The Photography of Dr. Jeff Harper

Pak Khlong Talat is Bangkok's great flower market . . . and one of the largest flower markets in the world.

Literally millions of fresh lotus buds and flowers every day pass through this flower market.

The lotus bud is a powerful symbol in Buddhist thought.

Pak Khlong Talat is a huge flower market with large indoor spaces and narrow alleys all full of flowers . . . it is a wholesale market, so many buyers come every morning and send their purchases back to their shops by tuk-tuk.

Some buyers come to buy 'raw' flowers for arrangement elsewhere, and some come to buy ready-made arrangements, like these aromatic jasmine bud garlands (used in Buddhist blessings).  Imagine how wonderful these women smell after a days' work!!!

Fragrant jasmine buds being weighed.

Beautifully made jasmine garlands on ice, ready for sales.

Many kinds and styles of Buddhist votive flower arrangements were being made everywhere.

The market has more than flowers for sale . . . fruit for the hundreds, if not thousands of flower market workers.

But, of course, it is the flowers that amaze a visitor to the flower market.  Orchids everywhere!

 Thailand's hot and humid climate means that orchids grow outside all year long.  Just nail one on a tree and it grows!

Orchids come in every color of the rainbow . . .

Exquisite orchids.

 . . . including white orchids.

An orchid hawker tending her product.

The flower market is also a good place to get people photos.

The market opens at 3:00am when the growers begin to bring in their flowers . . . and buyers begin to purchase and ship.  This draymen looks tired!

Hoping for a big sale.

The kinds and varieties of flowers available for sale was staggering!  These sunflowers are from Thailand.

Roses, roses, roses . . . 

 . . . roses, roses, roses . . .

 . . . and more roses.  These wrapped roses were imported from Europe.

Some flowers were sold as already made arrangements, like this white lily ensemble.

Marigold flowers sold on nylon strings.

Such a beautiful and colorful array . . . 

Although the light in the market was not ideal for flower photography, every once in a while there was magic light!

Pretty little things!

Bunches and bunches of flowers.

And bundles and bundles of beautiful flowers.

And this extraordinary bouquet!

Individually hand-wrapped chrysanthemums.

Inside the flower market.  This was at around 9:30am and lots of the stalls were already closed . . . sold out.

A market draymen moving purchases out of the market to waiting tuk-tuk delivery.

The area around the flower is made up of many rows of old shop houses.

The flower market is in a very old part of Bangkok, not far from the Chao River and just north of the Chinatown district.

Remnants of Old Bangkok can be seen in and among the complexity of the streets.

Not only flowers . . . but everything a creative flower arranger might want to employ in a tropical flower arrangement!

Existentially beautiful tropical leaf.

Gorgeous.

And ribbons and bows for that special wedding or graduation event.

A complete flower arranger super store!

Need some green sprigs with little buds for your arrangement . . . sure, they have them.

And ribbons and bows . . . 

 . . . bunches and bunches of ribbons and bows.

The back side of the flower market blends into a traditional, and common, Bangkok "wet market" -- a fresh fruit and vegetable market.

A ginger hawker's display.

Beautiful ginger.  I love ginger . . . and many Thai dishes are made with ginger . . . especially Thai desserts, my favorite.

Purple net sacks full of potatoes.

A stack of spice root.

A stack of Thai squash ("fucktong" in Thai).

A lot of activity in the vegetable wholesale market.

Unique ingredients are what make Thai food so tasty.

A market chili sorter . . . she did not smell like flowers!!!

A small sale of fish . . . no doubt intended for the market workers to take home for dinner.

After three hours (!!) we finally stepped outside the markets.  

Loading up the produce . . . outside the market.

Produce all loaded in the tuk-tuk bound for a restaurent or small market somewhere in the city.

Who was that masked man?  A flower market worker taking a break.

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We walked a few blocks from the flower market to find a very good cup of coffee . . . and stumbled upon this shop selling "fake" plastic flowers:  incredibly realistic plastic flowers.  I guess some people get tired of having to buy fresh flowers over and over . . .