Filling the Frame

I was inspired by today’s “Picture of the Day”: “Book Snap” in Michael Willems’s Daily Photography Blog to post some pictures I took in Prawet Market, Bangkok on Saturday.

Bangkok still has many traditional wet markets selling everything from fresh meat and fish, vegetables to clothes and electronics. Some are tourist attractions like the Flower Market near Memorial Bridge. But most serve the local people as they’ve done for years.

The markets are usually crowded and ill-lit so photography isn’t easy. I’ve found the pictures I like the most are close-ups of the produce on sale. The colours and textures are often compelling – especially if so much is unfamiliar to Western eyes (and nostrils). As Michael commented with his Book Snap, it’s good to fill the frame.

Here are a few examples from my Flickr photostream.

Joe Boxer

Chilis Drying in the Sun

Shirts of Many Colours

Dried Fish

Outside the tourist areas the vendors are always friendly. They’re thrilled and surprised that a foreigner is interested in things they sell every day. But in the tourist areas like Sukhumvit and Silom Roads the stall-holders can be pretty hostile. Perhaps they are worried that I am checking on the counterfeit goods they are selling. But most likely they are tired of tourists with cameras not buying much.

Tags: Bangkok, clothing, food, market, Thailand, wet market