Prasae Frigate Memorial

Posted by Annette Johnson on March 11, 2022
Posted in: Southern Thailand. Tagged: . Leave a comment

On my way through Chumpon on my most recent short road trip we stopped by the very auspicious Prince of Chumpon Shrine. Or , Admiral Prince Abhakara Kiartivongse the man who is credited with establishing the Modern Thai Navy.

A huge site set on Sai Ri Beach in Chumpon comprising of the shrine itself. If you walk down the ramp and look up, you will see that the entire shrine base is designed to be a duplicate of the HTMS Chakri Naruebet facing towards Sai Ri Beach.
But this video focusses on the second attraction to the site; the Royal Chumphon Ship which has been put out of commission is exhibited with its bottom half embedded in the cement ground. The Royal Chumphon Ship was assigned on a mission to escort the landing crafts and patrol the coast.

You can enter the basin it is set in via either of two sets of stairs on both sides of the ship, and board it via a stairway on the port side. I had great fun walking around and seeing how constrained space there was and how its engine and kitchen space were so compact for such a decent sized vessel.

I will post a video of the shrine n due course, until then enjoy!

Music free under creative commons licence from you tube music library
Title; Early Avril by Unicorn Heads

Ao Nam Mao Beach

Posted by Annette Johnson on February 16, 2022
Posted in: Southern Thailand. Leave a comment

I know, I know, Thailand is the place of sun, right? Well not always, and apart from the well known rainy season, we do get what I call , Overcast days, from time to time.

Well my visit in December 2021 was just that, but made this beach no less a pleasure to walk along. The tide was also out! Nether the less, it was still warm and what I call “grey bright”, so come along and see what a beautiful place I saw!

Only a few kilometres away from popular Ao Nang, Ao Nammao Bay is a complete contrast – a hidden gem not many people know about that’s still largely undeveloped.

Ao Nammao (also known as Ao Num Mao) boasts no mainstream nightlife or shopping centres. Only a few shops and restaurants are dotted along the main road which then leads on into Ao Nang. It offers a quiet, private, relaxing, peaceful vacation where you can base yourself to explore the Krabi region or simply relax Ao Nammao’s deserted beaches.

You can not walk along the full extent of Ao Nammao’s beach as it is naturally divided by trees and rocky outcroppings. This helps create smaller bays making each one more private and tranquil. The only noise may be a passing longtail boat taking people to Railay Beach ,Ao Nang or the prayer to call from the local mosque.

Sai Kaew beach-Phuket

Posted by Annette Johnson on February 5, 2022
Posted in: Phuket. Leave a comment

During my Christmas and New Year break i took advantage of being able to finally move around the Island of Phuket and off it back to the mainland. After my first hurried exit in December upto Phang Nga, I promised myself that I would stop on this beach before my next visit to the mainland.

Shaded by beautiful trees I sat and picnicked whilst watching the beautiful scenery in front of me. I am so pleased i stopped the 2nd time passing and hope you enjoy the views too!.

Sai Kaew means ‘glass sand’. Sai Kaew Beach is at the northernmost point of Phuket. It stretches from Mai Khao Beach around the northwestern corner of Phuket and all the way to Sarasin Bridge. There is no physical boundary between Mai Khao Beach and Sai Kaew. They are considered to meet around the area with the rustic restaurants where Thepkrasattri Road meets the west coast.

The 600-meter long Sarasin Bridge is the link from Phuket to the Thai mainland. From Sai Kaew Beach, you look across the narrow channel to a similar beach on the Thai mainland.

Sai Kaew Beach is a thin strip of sand that slopes smoothly into the inviting waters. Considering this channel is a boat passage, the water quality is remarkably good. You will see lots of small fish swimming in the clear water close to the sandy shoreline. The northern end of the beach within view of Sarasin Bridge has the benefit of being sheltered from the rainy season waves.

Behind the beach is the sleepy village, Thachatchai. The friendly locals like to fish from Sarasin Bridge and from the beach at the area below the bridge.

Music free under creative commons licence from You tube library
Title and credits to: Floating Home by Brian Bolger

Thailand! Bang Tao Beach II

Posted by Annette Johnson on February 3, 2022
Posted in: Phuket. Leave a comment

Its difficult to imagine a beach 6 kilometers long, but Bang Tao is just that! So here is Bang Tao II as the beach changes its beauty from one end to the other. Here is the North end of the Beach, much quieter, and fewer people. Somewhere to come and enjoy the sound of the Ocean!

Bangtao was one of the tin mines that made the fortune of Phuket long ago. They abandoned it later, and the land was considered worthless. Laguna Phuket managed to transform it into a very profitable award-winning Eco-project. In the first years, Laguna started as a luxurious complex, but it was a little isolated.

Music free under creative commons licence from you tube music library title; Stellar Wind by the Unicorn Heads

Ma doo Bua l มา ดู บัว ภูเก็ต

Posted by Annette Johnson on January 29, 2022
Posted in: Phuket. 2 Comments

Sun, sea and sand is all Phuket is about? right? wrong, I bring you greetings from Phuket with one of those must see places that non one knows about!

Ma Doo Bua Cafe is an incredible cafe that has become famous due to the incredible pictures you can capture of their beautiful on-site lilypad pond. Situated quite far north from the regular tourist spots like Patong, Karon, and Rawaii beaches to the south, the wonderful images we captured made the trip well worth it.

The fantastic scenery is complemented by a rather extensive food and drink menu with plenty of options for various pallets. From the presentation and quality of the food to the breathtaking lily pad pond, the unique imagery will likely appeal to many travelers and locals alike.

Ma Doo Bua Phuket is a relatively new café and restaurant which has captured the hearts of selfie-loving social media enthusiasts with their irresistible background and relaxed atmosphere. If it isn’t obvious to you already, the entire operation owes its popularity primarily to the giant circular Amazonica lily pad leaves. These being the largest in the species can allegedly hold up to 50kg!
you can lay on their rows of pillows and relax while taking in the breathtaking views. The small lake or pond has traditional Lanna-style wooden houses lining the lake and really help complete the picturesque scenery.

Music free under creative commons licence from YouTube library Music: 8th World Wonder By RKVC

Karon Beach -Phuket 2021

Posted by Annette Johnson on October 8, 2021
Posted in: Phuket. 1 Comment

On a short trip to Patong recently, driving along the coast road, down from the Patong hills. I saw these amazing seascape clouds. Stunning looking like oil paintings in the sky. Breathtaking but as the weather changed dark and almost frightening!

Karon Beach in Phuket is one of the longest beaches on the island, spanning 5 km of fine white sand overlooking the Andaman Sea. The northern end of the beach is usually deserted, making it an excellent spot for those who want the beach to themselves. The southern end, close to Kata, tends to be busier but it isn’t that hard to find a nice spot for yourself.

There are very few waves during the high season (November–April), resulting in crystal-clear waters. However, Karon Beach experiences dangerous swells and riptides in the southwest monsoon season (May–October). While there are lifeguards on the beach, it’s best to take note of warning flags and be very careful.

Sea turtles often lay their eggs in the sand at night. If you see any turtles or their tracks, inform your hotel so that they’ll contact the Phuket Marine Biological Centre. The organisation’s Sea Turtle Conversation Project aims to help the population grow by rescuing injured turtles and incubating eggs in a safe environment. Sadly I didn’t get to see any that day, but they are reported to be there.

Music; Free under creative commons licence from YouTube music library Song; Pure Potentiality by Benjamin Martins

Blue Elephant Phuket 2021

Posted by Annette Johnson on September 15, 2021
Posted in: Phuket, Uncategorized. Leave a comment

Blue Elephant Phuket
From my recent visit two days ago. Every month we try and go and support our local businesses and community. This month was the turn of the Blue Elephant!
Amazing building, and lovely food.

Blue Elephant Phuket is not a casual Thai restaurant, but contrary to what most people think, it is not outrageously expensive (We didn’t say cheap though). Blue Elephant Phuket is perfect for a special occasion, a dining experience to share and remember. We wrote about this fantastic old mansion that used to be a governor’s house, abandoned for a long time in Phuket Town.

Seen from the street, it always had the majesty of a place with a long and mysterious history. They returned the mansion to its original grandeur, and you can now drive up the immense garden alley, leave your car under the trees and proudly climb the stairs like a celebrity to enter the famous Blue Elephant.

Dining in a hundred years old governor’s house adds a new dimension to the experience. The Blue Elephant is a long-established cooking school from Bangkok and a great place to invite your guests or for a romantic occasion. Take the time to walk around the park with your glass in hand and appreciate the majesty of the Sino-Portuguese architecture, shaded by immense trees that witnessed moments of Phuket fascinating history.

As you explore, it becomes easy to imagine how the held parties and ceremonies within these walls. Then climb the stairs to the second floor and walk through the several large rooms with their dark wooden floors and the many windows so typical of this era.

Then, it’s dinner time, and you will walk through the ‘Blue Elephant Gallery’ to the air-conditioned indoor or outdoor dining area. Service is as impeccable as you expect it to be, the restaurant and tables setting are beautiful.

DIY Diffuser No.2

Posted by Annette Johnson on September 3, 2021
Posted in: Macro World Photography. Leave a comment

Hello! Post no. 2 of my 2nd homemade flash diffuser. 
READ THROUGH TO THE DOWNLOAD BELOW!

As you can see this one took a bit more work than in my 1st post today.

1st thing was to get the templates printed to size, “easy” I hear you say, not so when A. you live at the southern most tip of Phuket. B there are a lot of printing businesses closed because of covid. C. they need to be printed on A2 paper!

That done, sourcing the PP plastic sheet , again large enough to take the templates was a job for two different suppliers, one local art shop( I got the dark navy blue outer from) and Lazada online(a bit like Amazon UK), for the white sheets that “diffuse”. The rest of the materials (sticky back silver material, foam pads, and Velcro)were also sourced from the local art shop.

Because of this the project of making it was over ten days, which was good for me as I tend to rush things. It made me slow down and do the prep much more carefully than I know I am. Now he has an inner liner and a front diffuser(both white) to sit in the front of the cone. I have just completed this one without the inner sheet behind the diffuser. I can see already why he has done this as the images of my Vietnamese frog (2cm wide) was blown out quite a bit when I tested it out.

So what I found with this style of diffuser is that I could lower my ISO quite a lot, (that may change with the inner sheet insitu). and the light was nice and even across the image. Again forgive my still learning focus plane and only having a certain amount of him in focus. If you click on him you will see better what I mean. Canon 77D, Canon 70-300mm IS USM, at 300mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/125thThe second shot of him (lighter version) is ISO 200, f/5.6, and 1/125th So i was really pleased at keeping the ISO down so far as well. Next try out will be in the real world! That may take some time as it is rainy season right now and we don’t get dry days for days lol. All comments gratefully received.

I am still practicing so if you want to join me in my journey click follow!
You Can receive the blueprints after donation here

Macro World Photography

Posted by Annette Johnson on September 3, 2021
Posted in: Macro World Photography, Uncategorized. Leave a comment

Follow me on my journey into the Macro World. I am a total beginner when it comes to this Genre of Photography, so see the successes and the failures and fell better, and maybe you can help or learn along the way

DIY Diffuser No. 1

Posted by Annette Johnson on September 3, 2021
Posted in: Uncategorized. Leave a comment

So finally I have made myself two flash diffusers!

To help me on my journey into the land of Macro Photography,

The first one here in this post is actually a free bit of packing I got with my Xdobo USB mini speaker. The sides are layered foam, and as you will see from the video a bit loose, so I will have to glue that hole down. basically you just push it onto the front of the flash and hey presto! a diffuser.

What I found with this one, unlike the second post I will put up today, is that its better for short length lenses. I’m looking at getting a Raynox for my Canon 70-300mm IS USM, so this is all I had to test it on (close up wise). On the 300mm length images came out quite a bit darker than I had hoped for. Although so much better than without flash diffuser or flash at all.

Now I am still learning depth of field and focus planes here, so forgive my photo of my Vietnamese frog ornament (2cm wide) not being in total focus (I have focus stacking on my list of things to learn). This was taken on my Canon 77D, Canon 70-300mm IS USM, at 280mm, manual focus, ISO 1600, f/5.6, 1/60th, So yes a very high ISO, but this is where I have to start from. Any comments welcome…and yes it is tricky doing a video one handed whilst trying to put the diffuser on the flash!

This is just to show you the packing material that came in perfect size for my flash head!
Canon 77D, Canon 70-300mm IS USM, at 280mm, manual focus, ISO 1600, f/5.6, 1/60th

Thanks for joining me on my Macro Journey, soon Iwill be posting about my experiences f Macro work in the real World, successes and failures!

Canon 10-18mm STM F/4.5-5.6

Posted by Annette Johnson on August 24, 2021
Posted in: Lenses, Uncategorized. 2 Comments

I have been through some changes with my Camera Kit earlier this 2021. Moving back from my Canon Eos M5 to the Canon 77D which is my camera now, also meant I had to come back to buying EFS lenses for my 77D. As all my other ones were EFM, for the M5.

When I had my 70D I had long wanted the Canon 10-18mm stm lens. Although at the time I was very happy with my Tamron 10-24mm, and not being able to justify having two wide angle lenses I never got one. Now was my golden opportunity to get the 10-18mmm stm.

I had like many read and watched many many reviews of this fantastic little, lightweight ,lens. And sourcing it in mint condition from Facebook Marketplace for around £95 I was very pleased to get it.

The first day I got out with my 77D I had the 10-18mm fixed firmly on the front of it. This is one of my first shots I ever took with it.

So how has it been since I got it back in early March. Well I have not been disappointed with the wide angle lens. weighing in a a measly 8.4oz or 240g for those metric amongst us, I have not found it hard to carry this little gem around all day long. The 67mm filter thread is a bonus as this is also the same size as my Canon 18-135mm stm filter thread, which has the bonus of me also being able to swap the one lens hood I have between the two. It also makes polarisers and ND easier as I only have to buy one set at one size.

Like all the Efs Stm lenses it comes in black, with its usual tough, hardwearing plastic body. A plastic lens mount, and to be honest to the nay Sayers, I have never had any problems with plastic mounts in the last ten years of using them on my cameras. A nice tight fit and I’m good to go.

Yes it would be nice to have a wider aperture range(but what for? your going to be using this for mostly Landscape and Architecture. Do you really need Bokeh for either?) Not really a minus considering its primary use. 

I particularly like photographing landscape with dramatic clouds, or Seascapes, and find it a perfect accompaniment and tool to my 77D and my style of photography.

I will let my photos below speak for themselves on the wideness, sharpness and creativeness you can get to using this fabulous lens!

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Rawai Sunday Afternoon

Posted by Annette Johnson on May 13, 2021
Posted in: Peaceful Moments. Leave a comment

Every now and again I get the chance to experience some real calm in my life. Like in this slideshow of a warm sunny afternoon in Rawai Beach , a working beach, sadly quiet with all the boats tied up with no visitors to the out lying Islands.

Local people and some of us that live here seek calm and freedom in the sea air and the views. Boats sail, pick up trucks drive across the sand banks to load their owners boats up with kit for Sunday afternoon fishing trips. Families with their children comb the sands for crabs and other small shell edibles.

I can almost hear the sound of the sea, and feel the warmth of the sun, and the smell of the salty water….

Music free under creative commons licence from you tube music library Music: Timeless by Lauren Duski