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Taken on the same study abroad trip in 1999, this is also a shot influenced heavily by the photography in National Geographic.

There are a few floating markets in and around Bangkok in Thailand. They are mostly tourist traps, but I was relieved to find that the one we went to was an active, actual market where locals sold mostly fresh produce to other locals.

I was struggling to find a vantage point which didn't have throngs of overweight western tourists ruining the scene's Thai authenticity*. I found a great place for the shot by standing on a walkbridge, looking down. As the boats passed, I could easily avoid any visual distractions, and concentrated on the most representative and visually pleasing image.

I spent several rolls of film, and captured this. The dynamic range of the photo was a challenge: the water was dark while the upper part of the frame was quite bright. Only the second 16-bit scan had enough information in it to make a usable file. I love the bold Velvia colors, and the detail throughout the frame.

* I've always been suspicious of travel photography which is not true to its locale. I appreciate photography which is done to preserve a dying custom or an ancient technology barely in use anymore, for example. But I find it disingenuous to present such photos in a context which falsely implies they are commonplace. Even worse, many of us tourists romanticize such photography as quaint and authentic, no matter how anachronistic and dishonest the locals might feel the portrayal is. Since it was clear this market was in actual use by the local Thai people, I feel this angle gives the right context for the photo.