IN THE PICTURE #65: KHUN JEREMY

Ya Nui Beach, Phuket

Ya Nui Beach on the southern tip of Phuket has long been a favourite of mine and even more so whenever heavy storms are predicted for the Andaman coast. On this particular day, however, I barely managed to even get onto the beach such was the force of the driving rain and at one point I even had to retire back to my car with my clothing drenched through to the skin.

Eventually my patience paid off though and a brief interval in the rain coincided with a shaft of sunlight on the beach allowing me to capture the turquoise color of the sea along with the rather ominous dark rain cloud on the far side of the bay.

Chiang Rai valleys
A few years ago I was shown a tip to help improve the quality of multi-shot panos and although the technique never really worked out I was, however, completely hooked on creating very wide panos specifically for print. It took a bit of practice to understand the mechanics and how to avoid ‘boomerang’ images but eventually it became a preferred way to capture my landscapes.

Of all the places in Thailand where I most love to create these panos, Chiang Rai is probably my favourite with its endless sweeping valleys and mist covered mountains in the distance. If you drive past this particular scene looking towards Mae Sui at any other time of the day you probably wouldn’t give it a 2nd glance but through my many trips there I have become familiar with how the light changes across the valleys as the sun squeezes the last of its direct light between the mountains. If I only had enough room for one large pano on my walls it would most likely be this one.

It really depends on the time of year, the landscape can change considerably with seasonal changes particularly in the north but if you pin me down to a specific location I would be happy to be in the Doi Chang area of Chiang Rai with its swirling mist and amazing views during the cooler months of December and January.

Always the undiscovered! I cannot resist driving down unexplored dirt tracks in my old 1989 4×4 Pajero, I’ve come across some amazing places and found the view of the monastery overlooking Khun Pae in this way. My wife always has a list destinations on her wishlist and I simply go with the flow most of the time.

Grandstand
I had been sitting on the roof of my truck one evening, camera poised, complaining to myself about the lack of clouds given the beautiful evening light at the time when I spotted this small hut just further up an adjacent hill. It seemed deserted although it had clearly been a bit of drinking den at some point with many ‘empties’ littered about, so it was only in desperation for something of interest to include within the frame that I finally ventured up the hill.

A lovely old hut like this with such beautiful surroundings is like finding ‘gold dust’ for me and had there been anyone inside I would have been more than willing to drive the mile or two to the nearest 711 to compensate the occupant with yet another bottle of scotch for my presence. As luck would have it, I had the place to myself with all its charm and of course a grandstand view of the Chiang Dao mountain along with it.

Stone road
I was quite certain whilst sitting in my truck one evening in Chiang Dao whilst looking down one of my favourite stone farm roads in the area, that there was no reason to stay any longer, the light had been quite uninteresting for most of the day and the impending rain wasn’t going to inspire me much either given the grey atmosphere.

But as often happens, and I really should know better by now, within a matter of minutes an entire scene can change with only the slightest movement of the clouds. You really do have to question how a seemingly impossible change can not only go the way you had pined for but even better than the scene you had already imagined moments earlier! I have since learned to trust my own misjudgment.

Dawn bonfires
I’m without doubt a morning person, I relish in the fact that most are unwilling to rise at a time when nature is at its best and I most often get it all to myself. So imagine my frustration after having trekked for over an hour in the dark only to discover someone else had not only beaten me to a desired spot, they had also placed their tent in the only place where it was possible to get an uninterrupted view of the Khun Pae valley!

I have to remind myself at times like this that there is always a reason for life’s hurdles and after walking to the next hill I discovered an even better view of the same valley. The mist wasn’t quite how I had hoped it to be but I didn’t mind borrowing this gentlemen’s bonfire to soften the first rays of light as they gently passed over the distant mountains and into the valley below. Besides, smoke can quite often emit a pink glow when backlit and I don’t think any tog would complain about that!

Rising mists
I have a passion for really good coffee matched only by my creative desire to capture interesting light and I quite often make a habit of following up on my semi-nocturnal rises to chase the light with a visit to the nearest coffee shop straight after if only to collect my thoughts and check on whether I’ve left a lens cap or filter behind! On this particular occasion, despite the excellent coffee being very close by, the scene that eventually unfolded before me blew my mind like no other occasion. In fact I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed such beautiful back lit rising mist on any previous occasion in my life.

What intrigued me the most at the time, however, was where on earth were all the other photographers that had graced the side of the road during the blazing red sunrise an hour earlier!?! I’m quite sure this event does repeat from time to time but all my return trips to Khao Kho in Phetchabun so far have failed to see the same conditions, which I suppose makes this capture all the more special.

Oarslady
This young lady, most likely in her 70s, made one of the strongest impressions on me for a person of her age by not only rowing herself to the far island without the smallest break in momentum but she was also stood up for the entire length of the journey! Given the beauty of the area, a small fishing village called Sam Chong Tai in Phang Nga Bay, and that most of the families in the village most likely spend their entire lives here, I can quite believe she has been doing this for decades.

I, however, have only discovered the place very recently but have no doubt I will continue to visit whenever I have the opportunity, the place never fails to take my breath away each time I sit on this pier and marvel at the wonderful dawn atmosphere across the bay.

The break
I’m inexplicably attracted to simple wooden boats despite not actually owning one, they represent a sense of freedom away from crowded environments with barely any codes of conduct except maybe not to drown oneself.

For many it’s also a way of life and this young lady exemplified this by throwing off her apron in the restaurant I was sitting in at the time and within minutes passing by me and headed out to sea. I can only presume she either saw me sitting in anticipation of a passing boat or suddenly remembered they were clean out of prawns!

The Monastery
Image no 5, Dawn Bonfires, wasn’t actually a planned capture at the time, the monastery high on the hill just to the right was the shot I was after. I discovered it by accident the day before after driving a fair distance along a narrow muddy track and being unable to find a place to turn around again. Whilst contemplating my ineptitude for having taken such a ridiculous route in the first place I eventually came across a gate with enough room behind it to reverse into and it was at this point I saw the monastery in the distance. A quick check on my compass indicated it was slightly to the right of the sunrise and might possibly catch the light on the left side if I timed it right. So a plan was made.

It wasn’t until the next morning, however, when I looked at it though my long lens that I noticed it was surrounded with bamboo scaffolding…*SIGH!*. Thankfully, the light catching the inside of the mountains just behind was glorious enough although since then I’ve actually grown to like the scaffolding with it adding a bit of intrigue to the scene.

The smallest and cheapest one I could find when I first began was the Sony A6000 and I haven’t really moved on much since then although I now use two full frame versions, the A7rii and the A7iii. I rarely change the settings, both have the focus deactivated on the shutter and I always use manual focus. My bagged lenses are the 24-70 f2.8, 16-35 f4 and 70-200 f4. My favorite lens of all though is a 35 mm F1.4 but I only get this out for special occasions. I was also given a tip by a phenomenal photographer called Charlie Waite a few years ago, to always keep a step ladder handy and to this day I have relied on this simple practice to gain elevation although standing on the roof of my Pajero is often good enough!

I’m a sad case when it comes to social media I’m afraid, I grew up to the sounds of conversation and laughter in tea shops but I acknowledge Flickr as a great way to share a creative passion with likeminded people –https://www.flickr.com/photos/khunj/.

Mae Pam Farm
There haven’t been many occasions where I’ve had a gut feeling about a particular location and been rewarded for my efforts, and the tiny village of Mae Pam in Chiang Mai is one of those places. What makes this place special is that the local farm fields are very close to the surrounding peaks and the sun doesn’t actually reach the floor of the valley for more than an hour after sunrise.

I first came across the fields whilst camping on one of the peaks on the west side of the valley and it was during dinner the night before when the temperature had plummeted considerably when it occurred to me that there might be mist in the valley the next morning. I was unfamiliar with the layout of the area having arrived quite late but I suspected I would have enough time to make the trek down into the village at dawn and walk the rice field borders to the other side of the valley before the sunrise came over the peaks on the east side.

It’s not a place where you can just turn up at any time of course, the farm fields are generally quite active and any photographic opportunities are also dependent on the current crops as well as the cooler nights which usually occur between November and January.