Damnoen Saduak Floating Market
Woman selling produce from a canoe, Damnoen Saduak Floating Market near Bangkok.
Popular with tourists the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market near Bangkok is perfect for candid street photography.
The floating markets in and around Bangkok have been a major tourist drawcard for years. Damnoen Saduak is the largest of these markets and I finally made the decision to make the 90 minute drive from Bangkok, albeit as part of a small group tour.
I made the trip on a Sunday on the advice that the lower levels of traffic in Bangkok over the weekend would shorten the trip by an hour or more. It did, but with less traffic in town came many more tourists at the Floating Market.
It was a busy day and movement, at each location on the tour, was somewhat restricted by the large numbers of tourists.
Transport arrived at my hotel at 6:30am. However, by the time our minibus had picked up folks from other nearby hotels it was 7:15am by the time we headed for Damnoen Saduak.
We finally arrived at the floating markets at 8:45am by which time any hopes of beautiful, soft early morning light were gone.
The scene above was made under quite high contrast conditions. I’ve found that, almost always, folks are more forgiving of photos made under high contrast lighting when rendered into black and white.
What’s more black and white can elicit feelings of nostalgia, particularly when a warm, sepia tone is added to the image.
As you can see this recipe worked very well in the above candid photo of a woman selling produce from a canoe at the Floating Markets.
Snake handler with a large python at the Floating Markets near Bangkok.
How To Manage High Contrast Conditions
Fortunately the buildings lining the narrow waterways provided large areas of open shade which is ideal for portrait photography.
The problem was ensuring that portrait subjects and the areas that surrounded them were evenly illuminated.
This was not always possible, particularly when photographing from one of the canoe-like boats that zip along the canal.
Careful exposure, composition (to minimize high contrast within the frame) and image processing saved the day. However, when my boat moved into areas of hard, high contrast lighting I often chose not to make any photos.
The quite tight composition around this python bearing snake handler works as it hints at the hectic activity at the market and also acts as a frame within a frame to draw attention to the main subject matter in the photo.
He was very aware I was photographing him, but his attention was placed on a big, burly Russian man who was about to pay a few Thai Baht to have his photo made holding the snake.
Candid Photos at Damnoem Saduak
It's my practice to ask permission prior to photographing someone who has not commissioned me to photograph them.
I love the interaction of working in close with folks with whom I would otherwise have no connection.
But the floating market at Damnoen Saduak provided me no such luxury. It's a busy and fairly raucous environment, thanks to us tourists and the way some of the hawkers approach tourists.
In any case, due to the high quantity and frequency of tourists, the local folk are accustomed to photographers. With this thought in mind I had no trouble making candid pictures.
That's not to say the subjects were not aware they were being photographed. When they were I felt they were happy to go about their business and let me go about my own.
Whenever possible I would end such encounters with a few words of thanks and a smile. It costs nothing to do so and the gesture is likely to be appreciated by the person you’ve just photographed.
Despite the fact that I was photographing in a hot and crowded environment I’m all about making beautiful, life-affirming images.
That fact gives me both motivation and courage to make even more great photos, particularly when it comes to making candid photos of strangers.
Nonetheless, it can be daunting for most folks to photograph strangers.
I’ve written a comprehensive post titled Photography in Public Places featuring photos from Thailand, Buenos Aires, Kolkata, China and Bali.
I hope this post will help prepare you for the challenge of street photography, particularly when it comes to photographing strangers.
Retailer displaying a trusting expression at Damnoen Saduak Floating Market near Bangkok.
How To Successfully Photograph The Floating Markets
I'd certainly recommend the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market for folks who love people-based, candid photography.
Photographing active subjects, often from a moving platform, under high contrast lighting will make for a challenging photographic adventure. But, as you can, it’s possible to make emotively compelling photos.
I photographed this lovely lady by zooming in and concentrating attention on her face. The interaction between her and a potential customer is priceless.
I have another quite different photo which shows more of her boat and the bountiful produce she was selling. It’s more of an action photo and it works really well in color. You’ll find it in one of the posts I’ve linked to previously in this article.
The fact that the tour I had joined only allowed us 90 minutes at the Floating Market of Damnoen Saduak was a shame. It did make it tough and I had to push myself to make the range of photos I felt were needed to cover the location.
As well as arriving much earlier in the day I would have preferred twice that much time. Still, while I had to hustle, I was very happy with the photos I made.
The best option would be to find accommodation near the market and arrive very early in the morning. Enjoy the tranquility and the photo opportunities that come with the softer, more flattering light.
If you’re up for it, stick around and experience the floating markets in a more relaxed manner.
Whatever way you go the challenge is to make the most of the situation. With care and good technique, including composition, and the right camera kit you should be pleased with the images you make.
Do you love street photography? I wrote an interesting post on street photography titled My Kolkata Photography Experience which I’m sure you’ll enjoy.
