Forethat

It depends on what you're trying to do. If you want a tack sharp picture of a player in motion, ignore all recommendations to set your shutter speed at 1/250, that wont cut it in 98% of the cases. You WILL end up with the occasional picture but you're likely to have lots of nice pictures with a tack sharp player that are ruined due to blurry details or limbs (arms, hands, balls, feet etc).

1/1000 is a very common shutter speed setting amongst sport photographers in arenas with enough light. Personally, I never go below 1/500 but prefer 1/1000.

Sports photography is very much about planning, and unfortunately also about equipment. Poor light (which is most often NOT the case when you shoot indoor sports in arenas) or the need to shoot at fast shutter speeds means you need fast lenses which will cost you a fortune. I carry a Canon 400mm 2.8 for golf and cricket (works well for cricket with a 2x extender), and the lens alone will cost you in the region of £7500. That lens comes with a 4-stop image stabiliser. I also carry a Canon 70-200mm 2.8 with a 3-stop image stabiliser, but that lens wont do for shooting indoor sports unless I use the 2x extender which means I'll lose 2 stops.

Focus is another issue. You'll be surprised how many sports photographers use manual focus. This is where the planning becomes important. In addition, if you dont have the equipment required, you'll have to shoot the lens wide open causing the depth of field to become very shallow. This doesn't work well. The photo you have submitted is completely out of focus. I would at least recommend you to use manual focus points. With autofocus you have no clue where the focus point will be, especially if there are other players around your subject. You can try to save the image by reducing the noise, but in my opinion your photo is a pretty nasty example of something that has gone completely wrong for several reasons - wrong lens, wrong focus, wrong shutter speed, wrong aperture etc. etc. An attempt to save your picture will only make it worse.

Shooting indoor sports is NOT easy if you're after a professional result due to the fast lenses required due to the distance to your subject.

Check out the attached cricket photo. This photo is completely useless in my opinion, taken at 1/800. Notice the blurred bat and hands?

For this reason, when I shoot cricket I shoot at 1/1600 or faster. This one is at 1/1600

Wow.

I get the impression you are a farang woman married to a Thai man? Or your husband has family here in Thailand? Either way, you're in trouble.

To be perfectly honest, living with an infant in Bangkok is a nightmare for several reasons, safety for your child being the major problem.

Air pollution is not as bad as it was 15 years ago, but still a major issue for an infant with sensitive lungs. I wouldn't bring out an infant in open air the first 3-4 months, and when I did it would be on early sunday mornings.

Traffic (as you know) is mad and walking down a street with a buggy soon turns into an obstacle course lined with motorcyclists using the sidewalks as a shortcut.

A MASSIVE problem is crossing a street. Many drivers dont respect traffic lights, effectively putting you and the baby's life at risk every time you cross the street. Footbridges are almost impossible to cross for a mom with a baby in a buggy. Do you expect to carry the buggy in one hand and balance the baby in the other?

The alternative is to accept the risk associated with air pollution, dangerous traffic and lack of baby seats in taxis driven by people with limited training and no understanding of safety. Or you could do what the Thais do; give diddly and accept that you and your child can get mauled by a car when you drive home in your Honda Wave 125 "SUV" - transforming you and the baby into a roadside Big Mac.

My best advice to anyone who considers raising a child in Thailand without having the financial means to provide the safety required is to leave and raise the baby elsewhere. And that is my advice in this case.

Go home.

Yes, my husband is Thai.

Hah. Well, not going home....so that's not an option. Air pollution is not only in BKK...besides, we're not living in BKK the first couple months of the child's life and my question wasn't about air pollution...

I'm not buying a stroller/pram. I don't feel I need one because Thai sidewalks are well...sometimes non existent. I will be using a baby sling/carrier. What about all the families who live in BKK?? They live normal lives and let's face it--everytime we walk out the door there's a chance you could get hit by a car, etc (and this goes for not only in BKK).

That's wonderful that maybe you have the money to take your child around in a car and somehow magically avoid all the danger that everyone here faces everyday just because you have the "financial means to do so." Reality is not always like that...in any country for that matter.

Sorry if a couple of straight forward truths didn't go down that well, I only gave an advice based on experience.

A buggy (or as you call it: a stroller/pram) can be a nightmare in Thai infrastructure, but believe me, when you've been out on sunday a trip to the park combined with a visit to the supermarket/mall and have to carry the baby, the baby-bag with baby-items, nappies and spare clothes together with your own items and the groceries you'll soon realise that you dont have enough arms and that a buggy would be pretty convenient. What I'm saying is that the buggy will become just as much a transporter as a place for the baby to sleep. You'll figure out what I mean after a while, trust me.

What are you going to do if you're out shopping and see some clothes that you want to try on? Put the baby on the floor? You asked a direct question: How should I transport my child? I gave you my answer: buy a car. I get the impression you dont want an answer and only expect people to confirm you're making the right choices.

If you dont have the financial means to transport your baby in a safe way and want to settle for a thai taxi driver without a child safety seat OR walk everywhere all the time and expose your baby for the crappy air, go ahead, but just as I said; you ARE in trouble (or the baby is, depending on how you look at it).

Wow.

I get the impression you are a farang woman married to a Thai man? Or your husband has family here in Thailand? Either way, you're in trouble.

To be perfectly honest, living with an infant in Bangkok is a nightmare for several reasons, safety for your child being the major problem.

Air pollution is not as bad as it was 15 years ago, but still a major issue for an infant with sensitive lungs. I wouldn't bring out an infant in open air the first 3-4 months, and when I did it would be on early sunday mornings.

Traffic (as you know) is mad and walking down a street with a buggy soon turns into an obstacle course lined with motorcyclists using the sidewalks as a shortcut.

A MASSIVE problem is crossing a street. Many drivers dont respect traffic lights, effectively putting you and the baby's life at risk every time you cross the street. Footbridges are almost impossible to cross for a mom with a baby in a buggy. Do you expect to carry the buggy in one hand and balance the baby in the other?

The alternative is to accept the risk associated with air pollution, dangerous traffic and lack of baby seats in taxis driven by people with limited training and no understanding of safety. Or you could do what the Thais do; give diddly and accept that you and your child can get mauled by a car when you drive home in your Honda Wave 125 "SUV" - transforming you and the baby into a roadside Big Mac.

My best advice to anyone who considers raising a child in Thailand without having the financial means to provide the safety required is to leave and raise the baby elsewhere. And that is my advice in this case.

Go home.

Like many others in this topic I have travelled extensively. Never had a problem. The only time I have had an issue with a Thai Visa Electron was one time in Sweden (Gothenborg?) where a waitress requested that I show an ID proving that my name was "Privileged Member" as printed on the Visa card. She refused to accept the card unless I could present the ID, so I tried to pay with my Amex which had my name on it. She refused the Amex as well and looked at me as if I was an international gangster committing credit card fraud for a living. When I offered cash she called her manager and they began investigating the cash to make it wasn't counterfeit.

I didn't return.

Hello,

then they added "kaeng" (similar to very good).

Actually, kaeng means something completely different. You sure it wasn't a female who asked you a question? "kaeng mai?"

Let me know if fellows that up with "yai mai?", you may be in a good position there ...

I get "put gaeng" or "put Thai gaeng" all the time. Sometimes directly to me, sometimes not to my face but to my wife. She said it means I speak well or clearly. She's quite proud of it.

I guess there's a transliteration confusion going on.

Aha. "gaeng"? So not "kaeng"?

Hello,

then they added "kaeng" (similar to very good).

Actually, kaeng means something completely different. You sure it wasn't a female who asked you a question? "kaeng mai?"

Let me know if fellows that up with "yai mai?", you may be in a good position there ...

Should solve the problem, indeed...

Any person travelling in a vehicle driven by yours truly is to be strapped in, no exceptions. I have parental obligations, and I will not negotiate with morons who will transform into human wrecking balls crushing my neck in case of a sudden deceleration.

Why would you even want to engage with idiots like this in the first place? Tell the idiots to walk.

Just wanted to point out that Malaysian ATMs doesn't deliver cash after midnight ... not that this is the reason in your case, but I just wanted to point that out ...

David the best way is to carefully cross check all the ingredients on the cans, then go from there making your own decision. We just chose what looked like the best available which is S26 Gold lactose free.

I actually dont know one single manufacturer who will tell you the ingredients. That is probably the scariest bit about feeding your infant with baby formula - they wont tell you what's in it.

Ok well I never checked any Thai sold cans before but on every product sold by law in australia there is. David48 is australian, so he's lucky.

It's the same situation all over the world. Australia is no different; there is no requirement to inform the consumer what's inside. Granted there's a nutritional information, but not what they've used to achieve this.

David the best way is to carefully cross check all the ingredients on the cans, then go from there making your own decision. We just chose what looked like the best available which is S26 Gold lactose free.

I actually dont know one single manufacturer who will tell you the ingredients. That is probably the scariest bit about feeding your infant with baby formula - they wont tell you what's in it.

Either some one up north has a hankering for dog meat or there is a shortage of

golfer's gloves in the market....

That'll be cats skin. Very lucrative in certain countries.

If I may speculate; if someone for unknown reason is found to have lost his/her passport and all forms of ID at the gate or at least after have gone through immigration and security, that person is unable to board a plane due to international security policies. That would be a typical scenario in which it'd be easy for someone who's not familiar with "the Thai way of minding your speech and manner" to lose one's temper and exercise the kind of behaviour typically not appreciated amongst Thais.

But I'm only speculating.

the regular post office is the most reliable route

Just when you thought you had heard just about everything ...

You haven't really tasted Durian until you try the Malaysian durian. 10x the smell. 10x the taste. You can smell it from a mile away. There was even an incident down under in Australia where some Malaysians brought in Durian to a building and the Building management requested people to evacuate suspecting a gas leak.

Read here.

http://investvine.com/malaysian-durians-cause-panic-in-australia/

Totally.

D24 gets my vote. Love it when Durian is in season and you go with friends to Durian parties in KL. Malaysia has the best Durian. Period.

Yup. I have first hand experience.

I used this company: www.agilitylogistics.com phone number is +66 2 3263456, speak to Rungthip.

You can get an entire container or a box, or even smaller. They'll give you a quote for your three cubic meters.

You have to fill in a customs declaration. I brought back more or less an entire family home and didn't have to pay anything (custom etc.). Delivered to my door. Worked like a charm. One of the best things with this was that they held on to my stuff until I knew where to ship it. It took me a couple of months to figure out where we would end up and another two months to find a new house.

The choice is entirely personal in our situation, as it should be for you. I have a friend who jumped on the band wagon about it and I told him it was none of his <deleted> business

Interesting as one could also say that it shouldn't be the choice of a parent or parents to irretrievably mutilate their child.

Surely the most etthical course of action would be to not irretrievably mutilate another person, but leave them as nature intended and normal, then should any issues happen as they are growing up, take it from there. Then as they hit puberty (and after) they should be told about the (supposed) pros and the cons and decide if it is for them.

As the OP of this thread, I appreciate the late input.

My Thai partner and I have decided, unless there is a medical condition which inhibits the boys 'natural function' (for lack of a better term) they will remain intact.

I asked this question of the Forum because we are concerned parents.

We've made our decision and turn the thread over to you guys to bash out the moral/ethicial/religeous reasons for or against the procedure.

Thanks to all those who PM'ed us with their thoughts, it's nice to see the Forum with passion and a genuine heart for an issue ...

.

What's the difference between someone on holiday in Pattaya and a sex tourist?

The person on holiday told his wife he went for the golf and foot massage.

None of mine behaved as if they needed one so we never got them any...but I guess we were just lucky.

Lot's of holders for tablets out there.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TFY-Car-Headrest-Mount-Strap-Holder-For-iPad-Mini-2-Sleeve-Case-Safty-for-Kids-/251463002985?pt=US_Tablet_eReader_Mounts_Stands_Holders&hash=item3a8c5ceb69

I have to ask, WHY?? when telling your "story" you did not include that you had in fact reported the offender/s? The highlighted in italics part of your "story" does certainly NOT indicate that you did this !!

While IF you accepted your responsibilities & acted on them, I applaud you, BUT the course of your "story" certainly leaves me dubious as to it's authenticity.

I think you missed my point completely. My point was that cheating happens more often than most think, especially during during small dodgy tournaments with great money, and is common because most people doesn't even bother reporting it. I also didn't tell you that my report was left with no action because it is irrelevant.

The REAL cheating, however, takes place during the high stakes games between wealthy asians.