Spent January '20 trekking in SE Asia (just in time, about a month before whole covid-19 erupted & put locks on global travel for foreseeable future). About a week was in Laos, country that is off radar of most trekkers that flock to more popular regional destinations like Thailand. In this thread I will share some photos from the journey.


From technical side my gear consisted of: 1) Pocket Sony Rx-100 Mk 3 camera 2) Canon EOS 6D full frame SLR with 24-105L and 70-300L lens 3) Ultra light Sirui carbon fiber tripod. So I was quite well equipped. Higher end images were made with SLR, but little Rx-100 was ultra beneficial -- so compact and practical, and with good light it is technically acceptable despite limitations of small sensor.

Air Pollution was remarkable, just like everywhere in SE Asia. That dampened some of bright landscapes I was planning on & I spent considerably more time shooting details. For others where I felt "dirty" sky was ruining the image I simply replaced entire sky later in Photoshop. But enough talk, here are some images along with brief description of location for armchair travelers:
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[Kuangi-Si waterfall in central Laos, near Luang Prabang. It is very popular but like everywhere else if you leave main area where everyone flocks and hike up steep trail on the side you can have it to yourself! Second pic is off lovely cascades below main waterfall; people swim here, but I was near closing & had it to myself. Both images were taken with SLR with considerable time spent in post-processing & am quite happy with end result]



[Imperial palace in Luang Prabang. This was Rx 100 shot that turned exceptionally well! I'd not be able to get this angle with SLR; but simply leaned pocket camera on stairs and got low angle that worked really well. Shot in exposure mode, set to 5 seconds with ISO 80 and turned out really clean with little noise in shadows]



[Another Rx 100 shot, passing by night market in Luang Prabang. This is benefit of having pocket camera on you; just snap. Despite 1/30 exposure time managed to get no shake & image is good technically as well; would make for a nice background]



[This one was taken as I was exploring Vang Vieng, considered "outdoor recreation mecca". There was this white palace seemingly abandoned, but there was some luxury restaurant inside. Sat on the floor in the shade (temps in SE Asia are quite hot, 30 Celsius and above during the day) and took this sort of abstract image; Rx 100 again]



[One more in Vang Vieng. Rented bicycle and went to "Blue Lagoon". Tour operators will sell you packages to get there, but it is such a waste of time and money as you can do it all yourself. Cycling in Laos village roads was fun too. Blue Lagoon is zoo, but above lagoon is steep scramble trail that leads to enormous "Tham Phu Kham" cavern. Inside is this statue of Buddha (buddhas are everywhere in SE Asia). Long exposure shot off tripod with Canon SLR. Cavern goes for several kilometers btw and you need headlight & lots of caution as it is slippery with plenty of scrambling]









[These 3 are in Vientiane, capital of Laos. In city center is "Pha That Luang" or The Big Stupa Buddhist complex; a must visit for tourists, with several temples. Popular with locals that like to come and take pictures. This is prevalent custom in SE Asia; locals come dressed in ethnic clothing, hire professional photographer and take pictures for personal purpose. I spotted this couple after closing time of "Big Stupa"; it was not engagement or commercial shoot. I took a few and they seemed to like it. Asians really like photography. I rarely take pics of people, landscapes are more my niche, but am quite happy with these as well. All 3 with SLR & 24-105L lens ~50mm]






[Final two of very impressive reclining Buddha statue in Vientiane Pha That Luang complex. Both with SLR. Really like the angle on first one, but you can see dusty polluted sky takes away a bit. Second pano is stitch of 4 frames, and has entire sky replaced; it is very high end from technical perspective. Both handheld]


I got still much more to process & might add to this thread later on. Entire gallery with more high res pics can also be seen here. Which one did you enjoy or would like to see more? Cheers!

Very cool, I like the first two photos. And the story about the locals that dress up and come to the Buddhist complex take pictures, I like that. I don't think you would ever see that here. (Dress up in lumberjack shirt and do a photo shoot on the Grouse Grind? haha)