Argodwipangga Eksekutif Train

This is the executive coach of the Argodwipangga train to Yogyakarta. It doesn’t get any better than this as this is already the most expensive. It was a quiet and peaceful 8-hour ride. We were served nasi for lunch but for most of the time people slept while I read a book and listened to my travel music playlist on my iPod.

Continuously bored, equipped with my 50mm prime lens, I started playing with my camera settings and took shots of anything that I found interesting. The seats and curtains were red while the rest of the train interiors were cream in color- a strong contrast. With ample natural light coming from outside peering through the windows, colors were vibrant and the image came out very sharp amidst the constant shaking of the train car. By selecting a single point focus, the right area came out very focused while the rest of the image was blurred. Even with the shallow DOF, the angle at which this photo was taken still captured a tunneling effect through the rows of seats.

Gambir

This was taken on the platform of the Gambir train station in Jakarta, Indonesia while waiting for the train that would take us to Yogyakarta.

Barely getting a restful sleep the previous night as we arrived after midnight, we hurried to the station to catch the first train out of Jakarta to Yogyakarta. It would be another 8-hours before we reach the majestic Borobudur temple.

Borobudur

I recently got back from a trip in Indonesia. I went there to see the Borobudur temple in Yogyakarta. I went there and paid IDR 175,000 and all I got was this lousy photo that I took.

Contrast

If you look from left to right, the trend is  seeing something to having nothing all in the same shot. I like having contrast of things in a photo. So playful.

By the way, this is a view from my apartment window. Nice, heh?

Portals

I don’t know what this technique is called. I just refer to it as portals where you frame everything using an object that’s part of the composition. The effect I try to achieve is as if you’re looking through a portal and see something that’s inside of it.

Glass Artworks

Wet Bangkok

It was a drizzling wet afternoon in Bangkok. While waiting for the plane to stop and for the passengers to disembark at the Suvarnabhumi Airport, I took this photo from my seat. Since this is similar to another post I made a few months back, Sudden Downpour, I already knew then what I wanted to achieve. The raindrops on the window are in focus while the big plane right next to ours appear blurry with the grey skies above.

Colorful Tuk-tuks

The quickest and cost-effective way in and around Ayutthaya is by riding a tuk-tuk. These colorful auto rickshaw can ride up to six passengers including the driver. As these vehicles frolic the ins and outs of the complex, your driver can serve as an informal guide as he share tidbits of information about the rise and fall of this old Siamese kingdom.

Tuk-tuks are popular not only in Ayutthaya but throughout Thailand and many Asian countries like Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, Pakistan, Sri Lanka as well as some African countries such as Ethiopia and Egypt.

Books

Another angled photograph of my computer table turned bookshelf. My Canon PowerShot A95 had a vari-angle LCD that enabled me to be playful with angles when taking photos. This could have been a boring set of books if it were taken at an ordinary angle. I have a thing about shooting at various angles and something averse to what the eyes can plainly see.

These books all drowned during the flooding last September 2009. I don’t have much books now but I’m slowly building back my book collection.

Ornate Temple Walls

I have  a thing about repeating patterns and objects to emphasize on depth. These ornate decorations on the wall is evident in many temples around Bangkok. Don’t ask me about the identity of this being nor what it represents in the Thai culture.

This is one of the many photos I took in my trip to Bangkok, Thailand way back in 2008.