Benjakitti Park: An all day Photography Journey

Introduction

Benjakitti Park is one of the most rewarding locations for beginner’s photography. The area is well known for portrait photography especially for graduation theme.

However, landscape photography is just as good. The combination of lakes, skywalks, trees creates a unique environment where nature and city life coexists.

For me, Benjakitti Park was more than just a photography location. It was where I began learning landscape photography and developing my understanding of composition, light, and storytelling through images.

In this post, I will walk through several photographic locations within Benjakitti Park. For each spot, I will explain my shooting process in detail and how I edited them.

Camera Gear

1. Camera – Sony A7CII
2. Camera Lens
   • FE-PZ 16-35mm F4 G
   • FE 28-70mm F2 GM
   • FE 70-200 Macro F4 G OSS II
3. Camera Tripods
   • K&F Concept K254A3 – Any tripods with good height extension and wind resistance should do the job as well.
4. ND/CPL Filters – A variable ND filter (ND 2-32) should be enough. If you have one, bring ND 1000 can be useful in very bright conditions.
   • K&F Concept NANO-X ND 2-32
   • K&F Concept NANO series MCUV & CPL & ND1000 
   • K&F CONCEPT SNJ51T/SN25T1 Square Filter Set 
5. Rotatable Mount Plate Kit –
   • Ulanzi S63 Claw Rotatable Horizontal to Vertical Mount Plate Kit. They are very useful for different purposes. We will discussed this later on.

My Background

My interest in landscape photography began during a company trip to Taiwan. Before the trip, I collected references of photographs I hoped to create. However, the results were far from what I had imagined.

That experience motivated me to learn landscape photography more seriously. I want to understand how strong photographs were created, what elements photographers looked for and how to edit them.

Benjakitti Park became the starting point of that journey

I spent hours exploring the park, searching for different compositions. A simple practice session quickly turned into an obsession.

From there, my curiosity continued to grow. I spent countless hours researching photographic locations in Bangkok. This led me to locations such as Golden Marble Temple (Wat Benchamabophit), the Father’s Bridge (Bhumibol Bridge) and Hua Lamphong Train Station.

Overtime, my photography journey expanded beyond Bangkok to other parts of Thailand and eventually to destinations overseas. Looking back however, Benjakitti Park remains special. It was the place where I began seeing landscapes through the eyes of a photographer.

Benjakitti Park is easily accessible by both public transportation and private vehicle. A direct MRT to Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre Station or BTS train to Asok Station should do the job. From either stations, it is no longer than a 10 minute walk away.

Driving there is also an option. There are plenty of parking spaces available, though traffic can become heaving during the evening.

If you plan to photograph sunrise or early morning scenes, driving is recommended as public transportation may not be operating yet.

Regardless of how you arrive, it is worth giving yourself extra time to explore. Benjakitti Park offers a variety of compositions and some of the best viewpoints are often discovered while walking through the park.

This view point can be found near the Merlion Statue, The Memorial of Thai -Singaporean Friendship. A short walk towards the lakeside reveals one of the most interesting views in Benjakitti Park.

The buildings appear to rise directly from the lake. Combined with reflection on the water, this shot resembles a Floating City.

Photography Tips

Plan to shoot this in the morning at golden hour. The natural sunlight combined with artificial lights give out a calm yet alert feeling.

Compose the photo such that all the buildings are in the center. Leave enough space for water reflection and the sky so that the composition doesn’t feel tight.

Use Wide Angled Lens to capture a lot of buildings. This enhances city vibes. In addition, Normal Angled Lens is also suitable for focusing on a particular building.

Take long exposure shots to smooth the water surface. This makes the photo cleaner and feel calmer. A tripod is necessary here. Depending on the sunlight, a ND Filter is required as well.

Alternatively, this shot can be captured at night time. When the skies are dark, artificial lights are enhanced even further as shown in Example 2.

In Example 1, the four main buildings in the center are the main subject. However, by adjusting the position slightly, different buildings can become the focus of the image as shown in Example 3.

Photo Editing Tips

Begin by balancing the overall exposure and recovering highlight details from the buildings and sky. Slightly increase texture to reveal architectural details. Reduce clarity for more refined appearance.

Make the photo look more saturated to enhance city lights. Artificial lights make the trees look unnatural. Alter the green color slightly so that the shot looks more realistic.

Increase the brightness of buildings to make it stand out. Do this through applying masks carefully so that it doesn’t affect the sky.

For morning shots, the warm tones of sunrise may not always be prominent. In these situation, make the orange and yellow colors more vibrant to emphasize golden hour lights. The photos are intentionally darken so that early morning lights stand out more.

Make your way to the skywalk towards Benjakitti Wald Park. Near the end of the skywalk, look towards your right. Here you will find one of the newer viewpoints of One Bangkok.

This is one of the best views of One Bangkok that is currently not well known to most photographers. The highlight of this composition is the pathway leading towards the building. Its shape and distinct colors create a strong leading line that naturally draws attention towards One Bangkok.

Photography Tips

This photo is best taken during sunset. While many photographers wait for the city lights to turn on, I prefer to include the sun as part of the composition. The warm light adds another element to the story and helps create a stronger atmosphere.

Aim to take this photo during mid March. The sun position changes throughout the year. Based on my visit on 21 March 2026, the sun aligns closely with the gap between the buildings during this period.

On a clear day, you may be able to capture a clear sun in between the buildings of One Bangkok. In the example above however, the clouds partially covered the sun.

If the sun is free of clouds, use lower aperture (f) value, This makes the sun rounded instead of it being star shaped. In the above example however, I chose to use a high f value to make it more stand out.

A single shot should be sufficient. Compose the shot such that the One Bangkok building is distinct while the pathway leading to it is strong enough.

A normal focal length works best for this composition. Going too wide makes One Bangkok appear smaller, while zooming in too much removes important elements from the scene. Slightly tilted the camera downward to include more of the pathway and strengthen the leading line.

Additionally, change the white balance to shade to emphasize afternoon light. People walking along the pathway strengthen the storytelling element.

Take the photo as a vertical shot to remove distractions while making One Bangkok and its pathway become more distinct.

Photo Editing Tips

As the camera is tilted during photo shooting, adjust it so that the shot is balanced.

Adjust the brightness of the photo. Thread carefully so that the buildings are bright enough while the sun isn’t too bright. This process takes time.

Reduce highlight and increase texture to preserve details. Lower clarity and contrast to soften the image. This creates a calm and warm mood.

Adjust the temperature of the color to enhance the sun setting. Desaturate the trees slightly so that it doesn’t draw too much attention. Darken the roads so that it doesn’t steal attention from One Bangkok building.

For cleaner shots, Lightroom or Photoshop can be used to remove people. For more storytelling, don’t remove them. Ideally, you want a single person on a pathway riding a bicycle along the pathway.

Near the One Bangkok viewpoint, you can find another composition.

With trees acting as foreground, the buildings become more interesting. Golden hour plays a major role in this photo. Without it, the scene feels flat.

The contrast in between green trees and warm sunset makes the environment stand out. The buildings sit between two layers of nature and sky creates a balanced composition.

Photography Tips

Aim to shoot this during golden hour. Light is key element of this composition. Without it, the image loses its impact. A single shot should be enough.

Use Normal Angled Lens. Frame the buildings in the middle. Leave enough space for the trees to act as foreground and the sky as background. Avoid zooming in too much to avoid the composition being too tight.

Photo Editing Tips

The goal of editing is to make the buildings stand out while keeping the trees and sky from becoming distracting.

Adjust the exposure and highlights so that the image remains bright while preserving details. Lowering clarity slightly can help create a softer and calmer look.

Reduce the brightness of the trees to prevent it from drawing too much attention. If the colors are unnatural, adjust them slightly.

For the skies, decrease brightness and increase saturation to enhance the sunset.

Finally increase the brightness of the buildings so that they stand out as the main subject.

Not every photograph in Benjakitti Park comes from a popular viewpoint. Some of my favorite compositions were discovered while walking along the skywalk.

In the example above, the pathway acts as the main subject. Because it disappears into the distance, it creates a sense of mystery and makes viewers wonder where it leads.

The railings of the skywalk act as a foreground element giving a sense of observation. Combined with the moving clouds during golden hour, the image becomes more enhanced.

If possible, having a cyclist or a person walking along the pathway can strengthen the composition further by adding both scale and storytelling.

With this example here, a walk way acting as leading line is directing the viewer’s attention towards the buildings in the top right hand corner. Golden hour light complements the blue skies and the trees which produces a warm tone.

I’m glad that I started landscape photography at Benjakitti Park.

The park gave me countless opportunities to practice composition, experiment with different ideas, and learn how light affects a scene. Looking back, I feel that Benjakitti Park is one of the easiest places to take landscape photographs and one of the hardest at the same time.

Its lakes, skywalks, trees, and city skyline offer endless possibilities. The challenge is not finding a composition, but deciding which one to photograph.

Over the years, I have returned to Benjakitti Park many times. While some areas have changed and certain viewpoints are no longer as clean as they once were, the park continues to offer new ideas and perspectives.

More importantly, it was the place where I learned to see landscapes differently. What began as a simple visit eventually became the starting point of my landscape photography journey.

Even today, Benjakitti Park remains one of the locations I enjoy returning to the most.