After a long hiatus from posting photos from my Southeast Asia journey, I am finally going to finish that up starting with my visit to the amazing temples of Angkor Wat in Cambodia.
I was in Cambodia in the month of May, which happens to be the hottest part of the year. It was hot, brutally hot. The weather was terrible and the light was flat. With no decent clouds in the sky, I did not come away with many great photos. I spent six days at Angkor Wat (really just five as one day was spent in my hotel bed recovering from a minor case of the flu) and the light at sunrise everyday was flat and at sunset it would be overcast and rain like crazy.
Do not let the blue skies fool you, this was one of the few days there was decent weather. This was taken early mid-morning in the warm, soft light before the scorching sun would play its part of wrecking havoc.
Built around 1190 AD by King Jayavarman VII, Bayon is a Buddhist temple, but it incorporates elements of Hindu cosmology. Located north of the more famous Angkor Wat, Bayon is known for its huge, smiling stone faces and everywhere I went I felt like I was being watched, much like being at a U.S. airport with the Transportation Security Administration looking on.
Happy Travels!
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Tags: Bayon Temple Angkor Wat Cambodia Southeast Asia Hindu Sam Antonio angkor wat reap stone siem sculpture travel carving rock archeology statue bayon landmark culture civilization history hinduism head god buddhist old traditional khmer building buddhism asia spirituality religious smile historic heritage famous face architecture thom temple ruin sky tourism religion buddha art ancient cambodian monument structure southeast exterior asian ankor apsara archaeological empire tropical unesco site Canon EOS 5D Mark II Canon 17-40 f/4 lens Angkor Wat Cambodia Stone Face Jungle Photographing Angkor Wat Bayon Angkor Wat Travelfish Angkor Thom Faces Stone Carvings
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It took me over 100 hours to clone out all those pesky tourists from this photograph I took at Preah Khan temple. After all this is the popular UNESCO World Heritage Site of Angkor Archeological Park and one of the most visited tourist destinations in Southeast Asia.
Built by the Khmer warrior king Jayavarman VII, Preah Khan sits in the shadow of its more popular sister temple Ta Prohm (The Tomb Raider temple).
Of course I didn’t spend 100 hours in Photoshop cloning out people. I simply visited the temple in the late afternoon where I literally had the entire place all to myself. The beauty of Preah Khan is that it is often overlooked and as a result you can explore to your heart’s content discovering quiet passageways and admiring perfectly preserved Hindu and Buddhist carved images.
Happy Travels!
One more photo in the comment section.
All Rights Reserved. Photos and Text ©Sam Antonio Photography 2012
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Tags: Angkor Wat Cambodia Preah Khan Angkor Photographing Angkor Wat Preah Khan Temple Angkor Archaeological Park Siem Reap Province Sam Antonio Photography Southeast Asia Photography Canon EOS 5D Mark II ancient antique apsara architecture art asia buddha buddhism building cambodia carving cambodian carving civilization culture design forest hindu historic history jungle khan khmer landmark nature old plant preah reap religious ruin sacred siem site southeast stone stump temple traditional tree unesco wall wat historical Southeast Asia Travel Photography Travel Destinations Tranquil Scene Tourism heritage southeast asia tourism tropical wood man made structure historical park decoration cambodian culture travel locations seven wonder ancient city archeology traditional culture worship hinduism
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Welcome to Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s beautiful capitol city! With its mixture of old colonial French architecture, saffron-robed monks walking the streets and a positive pulse of an emerging modern city (after years of war and revolution) it is a wonderful place to experience Southeast Asia’s past and present.
I was going to post a couple of more photos from Angkor Wat, but I decided it was time to move on and hopefully finish up my Southeast Asia photo journal sometime this year. So here we are in Phnom Penh.
On my first evening in the city I walked five minutes from my hotel to get to the Royal Palace located near the banks of the Tonle Sap and Mekong River just in time for sunset.
When I took this photo I knew immediately it would be one of my favorite storytelling images because three elements came together in this one frame that perfectly describes Cambodia. The Royal Palace, with the portrait of reigning King Norodom Sihamoni, truly symbolizes the “Kingdom” of Cambodia (the country’s official name). The whizzing motorbike is typical of the country’s common mode of transportation. Finally, the young family represents Cambodia’s present and future.
Why can’t all my photos turn out this great!?
Happy Travels!
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All Rights Reserved. Photos and Text ©Sam Antonio Photography 2012
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Tags: Phnom Penh Cambodia Southeast Asia Sunset Sam Antonio Photography Khmer Royal Palace King Royalty Motorbike phnom downtown destination cultural park daylight travel landmark government sunny pavilion scenery palace luxury south east hall traditional clouds building asia mekong sightseeing roof heritage famous garden architecture gold blue sky tourism tonle phen art beautiful royal residence nature exotic tranquil asian capital pagoda style pristine Canon 5D Mark II Canon 17-40 f/4 Lens Kingdom of Cambodia
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"If your photographs aren't good enough, you're not close enough." - Robert Capa
Banlung is the provincial capitol for the Ratanakiri Province in Cambodia. Located in the northeastern part of the country, bordering both Vietnam to the east and Laos to the north, it is one of the least visited provinces.
I stayed at the exceptional Treetop Ecolodge run by Mr. T (not that Mr. T from the “A” Team). I rented a bicycle to visit nearby Yak Loum Crater Lake. Mr. T recommended I get there first thing in the morning to capture the best light. He also mentioned that I would probably be the only foreigner there since the lake is mainly visited by locals.
He was right about being the only foreigner there, but the morning light was terrible. The only people around were the local vendors selling food and drinks. I decided to just put my camera down and appreciate the crater lake with my own eyes. Afterwards, I bought a drink from one of the vendors and her two children started to play with me.
I took a couple of photographs of her daughter and she would laugh hysterically every time I showed her picture on my LCD screen. Because of the proximity that I was photographing her there was a clear connection between both of us. Her eyes were the landscape of Cambodia...one of struggle and hope for the future.
Stay tuned for more of my adventures in Southeast Asia.
Happy Travels!
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Angkor Wat Temple, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia.
That's all I have to say.
One more photo in the comment section.
All Rights Reserved. Photos and Text ©Sam Antonio Photography 2012
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