Night at the Jailoo, a photo from Naryn, Est

Photographer's Note

After I left Khiva it took me close to 72 hours, travelling on night trains, shared taxis, marshrutkas (Russian for minibus), hitchhiking and crossing the border on foot to reach the town of Kochkor in Kyrgyzstan. In Kochkor I hired a car to take me to Lake Song Kol where I stayed overnight in a yurt. Most of the inhabitants of the jailoo had already left - they usually move back to villages and towns at the end of September.

This image was exposed for 10 minutes during which time people were coming and going, opening the yurt's entrance for a few seconds only (as it was very cold outside where I was standing with the tripod). That's why the lit parts of the image are not overexposed.

In the sky, to the right, you can still see some red glow - slowly disappearing colours of sunset.

Jailoo is the Kyrgyz term for highland pastures where semi nomadic families spend summers living in yurts and looking after their herds.

In WS two photos of the jailoo and its inhabitants in daylight.

williewhistler, jjcordier, HimalAnda, Romano46, yquem46, rychem, kwekwekan, RhodieIke, CLODO trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

williewhistler (16606) 2014-03-25 15:02

Hello Kasia,
this is an absolutely stunning photograph, perfectly exposed and beautifully presented with nice clear details visable inside the yurts.
The star trails add dynamism and interest to a very fine night shot.
Kind regards Les.

emka (139480) 2014-03-25 16:12

Witaj Kasiu, I to wszystko sama? Jestem pełna podziwu :). W jurcie to jeszcze nigdy nie spałam, musi byc niezłe przeżycie. Super nocne zdjęcie i ciekawe przygody.

Pozdraiwam MAłgorzata

jjcordier (79299) 2014-03-25 23:47

Kasia
Très belle ambiance sur cette photo nocturne de ces yourtes éclairées. J'aime particulièrement les traînées d'étoiles dans le ciel. Deux très bonnes photos en WS également.
Amicalement
JJ

HimalAnda (10671) 2014-03-26 0:10

Hello Kasia,

Nice point of view on this yurt with the stars in the sky.
The light exposure is well managed.

Stéphane

mesutilgim (115572) 2014-03-26 3:16

Hello Kasia,
Very nice capture from Koshkor with good pov and light management. The starry rain on dark sky and the warm light of the insides adds a perfect taste to your capture.
TFS and best regards
MESUT ILGIM

Romano46 (18472) 2014-03-26 4:29

Ciao Kasia
complimenti per la bella fotografia alla quale - di tuo - hai aggiunto il particolare effetto scenico delle stelle che sembrano volere creare un effetto magico.
Ottima la gestione della luce e particolarmente buona la nitidezza.
Bravissima
Ciao e buona giornata
Romano

yquem46 (38752) 2014-03-26 9:14

Witaj Kasia
A very good night shot of this remote part of the world
A moody picture thanks to the light inside the yurts and the stars in the sky moving during the long pose
I've learnt something with the term Jailoo. Thus I was in a jailoo in the Arpa valley !
best regards, have a nice evening
patrick

rychem (68111) 2014-03-26 9:45

Zeby zrobic takie zdjecie, to trzeba tam po prostu byc, doskonale wykorzystany czas i miejsce, po prostu super
Pozdrawiam
Ryszard

holmertz (83464) 2014-03-26 11:17

Hello Katia,
This is a fantastic photo, and what an amazing atmosphere you have created in 10 minutes. The colours and exposure are just perfect and the warm light shining through the doors make these yurts look like the cosiest and most welcoming places on earth. I love the stars "raining" from the clear sky. It sounds like you had a fairly tough ride to reach these raining stars.
Kind regards,
Gert

kwekwekan (1078) 2014-03-26 11:27

Hello Kasia,
A beautiful long exposure with a very unique and muted colour palette. The falling stars are breathtaking. Congrats on a very successful image!
Best wishes,
Caleb

RhodieIke (11752) 2014-03-26 14:14

Hi Kasia,

Fantastic to travel so far to view this amazing place, Kochkor in Kyrgyzstan, then your further travel to Lake Song Kol.

Awesome, what an experience, splendid photos,note of and about these Yurt's and the nomadic family.

Cheers, Iain.

adidas5nb (5743) 2014-03-26 20:13

stunner of a shot.and what a place this is.great light management .amazing.and thanks for sharing a pic from a country we really see very little from.
regards
dwaipayan

dkmurphys (77034) 2014-03-27 2:10

Hi Kasia,
Superb night scene. It is very interesting to see those people living like hundred years ago nowadays. Well taken, enjoy a fine day.

Daniel

lousat (121191) 2014-03-28 3:28

Hi Kasia,a pic that remember me the night on the moroccan desert,magnificent very long time of exposure to create this special effect in the sky with the lines made by the moving stars,great atmosphere and great quality,i like it!! Have a nice weekend and thanks,Luciano

willperrett (13428) 2014-03-31 12:57

Hello Kasia
Cracking image, taken in really demanding circumstances. I'm glad you explained about the exposure of the doorways, as I was trying to work out how you'd achieved it (and even wondering if you'd resorted to digital jiggery-pokery after our recent conversation!) I suppose that was a bit of serendipity. Forgive me: I think I may have exposed for slightly less time, or cut the mid-tones a fraction with Levels, to give a more night-time feel. I said I'd be critical!
Regards
Will
P.S. Congratulations on the exhibition. I'm jealous!

[workshop] [compare] +

CLODO (42489) 2014-04-04 5:35

hello Kasia

A picture which summarizes well your trip: illuminated yourts in the desert at night (the sky should be darker, and Will have done a perfect WS to translate my vision).
Thanks for sharing
Cheers
CLODO

sevy (58) 2014-04-30 10:46

I guess I only discovere now your gallery: nice to travel through all your shots. I noticed this one because it is close to the kind of shot I could have done.
Let's say not so many people would have been back from travel with this shot.

Yves.