There are a few places in Thailand (where I am based) that I have found to be a true photographer’s dream. Sukhothai, the old ancient city in the North, is one of them. But, like any outdoor historical site that has a mixture of old architecture and landscape scenery, timing is everything and catching just the right light is the key to capturing the location’s full beauty from behind the lens.
The great thing about Sukhothai Historical park itself, where most of the beautiful ruins are located, is that it is located right next to some inexpensive accommodations where one can rest during the middle of the day when not shooting. This means you don’t have to travel so far to reach the ruins again and again at key times of the day for picture taking. You can check into one of these affordable guest houses adjacent to the park and then just walk over, or rent a bicycle and peddle over to the sites in the park at those ideal times of the day for capturing your best shots.
Generally, sunrise, sunset, and dusk will be the best times to photograph Sukhothai and will provide you with nice colorful skies, reflections of the ruins in the canals and ponds surrounding the ruins, and that low lying afternoon sun which creates that nice warm light and long shadows.
So this week’s post will be more visual than philosophical for a change and following are some of my favorite shots that I took in Sukhothai over the years. I hope you enjoy them:
Wat Mahathat
Loi Krathong Festival
Wat Mahathat
Wat Mahathat
Stay tuned and visit again next week when I return to discussing the inner workings of photography with a new article entitled “7 Mistakes To Avoid When Working As A Photographer”.
Amazing photos once again. Makes me wanna travel and shoot again. Summer is scorching here in Thailand right now. Will post my photos of my trip to Krabbi soon at shutterbugshub. Keep posting Marc, these are inspiring.
Stunning photos Marc… beautiful compositions and light. It’s strange how few people go to Sukhothai. Most times I have visited there is hardly anyone around.
Thank you Martin. I agree, considering how beautiful the Sukhothai ruins are you would expect to see more people there than one often does. I guess the busiest time there is during the Loi Krathong festival towards the end of the year in November.
Thank you for sharing these very beautiful photographs. I have always been amazed at your photographic expertise and your artistic selection of sites of cultural importance in Thailand.
Thank you for your kind words as always Michael. Best wishes…