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Writer's pictureKaisern Chen

Portraits from a corner at the Hua Lumphong Train Station - In the trains

Updated: Sep 25

I was once asked, "Why a train station?" when I began taking a series of portraits at Hua Lamphong Train Station in Bangkok, Thailand—an iconic place I later described as "A train station frozen in time." That phrase perhaps best captures its allure.


At first, my choice was practical. Living within reasonable distance and having easy access via mass transit made it convenient amidst Bangkok's notorious traffic. As the collection of portraits grew, it became a form of meditation, striving to create unique images from the same location repeatedly.


So, the collection continues, displayed in random order.



Daria Luci, September 2015, Leica M-P 240 + Summilux-M 50/1.4 ASPH

Goda Paulavičiūtė, September 2016, with Hasselblad X1D50c + XCD 45/3.5

Irina Kornia, October 2016, Leica M-P 240 + Summilux-M 35/1.4 ASPH FLE

Julia Shylo, November 2019 Leica M10-D + Summilux-M 50/1.4 ASPH

Madeline Minkema, January 2016, Leica SL Typ 601 + Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-90/2.8-4 ASPH


"It is more important to click with people than to click the shutter."

~Alfred Eisenstaedt




Ivy, March 2018, Leica M-P Titan + Apo-Summicron-M 50/2 ASPH

Eris Kim, March 2018, Leica M10 + Summilux-M 50/1.4 ASPH

Goda Paulavičiūtė, September 2016, Hasselblad X1D50c + XCD 45/3.5

Carol Alves, October 2017, Leica M10 + Summilux-M 50/1.4 ASPH

Olga Syvryda, November 2016 Hasselblad X1D 50c + XCD 45/3.5

Sylvia Madej, October 2016, Leica M Edition 60 + Summilux-M 35/1.4 ASPH FLE

Tatiana Larionova, September 2016, Leica M-P 240 + Summilux-M 50/1.4 ASPH

Madeline Minkema with Angela Hasler, January 2016, Leica SL Typ 601 + Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-90/2.8-4 ASPH

Tatiana Kucheruk, October 2017, Leica M-P Titan + Apo-Summicron-M 50/2 ASPH Titanium

Gao Ming Ming, December 2018, Fujifilm GFX50R + GF 45/2.8 R WR


" I like to photograph anyone before they know what their best angles are."

~ Ellen von Unwerth




Tatiana Batir, November 2018, Leica M10 + Summilux-M 35/1.4 ASPH FLE

Daria Saburova, March 2016, Leica SL Typ 601 + Summilux-M 50/1.4 ASPH

Aigul Fazylova. April 2019, Leica M10-D + Apo-Summicron-M 75/2 ASPH

Irina Kornia, October 2016, Leica M-P 240 + Summilux-M 35/1.4 ASPH FLE

Madeline Minkema, January 2016, Leica SL Typ 601 + Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-90/2.8-4 ASPH

Tatiana Kucheruk, October 2017, Leica M-P Titan + Summilux-M 35/1.4 ASPH FLE

Alisa Ratushniak, October 2019 Leica M10-D + Summilux-M 50/1.4 ASPH

Betina Canoza, March 2018, Leica M10 + Summilux-M 35/1.4 ASPH FLE

Carol Alves, October 2017, Leica M10 + Summicron-M 28/2 ASPH

Elisa Kim, July 2018, Leica M10 + Summilux-M 50/1.4 ASPH

Sylvia Madej, October 2016, Leica M Edition 60 + Summilux-M 35/1.4 ASPH FLE


"It's one thing to make a picture of what a person looks like, it's another thing to make a portrait of who they are."

~ Paul Caponigro




Tatiana Larionova, September 2016, Leica M-P 240 + Summilux-M 35/1.4 ASPH FLE

Olga Kultunova, August 2017, Leica M-P 240 + Summilux-M 35/1.4 ASPH FLE

Malu Carvalho, January 2019, Leica M10-D + Summilux-M 28/1.4 ASPH

Anastasiia Burdak, September 2019 Leica M10-D + Summilux-M 50/1.4 ASPH

Carol Alves, October 2017, Leica M-P Titan + Apo-Summicron-M 50/2 ASPH

"There are only two styles of portrait painting: the serious and the smirk."

~ Charles Dickens



Ivy, March 2018, Leica M10 + Summilux-M 50/1.4 ASPH

Valentina Kolot, November 2018, Leica Q

Anastasiia Burdak, September 2019 Leica M10-D + Summilux-M 50/1.4 ASPH

Sara Maricevic, March 2019, Leica Q2 28mm

Aigul Fazylova with Leica M10-D + Apo-Summicron-M 50/2 ASPH Titanium

Tatiana Kucheruk Leica M-P Titanium + Summaron-M 28/5.6

Malu Carvalho, January 2019, Leica M10-D + Summilux-M 50/1.4 ASPH

The camera has no opinion, no emotion, it just renders - and so the emotional components of a photograph live on each side of the camera.

~ Norman Jean Roy



Sara Maricevic, March 2019, Leica Q2

Daria Kirillova, July 17, 2019 Leica M10-D + Apo-Summicron-M 50/2 ASPH

Ana Carolina Fontenele, September 2019 SONY A7R IV + FE 24-70/2.8 GM

Daria Saburova, February 2016, Leica SL 601 + Apochromat Kinoptik Paris 50/2 Focale

Daria Luci, September 2015, Leica MP240 + Macro-Elmar-M 90/4

Julia Shylo, November 2019, Leica M10-D + Summilux-M 50/1.4 ASPH

Tatiana Larionova, September 2016, Leica SL 601 + Summilux-M 50/1.4 ASPH

Anastasia Burdak, September 2019 SONY A7R IV + Zeiss Distagon T* FE 35/1.4 ZA

Liza Kaylee, July 2019 Fujifilm GFX100 + GF 110/2 R LM WR

Daria Saburova, Leica SL 601 + Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-90/2.8-4 ASPH March 2016

Tatiana Kucheruk, Leica SL2 + Summilux-SL 50/1.4 ASPH October 2021

Aigul Fazylova, April 10, 2019 SONY A7RIII + Sigma 40/1.4 DG HSM Art

Anastasia Maslova, August 17, 2019 Leica Q2

Liza Kaylee, July 5, 2019 Leica Q2

The train is a small world moving through a larger world.

~ Elisha Cooper



Betina Canoza, March 2018 Leica M10 + Summicron-M 35/2 ASPH

Madeline Minkema, January 2016 Leica SL + Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-90/2.8-4

Daria Kirillova, July 17, 2019 Leica Q2

Anastasia Maslova, August 17, 2019 Leica M10-D + Summilux-M 50/1.4 ASPH

Alisa Ratushniak, October 2019 Leica M10-D + Summilux-M 50/1.4 ASPH

Goda Paulavičiūtė, September 2016, Hasselblad X1D50c + XCD 45/3.5

Daria Saburova, March 2016, Leica SL 601 + Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-90/2.8-4 ASPH

Julia Shylo, November 2019, Leica Q2

Valentina Kolot, November 2018 Leica M10 + Apo-Summicron-M 50/2 ASPH

Sabrina Baycroft, September 2019 Leica M10-D + Summilux-M 50/1.4 ASPH

Many times the wrong train took me to the right place.

~ Paulo Coeiho



Nágela Faria Basilio, September 29, 2019 SONY A7R IV + FE 24-70/2.8 GM

Jenny García Vergara, March 13, 2018 SONY A7R III + FE 24-70/2.8 GM

Anastasiia Burdak, September, 2019 Leica M10-D + Summilux-M 50/1.4 ASPH

Daria Kirillova, October 2, 2019 Leica Q2

Alisa Ratushniak, October 27, 2019 Leica M10-D + Summilux-M 50/1.4 ASPH

Valerie Fedorenko, January 2017 Leica MM246 + Apo-Summicron-M 50/2 ASPH

Julia Shylo, November 2019 Leica M10-D + Summilux-M 50/1.4 ASPH

Anastasia Maslova, December 2019 Leica M10-D + Apo-Telyt-M 135/3.4

Sometimes you're the train, sometimes you're the track.

~ Luke Beyan



Tatiana Larionova, September 2016 Leica M-P 240 + Summilux-M 50/1.4 ASPH

Victoria Pacheco, February 2020 Leica M10-D + Summilux-M 50/1.4 ASPH

Sabrina Baycroft from a corner at the Bangkok Railway Station, Thailand September 21, 2019 Leica M10-D + Summilux-M 50/1.4 ASPH

Izem Yilmaz, June 2020 Leica M10-D + Summilux-M 50/1.4 ASPH

Photographers stop [hotographing a subject too soon before they have exhausted the possibilities.

~ Dorothea Lange



Benish Paracha, June 2020 Leica M10-D + Summilux-M 50/1.4 ASPH

Katya Streltsova, May 2024 Leica M11 + Summilux-M 50/1.4 ASPH

Ivy, March 2018 Leica M10 + Summilux-M 50/1.4 ASPH

Shalika and her cats February 2021 SONY A7R IV + FE 24-70/2.8 GM

Goda Paulavičiūtė, September 2016, Hasselblad X1D50c + XCD 45/3.5

Katya Streltsova. May 2024 Leica M11 + Summilux-M 50/1.4 ASPH

Sara Maricevic, April 2021 Leica Q2

Daria Demchenko, Jun 2023 Leica M11 + Summilux-M 50/1.4 ASPH

Shalika Chitkosolsuk, September 9, 2021 Leica M10-D + Summicron-M 35/2 ASPH

Valeriya Stolbovaya, October 8, 2021 Hasselblad 907X + XCD 80/1.9

Daria Kirillova at the Bangkok Railway Station, Leica M10-D + Apo-Summicron-M 50/2 ASPH September 2022

Noppakun Limtoasuvan, November 13, 2022 Hasselblad X2D + XCD 38/2.5V

Elena Shargina, January 12, 2023 Leica M11 + Summilux-M 50/1.4 ASPH

Jantra Phirungkapaora, February 2023 Leica M11 + Summilux-M 50/1.4 ASPH

Shalika Chitkosolsuk, March 2023 Leica M11 + Summicron-M 35/2 ASPH

Daria Demchenko, June 2023 Leica M11 + Summilux-M 50/1.4 ASPH

Natasha Friesen, November 2023 Leica M11 + Summicron-M 35/2 ASPH

Nina Lobzhanidze, April 2024 Leica M11 + Summilux-M 50/1.4 ASPH

It is about to hit the 10-year mark since I started to do more concentrated shoots at the Hualumphong Station. The station is without questionably old, and some may consider it did not age well because of a lack of sophisticated management, or it does not justify effective funding allotment by its diminished role in strategic national traffic planning.



What Hualumphong failed in progress along with time gave the public a chance to witness what a train station and travel used to look and feel like; and the demeanor of the typical nothing-mattered and easy-going Thainess, kind of reminding people that yeah, it is "Siam"! And that is the charm.



Although portraits are not the only type of pictures I took in Hualumphong it does stockpile a large portion of them. The light can come in from a large different angles, direct or indirect, giving good photographic practices with a human object of various figures, skin tones, and hair colors.



Repeating the practices often enough started to challenge the photographer's way of approaching to avoid making the same pictures which are not necessarily positive nor negative but a self-teaching practice that one learns to establish a style or a personality that takes time to polish, hopefully, and develop a universal adaptation elsewhere.



It is a study of light, shadow, the structure of the human face and figure, the relationship between objects and the background, colors, and tones, and hopefully a time well spent. Or keep practicing.



Thanks to a great photographer friend, Steve McCurry, who introduced me to the idea of the train station and the consistency of always looking for one whenever we travel together. And don't stop going back to the exact location as when there are lives, something will always happen.



Katya Streltsova, May 2024 Leica M11 + Voigtländer 50/2 Apo-Lanthar Aspherical

Nina Lobzhanidze, August 2024 SONY A7R V + Sigma 28-45/1.8 DG DN

A window serves as a portal to the world beyond, each glance capturing a unique snapshot of life. The window of a train reveals an ever-changing panorama, a moving canvas of diverse landscapes and fleeting moments.


As Edna St. Vincent Millay said, "There isn't a train I wouldn't take, no matter where it's going." This journey invites us to embrace the unknown, witnessing the beauty of change as the world unfolds before our eyes.


Mariia Pavlenko, September 2024 Leica M11 + Summilux-M 50/1.4 ASPH

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