29 Oct 2015

500px Global Photo Walk 2015: Bangkok 3.0

Last Saturday, 26th of September, the famous photography site 500px held its third annual Global Photo Walk in many cities around the world and, as it has become a tradition already, Bangkok was one of them. The day awoke sunny and with a clear sky after a full week of rain and storms, so the excitement started to grow as the afternoon was drawing closer and the time to meet people who I had not seen since last year's outing, along with some new faces, approached. I was anxious and couldn't wait for the appointed time to arrive, so I decided to start the walk on my own a bit earlier; therefore, and after a generous lunch, I started the stroll along the railtracks towards my destination, warming up the camera along the way.

Spinning, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm
Delay, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm
Arches that hide, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm
The meeting point was Makkasan Train Station, a place I had not visited for quite some time, so it was the perfect ground to start our group walk. We waited for a while until the small gang was formed and, although we were less than last year, the atmosphere between all of us was great, full of camaraderie. Giving the late comers some more time to arrive, we awaited while shooting the station grounds, always interesting and filled with countless details and subjects to focus on.

The Bangkok 500px GPW 2015 Gang, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm
Break time, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm
Pushing, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm

Inside out, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm
Not yet, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm
Duty, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm
Not long after after, the real walk started and we stepped into the old railtracks, bordered on both sides by a humble community of people of all sorts and ages that were always eager to smile at us and interact with us in a very friendly manner. They were the kids, however, the ones who embraced our presence more willingly, chasing us and demanding lots of attention, and our small group couldn't resist the temptation to play with them and have some fun, while at the same time teaching them some very basic notions about photography. There is nothing better than curiosity to learn!

The line, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm
The group, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm
Multiple sources of interest, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm
It had rained the night before, so the floor was muddy and full of puddles at times, so we advanced slowly along the tracks, but we enjoyed every meter of our march and kept finding and chatting with other people who lived in the neighborhood, all of them going ahead with their usual daily routines, totally unperturbed by our respectful intrusion.

The game, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm 
Not alone, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm
Suddenly, and before any of us could realize, night had fallen upon us and the narrow tracks became quite dark, punctuated only by the bulbs of the neighbors who lived there, but we still stayed for a while longer, walking slowly towards the end of the itinerary, taking any chance to merge with the locals and observe how they have adapted to live in such a curious place. And, as it always happens when you are enjoying, we reached the end of the walk before we wanted. Some of the walkers still stayed for a few drinks at a street market nearby, but I had to leave since I had other appointment later on. Thanks everybody for a lovely afternoon, and see you again, if not earlier, at next year's walk!

Breeze, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm
The workshop, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm
Somebody's dinner, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm
Living on the edge, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

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