Riverside Reverie: Phnom Penh Through My Nikon D3S

There’s a certain magic to Phnom Penh’s Riverside—where saffron-robed monks walk past neon-lit bars, and the scent of grilled street food mingles with incense from nearby temples. As I revisited my photo archive, the images I captured along Sisowath Quay with my Nikon D3S transported me right back to those golden evenings by the river.

📷 The Light That Dances   The D3S was made for moments like these. Its low-light prowess let me shoot handheld at dusk, when the sky turned lavender and the Mekong shimmered with reflections of tuk-tuk headlights and lantern-lit boats. One frame in particular—a silhouette of a fisherman casting his net at sunset—still feels like poetry in pixels.

🌆 Street Life and Stillness   Riverside is a study in contrasts. My photos show children chasing pigeons in front of the Royal Palace, while just a few steps away, expats sip cocktails on rooftop bars. I remember crouching low to capture a street vendor’s hands as she folded lotus flowers—her quiet focus framed by the chaos of scooters zipping past.

🎨 Textures of a City   The D3S picked up the textures I love: the cracked paint on colonial facades, the glint of gold on temple spires, the steam rising from noodle carts. These weren’t just snapshots—they were sensory memories. Looking at them now, I can almost hear the hum of the city and feel the river breeze on my face.

📝 Reflections in the Archive: Revisiting these images reminded me why I fell in love with photography in the first place. Not for the perfect composition, but for the imperfect, fleeting moments that tell a story. I’m planning to curate a small series from this archive—maybe call it “Riverside: Phnom Penh in Passing”—and share it online.