Chaos in Laos

Inside a sawngthaew, Laos, 2008

Alright, alright, it’s taken a long time, I know. And I’m sorry! Really! The reason why I took so long to update this blog is that I had so much other stuff to do (seriously) that I only managed to finish post-processing the photos from our big trip today, almost 3 weeks after we got back!

Anyway, without further ado, let’s get back to business. This photo I took secretly in/on a “sawngthaew” (literally “two rows”), one of the main forms of transportation in Laos. These are basically just a pick-up truck with two benches on the back and a roof over them, like so.

The funny thing about them is that they transport anything. Anything. [Note for example the duck on the floor]. And you wouldn’t believe how much quantity of anything. If you think it’s full, it’s not. However, even if it’s cramped, it’s a cheap way to get around and has a certain adventurous flavour to it.

Photographically, I used my wide angle for this shot to capture as much as possible of the confined space. Since I took the photo secretly, and it was a rather challenging lighting situation, I had set the camera to automatic bracketing, making it take 5 pictures in quick succession at different exposures, so that I could then choose the best exposed one.

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