КРИТИКА

kees6 (103) 2008-03-22 16:41

I just found this workshop, and am very much enjoying it. One thing I'd like to ask: Could you tell me which village this is? I have travelled in that area myself a lot (see my photos), and am alwyas curious where the photos were taken. My guess is Ban Nam Noi. Lahu people in Laos are also called Meusser.

kees6 (103) 2007-10-12 7:59

hi Tom, enjoying your gallery, and your bold statement that you do portraits, whetehr peopel like it or not. I think they do. Some things do well in BW, like this. In honour of her, I'll post a pic of one of my favourite old ladies, from Laos. salut, Kees

kees6 (103) 2007-10-02 4:46

One acting to the camera, three involved in their own world. I like the dynamics in this photo. Great expressions, the youngest one having this heaven lifted look from classic Italian paintings of baby Christ, the two on the left that tut-tut concerned look of 'elder girls' Elaine, do you by any chance remember the name of the village? the likely options are Ban Sop Doud on the river, or Ban Nam Dee, near the waterfall. Thre are others, but not usually on the visitors trail.

kees6 (103) 2007-09-19 9:32

Yes, Making sure you are at the right place at the right time, and not obviously encountering opposition to taking your photograph. In this genre, they are the critical factors. Part of the secret is familiarising yourself with the subject you are working on, taking the time. The rest is technique, which obviously you have, and most can learn. One of the most exciting pix I have encountered here so far. Kees

kees6 (103) 2007-09-19 5:57

I like the composition, just think it needs a bit of tweaking in PS to make it a bit lighter, and add a bit of blue, e.g. remove some yellow. I have been to several Boun Bang Fai (Rocket festivals) in Luang Namtha, missed this years, but remember last years as very doused with LaoLao. That time of the year, they are burning off fields for the new riceplanting, and it gets very hazy, as you can see in the mountains in the background taking several different layers of smoke, to become hazier and hazier. I understand the shuttertime, I think the photographer had his camera set to freeze a rocket in flight, which is hard to do. High shutterspeed, because you can handle low DOF in such a distant shot. High shutterspeed also helps if the LaoLao starts having an effect on your steady hand.

kees6 (103) 2007-09-18 8:25

Nice shot, she's indeed very pretty, but 'AKA"? me thinks not. No AKha features in her face, her clothes are all not traditional Akha, jacket, T-shirt and skirt all imported. where was this taken, what village? Most Akha villages i know, the women and girls still wear Akha headdress. Not wanting to offend/flame, just wanting to keep this forum factual. many akha pics on my other site http;//kees.zenfolio.com

kees6 (103) 2007-09-18 8:14

How to squat without your bum actually touching the ground. I like the loo-paper hanging from the wall. Very lao, including the deference to the baby.

kees6 (103) 2007-09-18 8:10

This looks like one of the Akha women from Muang sing, who hang around manychan's guesthouse in Luang namtha, hawking their wares. Rain jacket, orange shirt, China import. Underneath multi coloured home woven shirt, original. Cover headdress China import, underneath, original. They can be very persistant in their sales patter. Lips= betelnut

kees6 (103) 2007-09-18 4:49

I think I know where you took this shot, turned left after the aiport, cross the river, and drive towrds the new road over a small unsealed road. I've tried to take a picture several times from similar position. I like the reflection, and the composition. I felt it was way too blue, so I removed some of the blue in PS, and slightly reduced saturation. I am not sure if you allow 'workshop' or how to use it, so cannot post it.

kees6 (103) 2007-09-15 20:26

> If I was more of an expert in Minority groups, I could tell you from which one she came from and list all the others that were there, but I am not and expert. Still, it is my uneducated guess that there were at least a dozen different groups represented.< She's Akha, as shown by the small piece that is visible from her traditional headdress, hiding under the pink checkered cloth. Not sure if you could have gotten less DOF as suggested by thaprem, I suspect your lens was close to full open already. You may have isolated it more in post processing, I suspect you already darkened the right hand side of her background a bit. If you'd lasso her face and body, feather a bit, reverse selection,and work on the background with blur, lower saturation and darkening it, it would put the attention more on her face, and less on the bright orange shirt on the right, or on the big bum showing below that. And even her face and headdress could do with some lower saturation. Most digicams provide oversaturated coulours, jsut like kodachrome used to do. Have a look at http://kees.zenfolio.com for more Akha pictures.