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The Blog
 One insect that is often seen in Thai forests is a species of the Flatid (Flatidae) Planthoppers, or to be more precise the nymph of a Flatidae bug. It is the white filamentous body covering of the nymph that causes first interest and then amazement as one realizes that is it in fact an animal. Younger specimens are often mistaken for a fungus or a plant and it is not until the nymph moves that you realize the mistake. As the nymph grows it develops a more insect like appearance, even though keeping the hairy filamentous covering, and it body, leg and face become apparent.
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 Things have been quiet for a while and the weather has not been playing fair, which is normal for the time of year. September and October have been a washout and monotonous grey skies have been the norm. Not good weather for trying to take photographs. Luckily the weather seems to have broken and winter is here with clear skies and good temperatures once again. If only it lasted longer!
I have started the winter shooting season with a couple of 8 pointers - I jest - with a trip to Tak and Mae Hong Song to catch the sights and see the annual Thai "sunflower" blooming near Khun Yuam. It was a bit of a surprise to find out the sunflowers are actually from Mexico and were brought to Thailand by missionaries many years ago.
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 Following on from a previous week’s experience of traveling to some of the caves in Ratchaburi, this week I decided to go and look at some the Buddhist cave shrines in the neighboring province of Kanchanaburi. Kanchanaburi province has always been one of my favorite provinces and once again it did not disappoint. At the end of the rainy season it is lush and green and a delight to travel in and explore the limestone caves and karsts.
Of particular note was Tham Phu Toei. A small but immaculately kept cave, by its resident monk, that is a little of the beaten |
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 Khao Yai has always held a special place
in my heart - it's maybe because of it's close proximity to
Bangkok makes it so accessible, or possibly because I think it's the best managed National Park,
taking into account the huge number of visitors it has to control,
in Thailand. It is a special place full of promise, always offering
but never quite revealing itself. A place to return to - many times
over to search for elusive glimpses.
I used to like to camp there but I don't camp in Khao Yai anymore - there are simply too many people in
the approved camp sites doing John Denver impressions until 3 a.m
in the morning. If I heard another camper's rendition of
"tek mee hom cunty roads", which might actually describe |
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 After humming and awing over where would be a good location to visit in Thailand taking into account the poor weather and light we have at this time of year I plumped for some indoor locations. Being a Bangkok resident it goes without saying that an outing in Bangkok to take photographs does not really cut the mustard so an alternative location was needed for a miserable and wet September weekend.
After a bit of research I decided to head back to one my favorite provinces in the whole of Thailand, Ratchaburi. I would make the journey via Phetchaburi so I could finally see the Tham Khao Luang site and also indulge in some food at Hat Chao Samran. My stomach is also close at heart when travel decisions are being made.
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 As expected Nikon have announced their replacement for the D2h with the new Nikon D3 . More surprisingly they also announced the replacement for the D200, the D300.
The D3 is a competitor for the Canon 1DMk3, and does an admirable job in pipping Canon when you take into account that Nikon has now levelled the playing field with AFS and VR 2 being added to the new 400, 500 and 600 long lens. But in leveling the playing field Nikon will not tempt back the sports and nature photographers who already made the move to Canon. This is what is surprising me so far as I don't see any benefit other than to keep the loyal Nikonians from jumping ship at the 11th hour. Unless, and it is a huge unless, Nikon can inspire new customers through very competitive pricing.
The D300 is the replacement of the D2x. Let me rephrase that, the Nikon D300 is a Nikon D2x but better and it comes in a nice portable sized body.
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 Last week I had intended to travel to Chonburi, Rayong and Chantaburi to view the Thai fishing boat fleets that traditionally remain at port for the Queen's birthday celebrations. I made the trip but the opportunities for photography were not so good as the weather, which is inclement at best during this time of the year, did not really serve up suitable conditions. So a weekend of photographing fishing boats turned into weekend for relaxing by the sea and sampling the absolutely fabulous east coast seafood. Or so I thought.
What was supposed to be a relaxing weekend trip turned into quite an educational trip but for altogether the wrong reasons. The Queen's birthday weekend coincided with a particulary high tide and what was left on the beaches after the high tide was quite shocking. Serious pollution in Thailand. |
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 Khao Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary often makes the news whether it be for the marauding elephants that had been hijacking trucks of fruit, the reintroduction of the Siamese crocodile or for the keen work of it's forestry officials who in just one year arrested nearly 4000 encroachers.
Khao Ang Rue Nai is just a short drive (2.5 hours) from Bangkok in Chachoengao province and a quick glance at the location on Google Earth shows you it's main problem, it is primarily lowlands and forest under 250 meters that is being encroached from all sides except the mountainous region of Eastern Forest to the south.
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 Sadly, in Thailand, bears (Asiatic Black bears and Sun bears) have been stolen from the wild to be sold as pets; some were taken for their body parts by what we now, internationally, understand to be scientifically false medical theories of supposed "chinese" herbal medicene . Many illegal Thai bears had been dumped (literally) upon the monks at Buddhist temples but without the financial support required to look after the bears. These bears have been the lucky ones. Other bears have not been so lucky, because of this, in 1996 WSPA built the first bear sanctuary in Thailand to support the work of the Thai Royal Forest Department (TRFD) in confiscating illegally held bears. |
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 Wild Thailand is the kind of book that every nature lover in Thailand will enjoy. Not since Wildlife in the Kingdom of Thailand by L. Bruce Kekule have I seen a book covering Thailand's most wild, remote and beautiful locations that documents not only the remarkable flora but the fauna also. As Thai nature lovers and the environmentally concerned know, some of Thailand's most impressive and rare animals are under extreme threat due to habitat loss. Reading this book and perusing the photographs gives one hope - that it is still not late to conserve what is left of Thailand's stunning bio-diversity - if we care enough.
The book journey's through some of Thailand's prime natural forests and parks including Khao Yai, Thung Yai, Hala Bala, Khao Soi Dao, Phu Luang, Mae Wong, Khao Ang Ru Nai, and the most celebrated of all, Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary. |
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 We have just entered that unfortunate time of year in Thailand when the rains start and a daily inundation becomes reality. It's a time of year that many enjoy, the raw temperature disipates and mundane protective clouds are a daily feature. Some like to watch the storms roll in and witness the violent resulting torrents. For a photographer, in general, this is absolutely the worst time of year in Thailand!
We suffer a lack of light, a lack of interesting light, a lack of interesting skies. A lack of photo opportunities. Additionally the rain brings "greenery", and as a nature photographers know this brings a whole host of problems - not only is the light not there, the light is not enough AND there is so much green foliage about that its hard to even spot a potential subject. |
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 The main thing I love about nature photography is that it puts me back into the natural world, into a world that thrills with it's details and splendor, into a world that captivates with it’s secrets revealed, into a world that not even the craziest of gods could have imagined.
It is that world that gives me both the reason and the desire to take photographs. The technological race that constitutes the industry of photography usually holds no real fascination for me, other than to provide hardware to tackle a specific subject or photograph.
But one imminent arrival is causing me much anticipation. The Nikon D3 or D3x. Why? Owning one the first D2x’s released (number 1025) has given me along time to not only appreciate the quality of both the hardware and software but to also have very definitive views on what I need from its successor:
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 Its been a busy month with some major updates and upgrades to the site taking place. Each of the upgrades is intended to improve the site or make it more functional for our visitors and users. We have added new features and upgraded existing programming to make your experience a better one. If its not just send me as email and we will sort it out.
The improvements include:
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 Buying a big lens is a complicated experience as well as an expensive one also. After months and months of procrastination and waiting I decided to take the plunge. Why waiting - waiting to see if Nikon would introduce a new lens or institute a price reduction on their current 500mm f/4D ED-IF AF-S II Nikkor or for short Nikon AFS 500 f/4 , which is priced at a monstrous $7000+. Why procrastination - because considering a 500 made me also consider walking down the Canon route, their 500 is better than Nikon's offering, their cameras have better high ISO capabilities and the Canon EF 500mm f/4 IS (Image Stabilizer) USM is only $5000 (in the states, still $7000 in Bangkok, unfortunately).
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 We are an online gallery specializing in Images of Thailand. We offer a large collection of photographs of Thailand, Asia, and Underwater Photography. Our current collection highlights are: Pictures of Thailand; Pictures from Thailand's National Parks; Scenes of Thailand; Flowers of Thailand; Birds of Thailand; Religion and Architecture in Thailand; Wildlife in Thailand and Underwater Asia.
Our extensive collection of underwater photographs from the ocean realms of South East Asia, with an emphasis on Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia, contains hundreds of images of the strange and the beautiful, from the colourful underwater world of reef fish, crustaceans, nudibranchs, cephalopods, echinoderms and corals.
Our Online Gallery is fully searchable by common name and scientific name making it easy to browse by a particular species or search for a specific animal or genus. Enjoy the full collection of Thailand photos & images by clicking here
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 Thailand is a country of temples ranging from classic Thai buddhist to Khmer hindu with a welter of Chinese and Muslim thrown into the mix. Their beauty is admired by all and both locals and visitors alike tour the country to view them. The country is famed for its more well known monuments such as Sukhothai, Ayudthaya, Phanom Rung, but the countryside is awash with smaller, sometimes more interesting finds.
One such temple is Wat Khao Tham Talu. Just one hour and thirty minutes drive from Bangkok.
The temple and its grounds are located on Khao Tham Talu, one of the many small mountain outcrops dotted throughout the rich and fertile plains of Ratchaburi province.
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