Bonjour tristesse, a photo from Lao Cai, North East

Photographer's Note

Sapa, in Northern Vietnam near the Chinese border, differs from the rest of the country because of its mountainous character and its diverse ethnic background.

The region is home to many tribes such as H’mong and Dzao, which migrated from China centuries ago. Some of them still don't speak Vietnamese.

We met the grandmother of these children during a trekking expedition on a rainy day. We asked, with the help of our guide, for permission to visit the house.

The mother of the children was weaving clothes under the single electric lamp of the house. I took pictures of her children by using the light coming from the garden.

Cropped, converted into b&w, increased sharpness and brightness, applied Neat Image and a few retouches.

Exif: ASA 1250, f/4.0, 1/25

CLODO, SnapRJW, mostafameraji trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

delnaja (2056) 2012-09-28 0:34

Love the noise, love the b&w, love the sadness ... Touching and poignant photography.

stny (18) 2012-09-28 0:39

Merhaba Erdem Bey,
Sapa kadınları kadar çocukları da çok özel anlaşılan.Müthiş duygu yüklü bir kompozisyon bu,nasıl yakaladınız şu ifadeleri ? çalışmanızın, B&W oluşu,anlatımı çok daha etkin kılmış.Vietnam, gidilecek yerlerimin ilk sırasında ama Sapa bölgesi şartıyla,epeyce inceledim,hafta sonu pazarlarını da görmek için yerel turlarla Ha Noi'den cuma gecesi Victoria expresi ile Lao Cai'ye gidip Pazar gecesi dönülen 2 tam günlük geziler var.Türkiyeden Sapa dahil tur yok, olan da çok büyük rakamlı, onun için Vietnama THY ile gidip oradan yerel turlarla gezmek daha mantıklı geliyor, umarım 2013 te gerçekleştirebilim.
Selamlarımla
setenay

CLODO (45118) 2012-09-28 1:01

Hi erdem

A perfect title for this B&W shot, perfectly framed and with the sharpness only on the girl's eye, very evocative shot.
Congratulations!
CLODO

SnapRJW (31631) 2012-09-28 1:43

Beautiful and evocative. I love this portrait Erdem. Very good framing, perfect use of negative space and the highlights on lips and eyes just work so well. Magical. Warm regards Rosemary

BennyV (34780) 2012-09-28 5:51

Merhaba Erdem

Great bl/w portrait, very atmospheric. Maybe the sadness is a bit deceptive, at least: I hope these children are just as joyful as all/most others. Lovely inclusion of the boy out of focus, looking down. Great shot! Have a good weekend.

Benny

[2] +

yquem46 (38752) 2012-09-28 9:58

très beau et très touchante image Erdem
Bravo, bon WE
patrick

macjake (98544) 2012-10-05 5:49

Hi Erdem
what a mood you have been able to capture!
the light and or tears in the girls eyes, the expression on her face is unforgettable.
the viewer can't help but be drawn to her.
wonderful!
cheers
craig

willperrett (14215) 2012-11-01 11:13

Hello Erdem
I'm sorry: I've been away for 6 or 7 weeks and have missed a lot of your postings, many of which I love. However I couldn't resist a comment on this one, although it's not visually startling! Instead it's understated, beautiful, atmospheric, sad, touching. The catchlights in the girl's eyes really lift the whole composition, which is really well managed, with the out-of-focus second child balancing the whole. And the b/w really gives a classic documentary feel to the work. Lovely.
Regards
Will