination, Wat Mahabut. This 18th century temple has a long and storied past, and I had been wanting to visit for quite some time.

But that's a story for another day. Specifically, Sunday, when I write about my visit to Wat Mahabut for my annual Halloween post! Check back then!