Capturing the Essence: Exploring Hua Lamphong in 'Bangkok Station' by Tim Russell
We’re really Excited to share a recent chat we had with BANGKOK-BASED photographer Tim Russell WHOM we recently worked with to publish his photography book Bangkok Station.
What was your process in capturing these images?
The images are the result of seven years of repeat visits to the station, probably 15-20 times a year. As I say in the introduction, Hua Lamphong is like a playground for photographers, a location with varying lighting and backdrops where you can shoot street, portraits, documentary, travel, architecture, abstract, and more all in one place, though my focus is mainly on the people who use and work at the station.
It's usually a case of seeing someone interesting, having a chat with them, and then asking if it's OK to shoot them, and in Thailand the answer is nearly always yes. Once you get that rapport going people are usually happy for you to take as long as you want getting the right shot.
any particular stories or moments when shooting Hua Lamphong that made an impact on you?
I think my favourite moment was with Pattarapong, the green flag guy in this picture.
Somehow he saw my tweet and messaged me to ask if he could buy the print. I got his address and sent him a gift of two prints I made of him, and he posed with them in front of his train.
Other than that, just the hundreds of small interactions with the people I photograph. Bangkokians are some of the friendliest people on Earth and they make taking photographs here an absolute joy.
What do you want people to take away from the book?
Memories. I know a lot of the people who've already ordered the book have a lot of affection for Hua Lamphong and I hope it will serve as a reminder of what a special place the station was now it is in the process of closing down.
I also think it's a time capsule for the 'old' Bangkok of Italian-designed architecture, orange-robed monks, rickety old trains, food vendors, free haircuts, and loveable eccentrics. That side of the city is getting harder to find so I hope I've captured it here.
It’s still early days, but have you received any feedback from people who’ve seen early drafts of the book?
Yes, reactions have been uniformly positive thankfully and I'm looking forward to getting physical copies into people's hands. I think most photographers and artists in general suffer from impostor syndrome to a degree so putting your work out in public is always a nervous moment, but it's been very well received so far.
How has it been working with the team at Soi Books?
Excellent! It's nice to have someone handle all the stuff I'm not so good at - layout, design, distribution etc, etc. It allows me to focus on the images. Shaz and Ryo have been really helpful and encouraging so far and I've really enjoyed working with them. I know we're all photography book virgins so it's been a bit of a journey of discovery but I think we've come up with something really special.
Any future projects you would like to share?
I'm fully involved in Bangkok Station at the moment so don't really have time to think of what the next project will be! I've been photographing Bangkok's underground music scene for the last couple of years so I think there's definitely a book or at least a zine in there somewhere, as there is so much warmth and energy in the photos that they need to be seen. So maybe that. But let's wait until Bangkok Station sells a million and wins lots of awards, then I'll think about the next thing.
