Holy

Nikon D70 @ 320mm, 1/330 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200

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You know, there was something about this woman that made her stand out from the crowd, but I can't quite put my finger on it. I think it was her perfume.

As someone correctly noticed the other day, there has been some new numbers appearing on my exif data - the focal length is now capable of exceeding 70mm! When I was in Thailand I plucked up the courage to buy a Nikon 80-400mm VR lens. I was going to buy the Sigma OS equivalent over here, but when I realised I could get it for a little over £600 (as opposed to £1k) I thought it would be crazy not to.

I've had the lens for about 3 weeks now and have been using it quite a lot. It's been really interesting having a whole new type of shot available to me (previously my longest lens was the kit lens at 70mm). The lens is very big (in comparison to my other lenses) and attracts a lot of attention. So much in fact that I've started shooting without the lens hood when I can as this makes the lens look about 8 inches bigger. Although it's a lot bigger than anything I've used before, it's very easy to hold and use, and the VR works wonders.

Peaceful Protester

Nikon D70 @ mm, sec, f/, ISO 200

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I liked this man. He seemed to be the epitome of a peaceful protester. He just stood there very quietly, minding his own business and holding his little piece of paper.

Preaching to the Protesters

Nikon D70 @ 400mm, 1/2000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200

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Although the photograph doesn't convey this, I thought that this was quite a funny scene. The man, an obviously passionate preacher of Christianity, was carrying two signs: one was about God being great and all that good stuff and the other seemed to be an unusual diagram of a man with accompanying text about the "Biblical Prophecy". The funny part though, I thought, was the fact that he was preaching to the Women in Black protesters who, in the middle of carrying out one of their silent vigils, completely ignored him.

One set of protesters, one preacher; both conveying their thoughts; neither listening.

Peace Protest

Nikon D70 @ 38mm, 1/1600 sec, f/4.5, ISO 200

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I stumbled across a peace protest on Saturday next to the National Galleries in Edinburgh. As this seems a little more topical at the moment, I thought I'd take a break from posting my Thailand photos and post these instead.

Timed to Projection

Nikon D70 @ 80mm, 1/1250 sec, f/6.3, ISO 200

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Words by Andy Waller.

Worshipping at Wat Phra Kaew

Nikon D70 @ 22mm, 1/1250 sec, f/3.8, ISO 200

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Just like the Grand Palace in Bangkok this photo is very busy! And for that reason, I'm sure that many of you won't be taken much by this shot. It doesn't help either that the picture being displayed here is so small - the full resolution version looks far better.

I took this shot just outside Wat Phra Kaew which in turn is within the grounds of the Grand Palace. Wat Phra Kaew, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, is Thailand's most important and sacred temple which is why I felt slightly hesistant about taking such personal photos. But hundreds of other people were so I thought I might as well join in!

Tuk-Tuk

Nikon D70 @ 10mm, 1 sec, f/4, ISO 200

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After 24 hours of travelling and a day of rest, I'm back in blogging action and ready to share my experiences of Thailand. It was by far the most amazing place I've ever been to, probably because it was so completely different to anywhere I've visited before. I feel as if I've got so much to say about the trip, but I'll try and contain my excitement and just explain it shot by shot.

So...

I'll start by saying I love this shot. I love it because it totally reminds me of my first crazy tuk-tuk experience. It was our first night in Bangkok and we had just visited Khao San Road which our Thai tour guide told us was the first place every backpacker had to visit. We were in Thailand during the rainy season and when it rains there, it really rains - so we thought a tuk-tuk would get us back to the hotel as quickly as possible.

It probably wasn't the best idea in the world: a Bangkok tuk-tuk is a light weight vehicle resting on three wheels with an open frame and a canvas roof which doesn't provide the passengers with much protection from the elements. They're very popular in traffic congested cities like Bangkok as they can maneuver in and out of traffic with alarming speed.

And at an alarming speed did we go at that night in the pouring rain! You get the sensation that your on a theme park ride but without the certainty that you'll be alive at the end of the journey. It's probably partly because once you've negotiated your fee with the driver it's in his best interests to get you there as quickly as possible so that he can pick up his next victim.

I don't want to give the impression that I don't like tuk-tuks. Are they dangerous? Yeah, a little. But are they fun? Definitely! Sticking my head out of the side of the tuk-tuk that while snapping away meant that I inevitably got soaked but what an experience it was. I got the picture I was after so I didn't mind that I was drenched by the end of the ride.

I was actually quite surprise that the shot came out so well as I can't emphasise enough how much I was being bumped about at this point (and which you can clearly see from the light trails!). But a little fill flash freezing parts of the foreground enable a little calm to be brought to the chaos.

Tuk-tuks - you gotta love 'em!