Same Day, Another Temple

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DSCF6163FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (14mm, f/9, 1/240 sec, ISO200)

When you are in Bangkok for the very first time it is easy to get overwhelmed with all the temples. At the end you are exhausted and of course the heat and high humidity doesn’t help either.

Just make sure that you cover your head and drink enough water to avoid dehydration or a sunstroke.

When I left the lying Buddha to look at the other temples I started to get tired and hungry but I was unable to stop shooting. If you are in a place like that you need to use every single second! There is enough time to rest and eat later when the light is gone.

DSCF6165FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (14mm, f/9, 1/300 sec, ISO200)
 DSCF6166FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (14mm, f/5.6, 1/30 sec, ISO250)
 DSCF6171FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (14mm, f/10, 1/70 sec, ISO200)

Now as the soft late afternoon light brings out the beautiful colors of the mosaics and tiles it is almost to take a poor shot. Wherever I point my lens there is a great picture. There is so much shape, small detail and color. It’s amazing. This is a photographers dream location. That day I began to understand why so many people get hooked by Asia and South East Asia. There is just so much to see.

DSCF6172FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (14mm, f/10, 1/90 sec, ISO200)
 DSCF6190FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (14mm, f/10, 1/340 sec, ISO200)
 DSCF6200FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (14mm, f/10, 1/160 sec, ISO200)

The 14mm lens started to feel so natural that most of the time I forget that I have also the fantastic 35mm lens with me. Lenses like these separate the Fuji system from the others and help to create a look that you would not associate with a rather compact system camera.

Both lenses can be used wide open without compromising image quality. They are both small and light. I beautiful set. As much as I’m attracted to the 23mm and of course the 56mm lens I’m not sure if I want to get them. Reason is that I want to keep it as light and even more important as simple as possible. When I would get the 23 and the 56 the 35 would have to go. But I’m not sure if I want to do that. Two lenses are better than 3 if you want to keep it simple.

One solution would be the 56 instead of the 35 but I’m afraid it is not as versatile. I’m sure the 56 is a fantastic portrait lens but it is too long to put the surrounding in context. Another option would be the 14 plus the 23 but then I think the 23 is a little short for portraits. Decisions, decisions! I think I will simple keep and enjoy what I have. After three South East Asia trips this setup proved to be almost perfect for keeping it simple.

DSCF6212FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (35mm, f/2, 1/480 sec, ISO200)
 DSCF6215FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (35mm, f/1.4, 1/900 sec, ISO200)
 DSCF6225FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (35mm, f/1.4, 1/300 sec, ISO200)

In the day when I shot film I never was a fan of the 50mm focal length. I know that a lot of people love these lenses. For me it was a too short and too long for almost everything lens. The Fuji changed that. I started to enjoying the lens. I love that I can shoot it wide open without hesitation and that it is just short enough to show the subject with it’s surrounding and just long enough to use it for portraits.

It seems that it all comes down to that you simple have to learn to work with what you have. That’s especially true when it comes to travel photography. Too much equipment can weigh you down and can take away the joy of traveling and seeing new places. And that should be the last thing you want.

DSCF6234FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (35mm, f/1.4, 1/1700 sec, ISO200)