September 2014 - My Favourite Lens

Free Rides in Green Town @ Hangzhou, China [F.Zuiko 38mm f1.8]

Hangzhou, China. One of the country’s greenest and most visited tourist cities, which in China is saying a lot. West Lake is where most people know and head for first, and with good reason. It’s a beautiful spot for walking, relaxing, and cycling. And photography, of course.

During my weekend in Hangzhou, I spent half my time shooting around West Lake and the other half around the tourist spots in the urban centre around the walking street, with a temple thrown in for good measure.

Bicycles are available for the public to rent too, and can be gotten for free if you know how to play the game. In this account of a weekend in Hangzhou, I’ll tell you how.

Chiang Mai Temple Photography w/ F.Zuiko 38mm f1.8

The temples of Chiang Mai are wonderful spots for your regular scenic tourist shots, but what else can they offer in terms of photography?

Wat Pha Khao, a lesser known temple in Chiang Mai, offers an interesting playground for the photographer with its collection of small Buddhist statues in the yard, while another temple yard I entered housed an impressive collection of broken Buddha figurines beneath a bodhi tree.

Come see what else you can expect from a day shooting some Chiang Mai temple photography with a vintage F.Zuiko 38mm f1.8 lens.

Shooting Pai with the Super-Takumar 55mm f1.8

Surrounded by amazing countryside, Pai town itself is also a delight. These pictures were taken with the Super-Takumar 55mm f1.8 on a trip I took there from Chiang Mai.

The slow pace of the place in the daytime makes it a great spot for some manual focus photography, with the night markets providing a plethora of local street eats to try.

It’s not the biggest set on here. It’s even the biggest set from Pai on here. But it does take a look at the town in daylight, the riverside, and gives a little taster of the street food available.

Chiang Mai Sunday Market Through a Vintage Lens [Super-Takumar 55mm f1.8]

The Chiang Mai Sunday night market closes the centre of town and sees 1000s of tourists throng to buy all the street food they can eat and all the souvenirs they can carry.

As the market begins to be set up in the early evening, it’s a great chance for some photography during the golden hour as the sun is setting. After dark, the opportunities for great shots continue as the ambient lights are turned on.

No visitor to Chiang Mai should miss the Sunday night market if they have the chance to go. For those who aren’t able, or are but yet to, these pictures give a taste of what it’s like to be there.

Presenting Pai Through the F.Zuiko 38mm f1.8

A small tourist town in northern Thailand, Pai is somewhere no visiting backpacker or hippy should ever forget (drink and drugs depending).

The surrounding countryside is as nice to photograph as it is to travel through, with the canyon and big Buddha providing great locations for shooting your vintage lenses.

I spent some time capturing all I could with the F.Zuiko 38mm f1.8, and the results are in this blog post here. Come see, come see!