Photography Thailand Forum

[Ted Kuzemski]

Hi everyone,

I'm a proffessional photographer, cinematographer, videographer from Victoria Canada. I am trying to plan a photo safari to Thailand and maybe Cambodia in the fall. I have been researching a fair bit so far, but have some specific questions that I am hoping I can get answered on this forum. I plan to spend a couple of weeks in the region, travelling by myself, and would like some help with lens selection, transport of gear, and general safety considerations. I plan to shoot everything from scenics/wildlife, to architecture, and people.

My first concern is safety. How safe is it travelling alone. I'm a big guy, and can generally take care of myself, but... should I avoid using a photo backpack that says Lowepro? I was thinking of putting a smaller camera bag inside a regular backpack, and a small 18" Feisol tripod inside it as well, with just enough room for toiletries and a bare minimum of lightweight clothing. I have not decided on digital storage as of yet. I would like to bring my Canon 5D, 17-40, 24-105IS, 70-200f4IS, and a fast prime for low light. Is the 70-200 a bad idea? being white and big? I could bring a 135L instead with a 1.4 converter. Do people generally walk around with expensive gear hanging from their neck, or do you need to be selective as to when to bring it out. I guess I'm not totally sure what to expect safety wise.

I do have more questions in regards to where to go, where to stay, how to travel, etc., but I'll save that for another post. Any help would be truly appreciated.

Cheers, Ted

[Paul Whitehead]

I would not worry too much about security - just take "normal" precautions.

To be honest, myself, I take no precautions whatsoever  I have found this possibly the safest country I have ever visited with wonderful trustworthy citizens who put my own nationals to shame.

[Marc Schultz]

Welcome Ted. I have shot probably in more than half of the provinces in Thailand. I must say, I have never once ever felt to be in any danger of being robbed, no matter where I was or what time of day it was. Just don't leave expensive gear unattended and/or in a hotel room if you are staying in budget accommodations just to be on the safe side. That would be my advice. Hope that helps.

[thebelge]

We got post comment about security in Thailand. As said before i've been stole all my gears worth thousands of dollars at the main train station in Bangkok 3 years ago. So just play safe and never let your gear alone or far from seight.

Besides this bad experience thailand is a safe country. But not free of thiefs and burglars... Other friends of mine have been stolen here in Bangkok as well.

Fred

[agitlits]

I would not worry too much about security - just take "normal" precautions.

To be honest, myself, I take no precautions whatsoever  I have found this possibly the safest country I have ever visited with wonderful trustworthy citizens who put my own nationals to shame.

Beautifully said. Agree unconditionally :-)

Alex

[Kees5]

In terms of bringing the 70-200, white is not be safety issue, but the lens mabe a weight issue.
Depending when you come, Thailand will be either hot and humid or very hot and very humid. the more gear you take, the more you have to carry. I'd cut down my gear to the absolute minimum.

For myself, I use  5D with 24/1.4, and a 20D with my 50/1.4. That gives me a W/A and a mild tele. In emergency I can swap and have a approx 35 equivalent and a 'real' 50 mm.
This cuts weight, and in practice it minimises lens change, a major source of dust on the sensor. In the dry season, rural areas can be very dusty.

[Chris Savery]

In my experience Thailand is as safe or safer than almost anywhere else. There are a few places I've been that felt safer but even in my sleepy home town back in Canada I have been stopped and demanded money of with a slap to the head. Take normal precautions - don't flaunt your money or equipment. Dress down rather than up. Look like your'e in control and have your wits about you and not a bumbling tourist who is easy prey. Most thiefs are looking for a sure thing - the less sure it looks the less they will be likely to try.

Also related - to improve your experience here try to learn some Thai language - either upon arrival or even before. It can make all the world of difference when trying to interact with people. You don't come across so arrogant as to expect that everyone is your underling and should be expected to accommodate you. It's not easy for farlang to speak Thai but in a situation that could become hostile (ha, not too likely here for sure) it helps to have a few words. Less so in Bkk but much, much more so in any non-resort type place.

Last tip - photo in thai is "thairoob" and fun is "len" - I often say "thairoob len" as question before holding my camera up and taking a shot. It usually helps make people more comfortable with you as they are otherwise worried about why you may be taking their picture. It often even gets them to smile somewhat naturally. If they show objection I stop. Besides being polite you really don't want to make locals upset at you.

Real last tip - travel light. Not just for ease but because it's damn hot here. I'm from Victoria as well and I know how nice the weather is there. But here you will sweat and with your gear you will really sweat. If you don't have it hanging on your back then you have to leave it somewhere else. Where? If staying in a "nice" (expensive) hotel you'll have a safe but otherwise you are trusting someone not to take the stuff. Travelling light is both easier and safer. I know a few people who have those Lowepro Slingshots (including myself) and they work fairly well here for light travel. I carry a small backpack and the slingshot when going from place to place but leave the small backpack in my room when out taking photos. I carry a portable hard drive / card reader with me and make copies every day. Sometimes I hide it in my room so it won't get stolen with the backpack. But be sure you don't leave it behind - almost did that once.

[bjorn slis]

Safe, very safe. Just got a mail from a 70 yr. old woman that backpacked through thailand telling me how amazed she was that she felt completely safe here, after all the horror stories she read in the newspapers.
As for the Lowepro bag, you'll see many of those here, you can buy them for about 1000 bht (30 usd) almost as good as the real thing  :)

[Ted Kuzemski]

A big thank you to all of you for your replies. It sounds like Thailand is a wonderful and safe place. Can I expect the same in Cambodia? I would like to make my way up to Angkor Wat during this trip. It was great to hear from a fellow Victorian. Thanks for the tips Chris. I will definately learn some Thai before I leave. I do plan to travel as light as possible, however, I'm not quite sure how best to do that, baggage wise. I checked with China Air, which is the carrier I will be using from Vancouver to Bankok, and my Lowepro pack is too large for carry on luggage. I was hoping to keep my camera gear in the upper half of my Computreker AW, and light clothes and toiletries in the bottom half. That way I would not have any checked luggage, but I guess that won't work. I need to find a small bag, pack or sling for my gear, and then pick up a small pack or bag for my clothes etc. Not quite sure how this will work out when traveling about. I guess I could buy a photo back pack in Thailand, and just put my backpack in a locker until I return, or ditch it and buy another. Any suggestions? I like Chris's idea of a sling and a backpack, but does that get a bit cumbersome when traveling with both?  Where in Bangkok could I find a good deal on photopacks etc?

I have been looking into flights in September. Is this an OK time to come? or should I wait til oct/nov? Fewer crowds in the off season is appealing to me, but I'm not sure about the rainy season. I've heard good and bad about it. Photo wise, I hear that the rainy season shows some dramatic skies and nicely saturated foliage. I have the itch, and I just don't want to wait til the new year. I am also wondering if it is best to fly from Bangkok to Cambodia, or travel by train or bus. What about visa's? Sorry if I am asking too many questions here, but I really do have a lot of them, and I figure that you guys will know best.

Thanks again,
Ted

[Chris Savery]

Cambodia is not as safe as Thailand. But it's not so bad either. I have travelled there many times and not had trouble but some people do. There is a little less law and order there in general so you need to be  a bit more careful. Particularly in the streets of Phenom Phen and at night. Some people would say a lot more careful but it really depends on where you go and your level of luxury and what you like to do while there. Travel from Bangkok to Angkor Wat is very easy whether by bus or plane. The plane being much more comfortable, the bus more of an adventure.

My combination of two bags is something I worked out slowly while here over 4 years now. The reason is that travel in Thailand is generally very easy by bus or train and a second small pack is not much bother because you are almost always not carrying it anyway. I don't carry much stuff besides my camera gear so the second pack is a cheap small one I sling over my left shoulder. My "slingshot" pack is on my right should but the bulk is centred on the back. I always leave the small pack with no valuables - just clothes and my portable drive and power adaptor in my room. So the camera pack is the one I have with me when I go out and about. You may find this doesn't suit you.

There are many places to get cheap packs here (copies, Khao San Rd, west end across the street), a few places to get Lowe Pro and other fancy stuff for pretty much the same or higher prices than back home (MBK - "mah boon kong", is well known and easy to get to and has several camera dealers). The mini Trekker is available as a cheap copy but I have not seen any other photo back packs copied so you would need to buy real ones. There are many factors that play into the whole bag and travel equation so you'll have to work it out to your satisfaction. I see some travellers here with huge packs on both front and back and really feel sorry for them that they haven't managed to reduce their needs and leave part of their bedroom at home.

Whether to come in September I would say depends on how long your'e staying. If for a month or two then "no"  you should come when the weather is good or a bit later anyway. If lucky and the monsoon breaks early this will be mid-late October and if not then early December. If you plan to stay over here many months then, sure, experience the monsoon as well. It will make you appreciate the good weather that follows. You may get some great shots in September - I think I have many times, but on the other hand it can be a long stretch of grey rainy days. I would recommend being here for Loi Kratong in November as many things happen around then and into December when the Kings birthday occurs, through to New Year, and later til April when the Thai New Year takes place (Songkran). Be aware that near any holidays like those you will need to book any train travel in advance. Buses from Khao San road are easy and usually next day type things but at holidays any bus travel from formal bus stations is really something to avoid as it gets incredibly busy as half of Bangkok decides to head to their home village for the holiday. And I mean that almost literally - half. Several times I have enjoyed Bangkok's empty streets on Songkran.

Cambodia visa is usually just bought at the border and is pretty straight forward other than some minor scamming that goes on typically. Often the bus operators will arrange things and tell you a slightly higher price for the visa. That's their little bonus for making it easier - though not much easier as it's very easy when you just go there on your own anyway. On the Khmer side you have to take any talk relating to currency conversion as baloney. A couple times I've seen them trying to convince tourists they really need to change their money to "Khmer real" when in fact US$ and baht are readily spendable. I haven't been there for a couple years but I'm fairly sure that US$ is still taken everywhere except for small purchases where real are useful. Small, as in buying a drink etc. The bus ride may be better now but it has typically in the years past been a long and rather gruelling trip. Generally safe, but bumpy, much longer than they tell you in Bangkok, and punctuated by repeated delays related to either break downs, waiting for people to eat or confused periods of standing around wondering when your'e actually going to go. They like to arrange it so you arrive late and want to stay at the guest house they drop you at. If you don't mind spending money then I expect the plane is easier - I'm poor and always have taken the bus. More real anyway. I could go on for pages about this trip but won't... you'll enjoy it I'm sure.

[Kees5]

OP>
Can I expect the same in Cambodia?<

I agree with chris, Cambodja may not be as 'safe' as thailand.

> I checked with China Air, which is the carrier I will be using from Vancouver to Bankok, and my Lowepro pack is too large for carry on luggage. I was hoping to keep my camera gear in the upper half of my Computreker AW, and light clothes and toiletries in the bottom half. That way I would not have any checked luggage, but I guess that won't work.,,<

I flew many times between New Zeaalnd and BKK, on photo trips. In past years, I have flown with an on board wheel bag, max allowable size, containing cameras, laptop, and minimal clothers and toiletries. But more recently, most carriers, certainly thai at many airports more strictly control the weight of the onboard bag. where previously I have slipped through with 12-15 kg, now it is strictly 7 (well sometimes 8 kg), and I have been forced to check through. Now i adjust my luggae for every trip, according to length of trip and places I will go. My main photobag is the bigger slingshot (the diagonal strap Lowepro. i manage to pack two bodies and about three lenses in to, for day wear. backed up by a smallish wheeld checkthrough bag with clothes etc.

[nancyzarny]

Also, careful whom you accept drinks from. I know several people who have been robbed after accepting a drink or even a juice box from an 'acquaintance' who seemed quite lovely but drugged them.
Buy your own food and drink and don't leave it  unwatched on the bar or table. 

Cambodia is not as safe as Thailand.