The Photography of Dr. Jeff Harper

The Minburi Market is actually a collection of three very large open markets in the northern suburb of Bangkok.  My friend John and I drove there from his house.

My photographer friend, John and I love to skulk the old back alleys in and around the Minburi Market for textures and patterns.

I'm always rewarded here with finding one of my favorite photographic subjects: aged and rusting corrugation.

Pealing paint, rust, dilapidated corrugation . . . all the things I love to photograph.

This old neighborhood is just outside the actual Minburi Market wet market area . . . on the way from where we parked.  

Narrow elevated walkways suspended above a flooded field. So much to see.

Patterns on top of patterns on top of dilapidation covered by corrugation.  It doesn't get any better!!!

What the heck?  It seems we stumbled upon a Thai movie set.  The authenticity of this sold 1940s neighborhood played perfectly into a setting of wartime Japanese occupation.

A perfect period setting for a WWII movie.  At this point a young production assistant came over and said we would have to leave the set and not to take any photos.  Oops! Too late!

If you look closely you see many small details that reflect the spiritual interests of the people living in these old neighborhoods.  These votive items seem to have been there for a very long time and have acquired a patina of age.

A rudimentary, and seemingly abandoned, spirit house platform and beer offering.

We walked into the old wet market and discovered it abandoned for the day.  Very interesting to be in here with nobody around.

We walked over a bridge to get to the markets and saw this image:  a solar-powered khlong boat  "bus" and the new Pink Line Sky Train.

The Minburi Market is framed by several canals (khlongs). This boatman is waiting for a fare.

Life along the Minburi Khlong.

An old canal rice barge tied along the Khlong.  A lovely scene.

Shed houses on stilts in the canal . . . so fascinating.

Idyllic Thai canal life.

It was a very, very hot afternoon, so we walked quickly through several markets in search of the air-conditioned coffee shop. I have many entries elsewhere on this blog inside the wonderful Thai markets.

We did stop now and again when an amazing image presented itself.  Fresh fish with accouterments.

Marvelous patterns everywhere.

After a pleasant day spent in the Minburi Market, I took the recently opened Pink Line Sly Train home.