Hello all,

Through stickman's site, which i read from time to time, i stumbled across this site and forum and it seems to me the perfect place to ask the question i have for some time already.

Next year januari we, me and my wife, will go to Thailand on vacation for a month and will stay quite some time in Bangkok since my family in law lives in chinatown. To keep myself busy i plan to shoot some photo's from skyscrapers at sunrise and sunset - panorama, long exposure, hdr and whatever comes to mind.

It is not too hard to find out about skyscrapers, but it is hard - or maybe i dont search good - to find out if a high building has a high outside viewpoint. I dont want to shoot through more glass. I would appreciate some suggestions of high viewpoints in BKK where you can go outside to take some shots.

This is a good question I'd like to hear a lot of ideas for. I'd like to do the same.

Are you talking about a place you can travel to and take pictures, or a hotel room which is open? An open hotel room would be ideal. I recently stayed at the Peninsula (annual promotion) and their windows provided a great view of the river, but they were locked down tight. Probably not good for business to have people jumping out of windows.

A building which is popular for photographers is the Baiyoke Hotel/Restaurant Building.  It's the highest in Bangkok, great view, and it has an 360 degree rotating viewing area on the 84th floor, and an unobstructed observation deck on the 77th.

I can tell you from experience that most of the year it's a wasted trip. You get up there only to be greeted by layers upon layers of a dark thick haze, bright skies, and the worst conditions possible for meaningful photography. However, during the monsoon season when the rain cleans the skies and the dark clouds provide a spectacular backdrop to the city.. it can be thrilling.

Btw -  Welcome to Bangkok Images!   I hope you stick around and participate.

Thank you for your welcome steve, nice place you have. Great photo's! If my idea works a bit, i will keep this thread updated with my photo's.

The light is a problem for sure, but i have a couple of weeks . I hope to be lucky 1 or 2 sunrises. Or otherwise come back another time and another season.

An open window or room would be ideal. But any outside place around 40 stories high would be nice i guess. The Baiyoke i know, but never visited it yet. So we will go there indeed. That''s also the obvious place and i would like some other spots as well.

http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/ci/bu/sk/li/?id=100454&bt=5&ht=2&sro=0

I havent been to bangkok in the last 2 years and on this list i see some resident buildings which go high and are new. Are they rented out for most, is there an opportunity to rent an apartment for a week? That is what i am curious about.

I think you're on to something with the residences vs. hotels.  Hotels keep windows from opening, while residences boast nice open balconies and open windows everywhere.  I myself live about 20 stories up with an unobstructed view of much of the city.. but skyscapes tend to be very selective in nature, in that you need just the perfect view to make a really interesting shot.

It's also the nature of these residences to be mostly sold to investors who then rent them out or let them be managed by property companies.  My guess is that every one of these residences in your list have available rentals.  The trick is to find the property company managing them.  Often, such as the case with my tower, the main office in the building manages about half the available units (at a high price) and independent property managers the other half (more reasonable prices).

Armed with this information and your desire for specific shots.. I'd jump on Google earth and Google streetviews if you haven't already.. find the idea or best available skyscapes.. and then start looking for property managers for that particular building.  Simply Google the building and anyone renting or having anything to do with them will come up.

It would be great to see your work!  If you're interested I can post a few links to some flash based pano's done from my location.. a bit boring but maybe of interest.

Tomorrow i will fly to BKK. I did progress a bit, but have not rent a place yet. Most preparations are done, except a tripod and a ND filter (67mm). If you have any recommendations where to buy those items, you'd be of great help! I was thinking about Panthip, but i heard a rumor there could be demonstrations the coming few days?

I'm not a big fan of Pantip Plaza for camera equipment. And you heard right, there will be protests this weekend but they'll be more organized this time and spend minimal time in the shopping districts before heading to Victory Monument until about midnight.

In the tourist area try MBK. You'll find a lot of camera stores. As always, buyer beware. A lot of black and gray market goods are sold in these stores, but generally if you are pointed and ask directly if these are factory stores they'll tell you. To ensure, ask for a local Thailand warranty card with any purchase. Black and gray market goods will push "international" warranties which ironically aren't honored in Thailand, America, and many other countries.

Have a great flight and we'll look forward to seeing some of your panos soon..