One of the most interesting things of traveling is to photograph and collect memories from your trip. But if one only take selfies or pictures of monuments there’s so much life and interesting stuff getting missed in your travel photo albums.

This is one of the many possible photo guides of the city of Phnom Penh, a collection of ideas of things for you to photograph while passing here and capture the vibrant street life of the Cambodian capital.

Its street sellers working on public gardens nearby riverside…

 

… the beautiful roofs of the royal palace architecture…

 

… and the monks living and giving color to the city…

 

… while the youth engage in new habits on places like the Vietnamese friendship park…

… or the old continuing traditions such as the cycle tuk-tuks…

 

… a city where so many reflections and colors paint unique portraits or urban life…

… and some places, such as the amusement park of Koh Pich, can even paint a surreal one…

… nevertheless is a city with a large gap between the rich and the poor, as we can see in low-paid workers taking a break from their job nearby Naga casino…

… or how poor people collect the plastics of the city  and are the only ones doing something for recycling…

... a city producing so much trash due to rising consumption but still engaged in the local and traditional ways of consuming such as the markets like Orussey, Kandal or Central Market…

… where odd businesses still survive such as ice sellers…

 

… or even jobs on the streets themselves…

 

… or games and the habit of using the street to hang out with friends…

 

… the same streets painted by artists from all over the world…

 

… the same streets where chaotic traffic goes on and on…

 

… where street kids live and survive…

 

… where colorful and confusing buildings arise…

… and people living them still engaging in traditional ceremonies in religious holidays…

 

… where kitsch architecture continues to thrive…

 

… and unique and rusty textures decorate its walls…

… or the exquisite Asian spirit houses continue to adorn people’s doors…

 

… showing another example of the old and the modern living together…

 

… showing the uniqueness of Asian culture…

… the style and friendliness of its people…

… and of their lifestyle and habits such as the ability of sleeping everywhere…

 

… because sometimes traveling is all about searching for the little things and surprise yourself every day. It’s about finding the extraordinary in the ordinary, because there’s always so much more in front of your camera lens than just pictures of monuments or selfies for your facebook account!

 

Enjoy your stay in Phnom Penh and happy shooting when you are doing street photography 🙂