Months for best light SE Asia

<p>Hi All,<br>

I'm planning a two-month trip to SE Asia (Thailand, Cambodia, Laos) later this year. Does anyone with first-hand experience in the region have suggestions as to what months have the best light conditions for landscape photography? <br>

My last trip to SE Asia was in June/July, the beginning of the monsoons. The skies were a heavy gray and the light was very flat almost everyday I was there. I'm hoping to have better luck this year.</p>

<p>Thanks,<br>

Lynn </p>

<p>For great light, get up early no matter what season you go. Monsoon can be great especially for color photography.</p>

<p> </p>

If you're interested in landscape photography, try going a bit later in the rainy season. When I've been there in late July thru mid August, it was rare to have clouds all day for multiple days. Usually, there were alternating periods of rain and shine throughout the day. If you go in the dry season, vegetation is brown instead of green.

<p>Lynne you were a bit unlucky with the weather, as most of the time rain comes in the form of thunderstorms and heavy showers which usually clear up. I do recommend a t least a week in the Angkor area; you will have more flexibility light become too overpowering midday so I recommend my tour clients take a long lunch 11am to 3pm before going out again.<br>

I have lived and worked in SE Asia for 8 years; much of it running and organizing photo tours; so I can say with some qualification that the rainy season May to November is by far the most photogenic time to visit Cambodia Thailand and Laos. There is more rain in May and September but June, July and August can have plenty of sunny days (5 hours of sun per day in these months )<br>

Weather in Laos and Thailand is very similar; however September can have extremely wet weather in the mountains and on the coast; so if you want a beach holiday September is not the time to come here.<br>

From January; heat haze and dust can really make things difficult for taking cloudscapes. For several months you just see pale washed out skies and hazy brown horizons. The soft warm light in the afternoons can be very attractive for some kinds of photography and grey skies ere kinder for portraits.<br>

My photo website <a href="http://www.peaceofangkorphoto.com/">www.peaceofangkorphoto.com</a> is full of shots of Angkor and beyond ten mainly in the wet season.<br>

I think that those who come in the dry season are really missing out on the best atmosphere and less crowds too.</p><div></div>

<p>Thanks everyone for the advice. I'm happy to hear that my weather experience (weeks of overcast skies) was an exception, rather than the general pattern. That's a lovely photo Dave and just the type of conditions I'm hopiing to find. Based on this feedback, I think I'll book my trip for October-November rather than later in the dry season.</p>

<p>Hi Lynn,</p>

<p>Personally, I would prefer the drier and cooler months of November to March. I mean, in Bangkok it is still possible there are some days in October when it rains the whole day and night. Vientiane is even cooler than Bangkok in those months and just as dry.</p>