The Photography of Dr. Jeffrey P. Harper

I found an old wallet while cleaning up my office and did a little wallet archeology.  This is the admission ticket to the 1967 Yucaipa High School (Calif.) Homecoming Dance. I took my then-sweetheart, Barbara Lane, and we had a pretty interesting time sporting my borrowed suit and her borrowed formal gown . . . and our illegal smiles, of course.  A good memory.  I did not know I had this artifact of my personal history.  But there were other things going on in October 1967, just a few months into my Senior Year . . . .

 

June 14, 1968 . . . an evening I remember like it was last night . . . but not because of the commencement ceremony  . . . only Barbara Lane and I know why . . .

 

There were rumblings of war on the horizon.  These Selective Service System (a.k.a., Draft Board) cards tell my personal story for the next five years:  From classified as II-S (student deferment) to I-A (draftable, awaiting the call) and finally to my medical deferment status as I-H (draftable only if war is declared by the Congress, which never happened during the Viet Nam war).  That high school football knee injury had a silver lining after all!

ONE DAY IN MY LIFE:

I was up and on the way to Ayutthaya at 4:00am the other morning to meet some photography buddies for a shoot of the ancient Thai capitol.  Ayutthaya is about an 80 minute drive north on the good super highway from my home in the northern suburbs of Bangkok.

 

We all met up at an old traditional Thai teak house just across from the Ayutthaya Historical Park.  It was still quite dark when we arrived, but the main temple structures were bathed in orange light.

 

Everyone had a tripod, but me.  I'm pretty good with my hand held trusty Canon 5D Mark II and Sigma 50mm f1.4 lens. What a beautiful sight.

 

Slowly, slowly . . . . the morning light arrived in blues.

 

The sun gradually  rose and cast it's light upon the ruins of the ancient city.

 

Though it was still quite dark, there was so much of interest to see and photograph.

 

The five of us fanned out in different directions, with our curiosities diverging.

 

As one of three Buddhists in the group, I went looking for the Buddha images.  This one was magnificent.

 

Very old Buddha image.  Ayutthaya was a major  city between 1350 and 1765 (when it was sacked by the Burmese).  It is estimated that Ayutthaya was a city of 1,000,000 people by 1700.  These ruins are from the royal Buddhist temple.

 

We managed to be in pretty much the right place when the "magic light" showed up.

 

Beautiful morning light to shoot these awesome monuments.

 

These gigantic chedis may have held Buddha relics or the remains of beloved monks or abbots.

 

Interestingly, these chedis and Wat structures had not been rebuilt or restored by archaeologists, but have been continuously free-standing since the 14th century in the state you see here.

 

 

Although we started off in different directions, we all converged at about the same time at the famous Buddha head engulfed by a tree.  This image is so connected to Thailand that it could easily become the national symbol.  It is one of the most photographed objects in the world, no doubt . . . but that does not lessen the visual and spiritual impact of seeing it in the real.

 

It was getting lighter and the warm morning sun was beginning to find it's way under the large trees.  I took around twenty shots of the Buddha head at many different f-stops, shutter speeds, and ISO settings trying to find the best solution to capturing the mood of this place.  These two photos stood out from among the many I took.

 

Not fifty meters from the Buddha head in the tree is this wonderful monument and Buddha image.

 

The Ayutthaya-period Thais had a distinctive architectural style.

 

Sacred Lord Buddha.

 

We all moved on to the incredible main, central structure: Wat Ratcha Burana.

 

Phra Prang Prathan.

 

The temple architecture is unique to Ayutthaya.

 

There are so many chedis in and around Phra Prang Prathan that any window frame you walk by yields a great photo.

 

This area was the center of a city of one million inhabitants in 1700.

 

Phra Prang Prathan.

 

The sides of Phra Prang Prathan chedi are still covered with the original bas relief Buddha panels.

 

The carvings and other decorative details of Phra Prang Prathan are still in excellent, unrestored shape.

 

Part of the vast temple and royal grounds of Ayutthaya.

 

On the climb up of the chedi, there were great views of the temple complex.

 

Once up the many chedi steps and inside, we all contorted ourselves to capture every small and interesting detail of this ancient structure.  The textures were remarkable. (Here: "BASIL THE CONTORTIONIST")

 

While in the upper inner chamber of the Phra Prang Prathan chedi we were confronted by a perturbed park ranger who asked us to leave immediately.  It seems the park does not open until 8:00am.  Oops!  NOT!  We walked back out through the old royal buildings that were now streaked in light and shadow.

 

Timelessness.

 

Looking back in the Wat compound and reflecting on what a great morning it was.

 

The ancient ruins of Ayutthaya are not just some destination for tourists, a lost civilization.  They are still revered and pilgrims still come her to worship.  They are a living monument to a living spiritual practice.

 

A picture post card.

 

The wear on the ancient Wat walls carry the patina of time.

 

Here and there traces of ancient inscriptions can be made out, along with shards of Chinese ceramics embedded in the ancient walls.

 

There is a beautiful monument at each gate, corner, and change of direction along the old walls.  Strong morning light illuminated all the detail.  Nice.

 

A decorative wall monument, Ayutthaya Historical Park.  We left the Historical Park central area and went in search of the giant reclining Buddha.

 

The entire area, for many kilometers, is all chedis and old royal Thai structures.

 

After a while of walking around in a constant state of wonder at these huge and beautiful chedis, I was left in a photographers quandary: what to shoot?  There is too much of interest here . . . and what will I do with 100 photos of chedis, albeit wonderful chedis?

 

I shot the incredible ensembles and arrangements of chedis . . .

 

I shot the details of the chedis . . . . .

 

I tried not to shoot the same chedi too many times . . . . the light was so perfect for this kind of large architectural structure.  Magnificent!

 

I love this magnificent colossal Thai style.

 

Magnificent!

 

More chedis . . .

 

There are so many royal and Buddhist sites in and around Ayutthaya.  We stopped here to marvel at the three enormous white chedis.

 

We encountered very few tourists on this Wednesday in mid-June, but the few we did encounter, like this busload of Japanese tourists, were very well behaved and quiet.

 

Basil and I had fun taking photos of each other in interesting locations.

 

We left the chedi enclosure and walked to a nearby Wat to see what marvels it held.

 

The Wat was, of course, filled with marvelous images.  Here a "tree of donation receipts" and an old Buddha with a perectly lit wall.  Yummy!

 

The effect of the whole wal with the natural window lighting.  (NO, the darkened corners are not an artifact of the lens . . . it looked that way!)

 

The Wat held a Buddha Colossus . . . but just.  It also held many very old relic Buddha heads from ancient Wats that no longer exist . . . that were incredibly lit by the reflections of the colossal Buddha and a very red carpet (see below).  FANTASTIC!

 

The giant Buddha image sat upon a magnifiscent base.

 

Ancient Buddha head relic bathed in reflected light from a red carpet in the sunshine.  Incredible!

 

Ancient Buddha head relic bathed in reflected light from a red carpet in the sunshine.  Incredible!

 

Ancient Buddha head relic bathed in reflected light from a red carpet in the sunshine.  Incredible!

 

Ancient Buddha head relic bathed in reflected light from a red carpet in the sunshine.  Incredible!

 

Ancient Buddha head relic bathed in reflected light from and open window on one side and a red carpet in the sunshine on the other.  Incredible!

 

Ancient Buddha head relic bathed in reflected light from and open window on one side and a red carpet in the sunshine on the other.  Incredible!

 

Ancient Buddha head relic bathed in reflected light from a red carpet in the sunshine.  Buddhist pilgrims to sacred Wats place/stick gold leaf squares on revered Buddha icons as a devotional act, these catch and reflect the light.  Incredible!

 

Red carpet reflections on a gold leaf'ed Buddha.  fantastic!

 

Buddha image framed by pink donation strips . . . . beauty.

 

There was much to see and photograph in Bo Phit Buddha Wat, like these colorful breeze-blown festoonments.

 

 

Young novice Buddhist monks and their teacher arrived for meditation and  prayer.

 

Buddhist monk in meditation.

 

After meditating, the monks walked around the large Buddha image three times clockwise.

 

The old teaching monk engaged his young novices in spiritual talk from he Buddhist sutras.

 

Very few tourists meant a not very well developed tourist industry.  There were very few curious shops, and no touts at all pestering us.  Thank you Thailand.

 

Strangely, recent construction was rapidly disintegrating in the harsh tropical climate, but only a few yards away were works and constructions from many hundreds of year ago still standing.

 

We left the amazing Wat and walked back a different path through the chedi complex to my truck.

 

Basil and I decided to have a competition to see who could take a photograph worthy of a Hallmark Schmaltz Award.  This is my candidate.

 

We spotted this Buddha in a window frame and knew the view from the other side would be remarkable.

 

The scenes inside the ancient Thai Royal quarters was astonishing.

 

Beautiful framing.

 

We left the main Historical Park and headed out into the town.  Aided by my GPS, we fund the giant reclining Buddha.

 

I performed a devotional ceremony at the golden Buddha altar.  It was a fantastic day.  The reclining Buddha is one of my favorite Buddha poses.  He is relaxing, at peace.  I went in for a closer look at the yellow draping cloth.

 

The found the strong light and strong transparent yellow color against the ancient weathered surfaces fascinating.

 

Amazing textures, patterns, color, and light.

 

The carved garments of the giant Buddha overlaid with the yellow garments of todays' followers.

 

Patterns upon textures, upon age itself.

 

Beautiful abstract images found.

 

I was reluctant to leave the reclining Buddha, but it was  time for lunch . . . and maybe a massage before moving on to the King's Summer Palace.

 

We drove into Ayutthaya proper looking for fried chicken . . . and found it, and alot more.

 

Street food vendor's arraying art.

 

The Thais hae steadily substituted materialistic consumerism for their Buddhism, and this photo perfectly captures the current state of affairs in Thailand.  Buddhism hangs on in many important ways, but it is in decline.

 

We managed to endure 90 minutes of head, neck, and leg massage.  We suffer, don't we?

 

We left our massage lightheaded, as usual, set the GPS for the King's Summer Palace, and hit the road.  We arrived at the Summer Palace at 3:50pm and were greeted by a sign saying "Closed at 16.00" and a guard waving his finger back and forth, "No No."  So we decided to go home.  I set the GPS again to take us home the long way, next to the river.  Along the way we spotted a red colossal monk on the horizon and turned down the small farm road to see if we could fid it.  We passed a forlorn looking Wat with crematorium and pulled in to take a look. 

 

The Wat had a creepy feeling about it, but some very beautiful Buddha images outside.

 

We walked around the outside until we found a door next to yet another ancient Buddha.

 

We went inside and this is what we found:  a great effort had been made to save the collapsed original Wat with elaborate steel girders supporting the original walls.  Around all of this, a new shelter had been erected to keep the old Buddhas out of the weather.  There was a very strange feeling inside, like we shouldn't be in there.

 

A fine old Buddha.

 

After first complaining that the light was "bad," we realized there were some fantastically lit old Buddha images after all.  We rushed about taking photos, in a hurry to get out.

 

Wonderful light indeed!  Unfortunately a cat sauntered up to Basil and bit him on the leg.

 

Our bright orange shirts were reflecting the "bad" back lighting, so we carefully positioned ourselves to get the best lighting.

 

We rushed around taking photos when we realized there were red ants falling on us from above.  We left the Wat in a hurry with a feeling that there was "bad gamma" associated with the place . . . and the dogs looked like they would bite.

 

We drove a few more kilometers on a dirt road and finally found our Mega Monk in a Mega Wat along the Chao Praya River . . . a Mega Wat in the same sense of a Mega Church in the USA: wildly over built, with facilities and parking for thousands of people.  This Wat was a huge investment for someone!

 

We walked around the Megsa Wat taking only a few photos as the light began to fade into dusk.

 

I found this lovely Bikku in the pose of receiving understanding from the Buddha Siddhartha.  I walked to the river to see if there would be a sunset to redeem this otherwise disappointing side trip.

 

I found a pier along the river and was confronted with many barge trains being pulled down the river by there rumbling tugs.

 

A river barge train in the fading light.

 

I left the river and went looking for Basil with the idea of just going home . . .when I looked up and thought, "this could be an interesting sunset" . . . .

 

. . . . it's getting better all the time . . . .

 

. . . . and an interesting sunset it turned out to be!

 

A sunset like this, experienced at a Buddhist Wat, is very spiritual.

 

The sunset kept getting better and better . . . .

 

. . . . I was stuck in a perpetual OH WOW! moment for the longest time . . . .

 

We took our last photos and got in the car, sustained by the spirit of that sunset, and drove back into the madhouse Bangkok traffic . . . and home.  It was a wonder-full day.

If you are ever in or around the Charoen Krung Road area of Bangkok (near the Shangri-La and Oriental hotels), pop in the Harmonique Restaurant . . . one of the most visually interesting restaurant in the world . . . and very good traditional Thai food.  Bring your camera!

 

The Harmonique is located down a dark alley, literally . . .

 

. . . but a look in the front window will reveal a warm and welcoming enironment.

 

You'll be spiritually safe within, as the space over the front door has the complete set of spirit chasers in place.

 

The entry way in seems like something out of a 19th Century novel.

 

The restaurant is actually a 19th century Chinese family home, converted to a restaurant in the 1950s,  with all the original architectural details intact to this day.

 

The lighting creates an extraordinary ambiance.

 

There are tables in small inner rooms, and some in an open air courtyard.  We sat inside a lovely room, as there was a light rain falling.

 

The view from the inside looking out is just as interesting and complex.

 

The spaces are decorated with an abundance of interesting old Thai arts and crafts.

 

Some arrangements were absolutely amazing . . .

 

. . . and some were very humorous.

 

I find the live electrical wires interesting . . . it is worth a walk around to study the details of this old Thai house.

 

I discovered these restaurant awards.

 

An old family friend, Khun V, acted as the perfect host. We were out on the town with a visiting friend from Hong Kong, Vicky

 

We had a wonderful meal . . . a nine dish set of traditional Thai delicacies . . .

 

. . . I loved these . . .

 

. . . and these were delicious.

 

My wife enjoyed the coconut ice cream with mango slabs. 

 

We paid up at the front (reasonable cost) and headed out into the alley.

 

We were greeted by a friendly Thai tuk-tuk tout, but we had driven.

 

I enjoyed the walk down the dark alley to our car: a chance to test the low light capability of my new Sigma 50mm f1.4 lens.  WOW!

 

Our little reptilian friends work day and night to keep the mosquito population down.  Thanks little buddy!

 

Although this alley might seem a little spooky at night (it wasn't), by day it is full of kindergartners from this charming old school.

 

I glanced over and looked down a walking path and saw this golden Buddhist chedi buried in the urban mesh of a Bangkok night; a fantastic vision.  This is one of the things I love about Bangkok: the things you see are always surprising.

 

The free vinyl stickers of the Big Cola advertisers make for good home repair material.

 

We made it to our car at the end of the alley.  A good time was had by all.  There are always people out and about in Bangkok at all hours of the day and night.  Civic culture to be enjoyed, and witnessed.

Rope Recycler

A couple of weeks ago Basil and I were driving up a country road on the way to re-shoot a Wat in Samut Songkhram when I saw this pile of roaps out of the side of my eye.  We stopped to take a look.   What we had stumbled upon was a back yard rope recycling operation.  This part of Thailand is near a fishing port which apparently has enough used rope laying around to support this recycler. 

 

The old ropes were sorted and separated for re-twisting.

 

There were all kinds of different ropes.

 

It looked like a complex procedure that required a high degree of exactness

 

Some of the rope looked quite new.

 

A boy learning the ropes . . . . holding the end of a set of ropes while a large flywheel at the other end twisted a new rope.

 

We continued on to The Boathouse Resort to shag a long-tail klong boat for some waterborne photography in the early morning.

 

We didn't have to go too far to find photogenic material.

 

The resort had recently pulled an old bicycle from the klong.

 

Beautiful tropical gardens everywhere.

 

Sometimes the backsides of tropical leafs are the most beautiful, like this . . .

 

. . . and this frond.

 

We hired a boat and headed into the swamps.

 

The klongs (canals) around these parts offer a mixture of dilapidated dock and commercial structures mixed with sublimely rustic beauty.

 

Life along the klongs looks very idyllic.

 

There are many old boats along the klongs, like this lovingly restored old river tug.

 

A relic of a bygone era: a Thai canal boat.

 

Lovely scenes of boats at dock.

 

This is my dream house.  I may look to see if I can lease one of these.  I would love to spend my week-ends here!

 

One could while away many hours in these klong houses.

 

Life along the canals is serene.

 

Maybe I can make a good deal on this "fix-er-upper."

 

I think my wife would prefer this old traditional Thai-style house.

 

Some people make their klong homes very special.  I suspect many of these cool places are occupied by week-enders from Bangkok.

 

The old styles and weathered surfaces make for an atmosphere that calls to me.  Why?

 

Many of these canal structures are only accessible by boat.

 

I have been up this particular klong many times, but I always take many photos of The Blue House (following).

 

Yep, me and this house have a connection.  I don't know what it is.

 

Next time I'm in the area I will make an inquiry.

 

The shady side of The Blue Klong House.

 

I love how the use of pre painted used blue lumber creates it's own patterns and textures.  Wonderful.  I want to live here soooo badly!

 

As we putted along in our long-tail boat in the morning idyll, we happened upon an old woman hawking dried reeds from her little teak boat.

 

The same ancient commerce being plied along the same ancient klongs of Samut Songkhram.

 

This canal side boathouse was very charming.

 

I can see myself whiling away a day with a good book on this porch set deep in the palms.

 

Yep . . . I'm going to have to look into leasing one of these places . . . and soon.

 

Every now and then, around a bend, you fid someone doing commerce.  You wouldn't go hungry if you lived in the canals . . . your lunch would come to you.

 

Around a bend we came upon a young man emptying a hollow log of it small crabs . . . perfect for sum-tam, a Thai favorite.

Live along the klongs is very attractive . . . and an ever more compelling force in my life.

 

OUT ALONG THE BANGKOK TO HUA HIN HIGHWAY.The last time we visited this Wat out among the salt pans of Samut Songkhran it was covered i scaffolding and painted a gleaming white.  Today it is completed in its gold leaf . . . and stunningly beautiful.

 

A beautiful day.  The old Wat structure, what I believe to be the original teak temple, was being dismantled.  Too bad, it was so fantastic, but a reminder that Buddhism Thailand is a living institution, not an historical novelty or a simple tourist attraction.

 

A 5m mold for building giant Buddhas was left behind t the Wat.

 

I am at a complete loss to explain or understand this Wat display.  A big donor? A friend of the abbot?  You tell me

 

Samut Songkhran to Hua Hin Giant Wat

I always drive past this huge Wat on the way to Hua Hin.

 

When you enter  the grounds of a Wat, you enter a completely different reality . . . the possibilities change.

 

The interior of this Was was AWESOME . . . . there is no other word for it.

 

On our way back we decided to stop in at a giant Wat along the highway.  I have been watching this mammoth structure being build over a ten year period, so time to an update.  WOW!

 

Simply gorgeous.

 

The detail on the giant Buddhas included myriad smaller Buddha images.  Opulence beyond imagination.

 

The Wat grounds held this giant chedi, over 100m tall.

 

Interestingly, the big chedi held a smaller and much older chedi within.

 

A memorial image of an old revered monk or abbot.

 

Unbeknownst to us, we arrived on a day when a ceremony  involving wrapping the old chedi with golden drapes . . .

 

. . . accompanied by monks chanting and the banging of a large gong!

 

There was a Wat gift shop with the chedi (there always is) that had on display some Buddha images for "sale" (donation) for your home altar.  The plastic wrapping with the accumulated dust created an eerie visage.

 

We walked all around the Wat grounds.  It was a very beautiful and serene place to spend part of an afternoon.

 

Devotional remnants.

 

Self Portrait.

 

One of the ways the Thais like to show respect is by radical festooning with colorful bunting.

 

Roadside Attractions:

We stopped several time o the way back to Bangkok to take photos of the visually interesting.  Salt bag pattern.

 

We pulled over at a roadside purveyor of dries fruit of the sea: squid . . .

 

. . . and still more dried squid . . . .

 

. . . . an array of fish snack from many an oceanic phylum . . .

 

. . . and, yes, blister-packed dries and smoked fish.  There was another kind of dried sea food there that could only be described as . . .

 

ALIEN FLESH:

I was very tempted to post these "alien flesh" photos as a straight "I just got back from the UFO Convention and took these photos of alien flesh." . . . but I didn't.  That's all the world needs is more UFO "evidence" finding it's way onto the Internet!

 

More "Alien Flesh," southeast view.

 

There have been a lot of UFO sightings around this part of Thailand lately . . . . could this be dried and pressed alien skin, as the vendor claimed?

 

The Thai guy I bought these from said that these emerged from a dead alien, but died soon after contact with the atmosphere.  But for only 180 Thai baht for the four piece set, who could pass it up?

 

The same Thai vendor said this was part of the head structure of the alien.  I  don't know . . . it doesn't seem right . . . but he was asking too much for them.