Last Updated on 09/20/2018 by Mark Beckenbach
All images by Julia Marie Werner and Manuel Wagner. Used with Creative Commons permission.
Ah, Bangkok. Just like any other major Southeast Asian city, Bangkok is bustling, often crowded and noisy, and filled with sights you can’t see anywhere else; floating markets, temples, street food carts at every turn, tuk tuks, and a whole lot more.
Who knew that this city would serve as the perfect backdrop for an editorial-esque shoot? Big Yellow Balloon in Bangkok, a personal collaboration between photographer Julia Marie Werner and Manuel Wagner of Wagnerchic Postproduction & Retouching, puts the Thai capital under a new light as it features a girl in baby blue athleisure wear exploring the city’s streets with a, well, big yellow balloon in tow.
Granted, it’s not entirely new to see a concept such as this. This writer has personally seen and is fascinated by quite a few photographs that juxtapose gritty urban settings like wet markets, workshops, and stores with fashion and editorial direction. Though these concepts might sit on the opposite ends of the spectrum, when executed just right, it could work surprisingly really well.
In Big Yellow Balloon in Bangkok, the girl struts her stuff as if it’s not at all odd to walk around with a big bright object. She confidently poses as she places herself in workshops and junk shops, side streets, and a market. She even gets chummy with a street sweeper in one snapshot!
Not to mention, it’s a fun way to combine street photography with portraiture!
Who else is inspired to go out the streets and shoot a few creative portraits like this? I know I am!
Visit Big Yellow Balloon in Bangkok to see the full set and don’t forget to visit the Behance portfolios of Julia Marie Werner and Manual Wagner to see more of their work! And for more on Bangkok, do check out Riccardo Magherini’s mesmerizing photos of the city.
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