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One Day in Bangkok
One Day in Bangkok
Michael Petersohn
August 13, 2021
Chaotic, loud, yet somehow orderly: this is what a day in the megacity of Bangkok looks like. Michael Peterson captured the bustling rhythm of daily life in the city in his first street photography project.
LFI: What took you to Bangkok?
Michael Petersohn: After a classic family holiday in Thailand we had a short stopover in Bangkok before we were due to head back to Germany. During those two days, I found myself fascinated by the city's energy, as well as the wonderful morning and evening light. There was a feeling that there was so incredibly much to discover, so I decided quite spontaneously to delay my return flight by a week, and give myself time for a couple of days in the city.
How did you experience the metropolis as a photographer?
I wanted to find cinematic-like moments within this mass of impressions, and discover the city only with my camera. My approach for the series was to document a day unfolding from the early morning hours until late at night. It was important for me not to collect any photos of the tourist attractions that are photographed everyday in the same manner. I wanted to dive deeper into everything going on in the city, and document the mood and the people on the streets.
What is the fascination of street photography for you?
For me it's about working with the available light and capturing those seconds where cinematic-like situations emerge in a natural manner. To look for those moments, which are sometimes hard to predict, and find interesting motifs in the process, is always a new and exciting task, and a great challenge. The days in Bangkok represented my first real street photography project, where I deliberately planned to photograph a series in this way.
What does a day in Bangkok look like?
A day in Bangkok is always in movement. Chaotic, loud and yet somehow still orderly. The amount of people within this urban system, and the way it all works together, is really fascinating. At the same time, it can easily lead to a great sensory overload. There is an incredible dynamism and energy in this city, that never appears to sleep. However, if you take a closer look you can also find very calm and quiet moments.
Katja HübnerLFI: What took you to Bangkok?
Michael Petersohn: After a classic family holiday in Thailand we had a short stopover in Bangkok before we were due to head back to Germany. During those two days, I found myself fascinated by the city's energy, as well as the wonderful morning and evening light. There was a feeling that there was so incredibly much to discover, so I decided quite spontaneously to delay my return flight by a week, and give myself time for a couple of days in the city.
How did you experience the metropolis as a photographer?
I wanted to find cinematic-like moments within this mass of impressions, and discover the city only with my camera. My approach for the series was to document a day unfolding from the early morning hours until late at night. It was important for me not to collect any photos of the tourist attractions that are photographed everyday in the same manner. I wanted to dive deeper into everything going on in the city, and document the mood and the people on the streets.
What is the fascination of street photography for you?
For me it's about working with the available light and capturing those seconds where cinematic-like situations emerge in a natural manner. To look for those moments, which are sometimes hard to predict, and find interesting motifs in the process, is always a new and exciting task, and a great challenge. The days in Bangkok represented my first real street photography project, where I deliberately planned to photograph a series in this way.
What does a day in Bangkok look like?
A day in Bangkok is always in movement. Chaotic, loud and yet somehow still orderly. The amount of people within this urban system, and the way it all works together, is really fascinating. At the same time, it can easily lead to a great sensory overload. There is an incredible dynamism and energy in this city, that never appears to sleep. However, if you take a closer look you can also find very calm and quiet moments.
ALL IMAGES ON THIS PAGE: © Michael Petersohn
EQUIPMENT: Leica M10-P with Summicron-M 35 f/2 Asph.
Michael Petersohn+-
Michael Petersohn, born in 1984, lives in Berlin. After studying Media Management, he found his way into photography via music. After years of commercial work with artists such as Jan Delay, Udo Lindenberg, Roger Cicero, Tocotronic and others, he currently focuses his professional work on supporting international advertising and fashion productions as a digital operator and post producer. In his private photography he looks for emotional, cinematic-like moments, beyond the well-known and staged attractions. More
