A Village Worth A Thousand Images - An Analogue Stroll Through Ban Thoed Thai

Tarquin Ferrets

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Feb 4, 2019
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An Analogue Morning Stroll Through Ban Thoed Thai (Ban Hin Taek) Morning Market and Beyond.

Recently returned from my extended tour of Northern Thailand with my Honda CRF250L and I plan to do a separate report on that one. As during my previous trip one of my definite highlights again this time was a three day visit to Ban Thoed Thai, or Ban Hin Taek as the locals often refer to it. As many of you are familiar Ban Hin Taek was originally an Akha village and Akha are still the predominant tribe in the area. On top of a myriad of hill-tribe languages such as Akha, Lahu, Lisu and Muser also Thai, Shan and Chinese are widely spoken. It also served as opium warlord and Shan freedom fighter Khun Sa'a base during late 1970's and early 1980's.

Early one morning I decided to leave the bike behind and take a stroll through the vibrant morning market and the village in general.

This walkabout was captured on Kodak Tri-x400 film using two of my vintage rangefinders, 1972 Canonet QL17 GIII and 1952 Kiev 3. Hope you enjoy the somewhat retro look of this walk through a very interesting village.

First let's cross the Mae Kham river from my resort (photograph taken in the afternoon though).

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I reached the morning market 06.45 in the morning and it got busy very fast. All the while the main road through town remained extremely quiet.

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Myriad of languages spoken throughout the morning and no clothing was out of fashion during this very cold day. It was 13 degrees Celsius when I reached the market.

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It seemed the school had some special day as all the students were assembling to the town's main square and dressed either in traditional costumes or ready for sporting activities. With a parade orchestra to gowith of course.

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Main road through town still surprisingly quiet round 8.30 in the morning.

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Time for a hot cuppa of cappuccino. Lovely little cafe just 30 yards up the road from the petrol station. Fresh coffee for 30.- Baht a cup can't beat that with some tea to go with.

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A visit to Khun Sa's old camp is always in order as the place acts as a museum as well. Don't miss it.

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Mae Kham river traversing through the town and the area.

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And back at my resort, the Ratti kanchana resort. Spotless rooms and taken care of lovely Shan lady.

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I will be back.
 

DavidFL

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Nice shots TF.

Thoed Thai really is a fabulous little town for photography & festivals - the ethnic mix of people & religions there is exceptional.
And as you know that morning market is the the best IMHO in North Thailand, it has such a fabulous atmosphere with all the Shan, Akha, & Chinese.

Looking forward to the rest of your trip.
 

Eoin Christie

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Jul 16, 2019
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Good to see another Tri-X fan, Tarquin. Tri-X 400 and 320 (sheet film) cover the majority of my photography, closely followed by Delta 100.
We’re all looking forward to your upcoming ride report, hopefully with more Tri-X tranquility.
 
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Tarquin Ferrets

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Feb 4, 2019
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Yes, my northern tour was mainly captured on Tri-x and HP5 using two vintage rangefinders plus a roll of TmaxP3200 for nighttime photography.
I'm currently in a process of testing different films and have shot several rolls of Tri-x and HP5, plus Tmax100, Tmax P3200 and PAN400 a roll each. Haven't tried the Delta range yet. But will do. Rollei as well.
 

Eoin Christie

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Jul 16, 2019
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The modern Tri-X is not quite what the original was, but is, in my opinion, the best all round B&W film. In 4x5, it is wonderful, but still great in 135 and 120. Most of my 135 is with a M6 rangefinder.
Delta 100 offers the best (again, in my opinion) tonality. I’m not a fan of the other Delta films, nor of the TMax T-cube emulsions, which seem to bring something of a ‘plastic’ look.
I shot quite a few CMS-20 sheets on my recent ride in Laos, being a decidedly unsuitable film stock (just happened to have some boxes, and grabbed them). I haven’t gotten around to developing them yet, but your post encourages me to do so.
The Canonets are great little cameras, and rangefinders, in general, are the best for shooting people going about their normal lives - small, fast, and non-threatening.
Keep up the good work, Tarquin.
 

Tarquin Ferrets

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Feb 4, 2019
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Yes, I have fetish for vintage rangefinders (a disease) currently and agree they are the best shooting people and streets semi discreetly. I have four currently, the Canonet QL17, Kiev 3, Kodak Retinette IIB and an Aires IIIC f2.4 plus Aires IIIC f1.9 in order.
That M6 is of yours is cool package but a tad pricey. I can see myself getting M3 at some stage.
I put a roll of Tmax100 through my Kiev 3 which has a Jupiter-8 50mm f2.0 lens which is basically Zeiss 1930's Sonnar design. All Kiev cameras, especially the early models, are basically Zeiss Ikon Contax cameras. At the end of the WWII the whole Dresden factory with assembly lines, machining, tooling, calibration equipment and designs & patents were legimately handed over to the Soviets as war reparations. Even the German engineers went to Kiev to train start the production. Hence the earlier models are thought to be of better built quality. So Kiev II and Kiev III are basically Contax !I and III respectively and all parts 100% interchangeable.
That Tmax100 roll I put through my Kiev 3 gave me some interesting vintage results (see below).

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Eoin Christie

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Jul 16, 2019
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Hi, Tarquin. I bought the M6 quite a few years ago for a good price. It’s worth keeping your eyes peeled for the occasional bargain. I also have a Retina IIIc somewhere, which produced some of my best shots back in the 1980’s.
I’ve tried TMax several times over the years (still probably have some rolls in the fridge) in 135 and 120, but just never quite gelled with it. It’s not about the lack of grain (Techpan and CMS-20 have almost no perceivable grain, yet I very much like them). I think it is something about the almost digital way that TMax handles highlights. Again, this is very subjective, but I think it’s the difference between technical and aesthetic value. TMax is very good technically, but not my cup of tea in the look.
Rollei RPX-25 is a film that can handle tones and detail, but is a bit slow for movement, except in bright conditions...
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A002 by Eoin Christie, on Flickr
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A012 by Eoin Christie, on Flickr
 
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Tarquin Ferrets

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Feb 4, 2019
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Hi Eoin, yes I hear you. I just got back shooting film few months ago and after I received my first roll of Tri-x (shot with Aires IIIC) back developed and scanned the contrast and grain blew me away. I was pleasantly surprised by real retro look. I see you on Flickr as well I'll look you up. My Flickr is basically full of digital travel photography currently (point and shoot fashion). Are you on Instagram btw ? I just joined very recently and gonna keep that all film.

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