R E A D I N G . G I T A, a photo from Uttar Pradesh, Nord

Photographer's Note

After a holy bath which is believed to cleanse ones soul during the Ardh Kumbh festival, a Sadhu reads from the Bhagavad Gita on the banks of Sangam, the confluence of India's three holy rivers Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati. I loved the way he was engrossed in the holy book, oblivious to my presence.
For its religious depth, quintessential Upanishadic and Yogic philosophy and beauty of verse, the Bhagavad Gita is one of the most compelling and important texts of the Hindu tradition. It is considered by many as one of the world's greatest religious and spiritual scriptures. It had always been a creative text for Hindu priests and Yogis. Almost all Hindu traditions draw upon the Gita as authoritative.

isabela_sor, bhorerpakhi, lucasdasilva, devimeuxbe, snunney, quillo, Didi, besnard, carper, nicol_g, stego, Emile, ribeiroantonio, riclopes, VeeJayCee, scobert, enedimd, sayan, feather, cuneyt-sb, atus, singuanti, bfly, axiotea, eza1701, jhm, cherryripe, thaprem, lucasgalodoido, jwmunro, patdeph, photographer123, Zelanda, Xalkida, siolaw, gary91, dip, Flavia, papagolf21, Paolo, mursaloglu, Cretense, zeca, temmel, AmiBe, AiresSantos, kdialyna, Vato_Law, maduixeta, pranab, Scharan, evanrizo, Emiel_Skyfreak, ewasting, savask, CLODO trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

bhorerpakhi (559) 2007-05-19 8:35

Daroon chobi Sabya Da, kotha theke tolen ei shob chobi. What I like best is how you can get up close with your subjects.
Poulomi

isabela_sor (47748) 2007-05-19 8:38

A very intimate atmosphere and a well-composed picture,a perfect close up portrait. I like the attitude of the man, absorbed in his reading activity....the enquadrement,the focus and DOF are great
A nice weekend
Isabela

lucasdasilva (557) 2007-05-19 8:40

Olá Sabyasachi
I have heard of Gita but this unusual to see holy man sitting on ground reading. Color sharpness veri good.
Abraço,
Lucas

devimeuxbe (58557) 2007-05-19 8:47

Hi Sabyasachi
excellent cropping on the reader old man. The sharpness is good, the light also.
It's as usual a beautifull picture
Bertrand

ben4321 (9875) 2007-05-19 8:49

This is very well taken indeed. You really captured his intense concentration, and exposed the shot perfectly to record detail in his white beard and the pages of the book. It's all too easy to over-expose these kinds of things with digital.
I like the off-centre framing, although it does look like you cropped this a bit too much. It's just that I'd have preferred to have a bit more space on the right side of the frame.
Other than that, excellent work Sabyasachi.

Cheers,
Ben

snunney (130967) 2007-05-19 9:09

Hello Sabyasach,
A well captured intimate portrait of this holy man studying the sacred texts. The detail and colours are quite superb.

jonathan_hart (21276) 2007-05-19 9:16

hello Sabyasachi
nice portrait, good pose and interesting framing, nice colours, good composition ****
regards
jo

quillo (11858) 2007-05-19 9:28

-

Hello Sabyasachi Talukdar:

Magnificent image, the time exposure of attention of the man before the book, the colors and the framing are outstanding, I love the result.

Congratulations and a greeting.

-

faubry (35447) 2007-05-19 10:40

bonjour Sabya, wonderful portrait, supeb expression, atmosphere well captured
thanks
take care
francine

Didi (61589) 2007-05-19 10:47

Hello Sabyasachi
I remember an Indian film moovie by the name of Sangam.
Very nice warm coloured picture, the old man is able to read without glasses.
I appreciate well your composition
Chookren

blue-velvet30 (6524) 2007-05-19 11:25

Hi Sabyasachi!
Fantastic portrait! Excellent colors, POV and DOF. Wonderful composition! Brawo!
regards
Dorota

dorte_s_t (2287) 2007-05-19 11:32

Hi , Sabyasachi .
Very sensitive portrait of this old man reading the Bhagavad Gita !
His wrinkled face and hand is beautiful , I think !

I have heard about this holy book , and I wonder if it is accessable in English ? Would be very interesting to know more !
All the best to you ,
Dorte.

besnard (59196) 2007-05-19 11:36

Bonjour Sabyasachi
Superbe portrait très coloré de cet homme qui ne se laisse pas distraire par ce qui l'entoure. Cela donne un excellent cliché.
Bravo - merci pour le partage et bon week-end.
Nicole

carper (96) 2007-05-19 12:55

very nice photo my India friend,
good pov, fantastic quality good composition, the sharpnes is great, fantastic photojob here, well done, have a good day.
gr. jaap

delkoo (68) 2007-05-19 13:07

hi sabyasachi
warm colours for this sadu reading Bhagavad Gita, one can feel the concentration of the man , a good portrait .

didier

thor68 (5586) 2007-05-19 13:07

superb and colorful portrait of the reading man, Sabyasachi! :-)
well composed with nice details and perfectly setting him in front of the blurred bg.
terrific job & best wishes, thor.

xavshot (69835) 2007-05-19 13:13

Bonsoir Sabyasachi
encore une très belle photo avec un cadrage excellent. J'aime bien les couleurs et la qualité de la photo. beau travail
amicalement
Xavier

partha (14023) 2007-05-19 13:14

Hi Dada,
Nicely spotted. Good framing and well positioned the person. Colours are so brilliant.
regards.
partha

nicol_g (859) 2007-05-19 13:35

People reading is one of the scenes I've always loved to see captured in a photo... for its particular mood - food for thoughts.
I like your composition: seems pretty well framed to me, love the position of the hand on the written pages.
Very well rendered the details, a beautiful colour combination.
Thank you.

Gustaw (21670) 2007-05-19 14:58

Hi, my friend!
It is very interesting city. I very like your person. Nice composition and beautiful colours. Good light. Your photo hane atmosphere. Well done.
marek

stego (24132) 2007-05-19 15:44

Hi Sabyasachi,
Another inspired portrait of India religiosity. It perspires devotion. The wise pov and that unique use of colour saturation and great sharpness that marks your style make it very attractive.
Regards, José.

Emile (20352) 2007-05-19 17:23

Hola Sabyasachi.
Great portrait captured with a good POV, he looks very well concentrated in his book. Good colors and your DOF is very good. Very well composed. Well done.
Best regards.

Cormac (26565) 2007-05-19 19:09

Masterful shot! The pose is good, with the man bent over the book in concentration. I like the use of space on the right too, because it gives him more room to breathe. Wonderful colour and detail too. Excellent, as usual!

melmcree (18) 2007-05-20 0:14

Wonderful earth tones in the photo. Your light is great once again. You really help me with light as I am now trying to be more of a student with it after looking at how it warms up your subjects so well. Great job with the focus too I think I can almost read what he is!.

Angshu (56760) 2007-05-20 0:22

Dear Sabyasachi
The framing & cropping is immaculate. The colours, especially of the turban stands out. Exposure control is excellent, since we can virtually 'read' the words of the Gita in his hand & the white beard is not OE ed. Lovely work!
Best Wishes
Angshuman

ribeiroantonio (22730) 2007-05-20 0:37

As always, your usage of saturated colours is excellent and the composition is superb. However, I would crop it not so tight on top and right. I think the turban is too good to have its top chopped. The definition is excellent and I really like to see his beard and the book. Excellent control of light too. Well done.
Antonio

keribar (43841) 2007-05-20 2:19

Hello Sabyasachi

Another excellent portrait during a daily ceremony. Ideally I would have preferred a closer approach because the background does not show too well the kind of place you explain in your comments.
Keep sending us your prize winning pictures -
I wish you a great day - Izzet

Fis2 (170693) 2007-05-20 5:18

Witaj Sabyasachi!
Curious portrait. I like the composition and colors. Good frame and depth. Well done.
Greetings from Poland.
Krzysztof

riclopes (35577) 2007-05-20 6:24

Olá Sabyasachi, another great portrait of yours. You really have the skills for it. Excellent composition and details, with an impressive pose of concentration. A small detail that worked out well, is the orange plastic at right FG interplaying with the orange turbant. Superb capture.
With greetings from Lisbon,
ricardo

Albrecht (11283) 2007-05-20 8:18

Hi Sabyasachi
Lovely old man reading. Good DOF, compo and POV. The light and colours make it complete.
groeten Albrecht

VeeJayCee (2410) 2007-05-20 8:48

Hi Sabya. I am learning from your pictures. I have a very close American friend who is presently traveling the world with her Guru: Gurudev Swami Nityananda as devotee and photographer to celebrate the 100 years since the birth of Baba Muktananda. http://babasfootsteps.com/ I now know what she is speaking about in our regular chats when she mentions Guru Gita or Satsang etc. I shall Google Bhagavad Gita to see what more I canlearn. That is, if there is an English translation. Thanks for showing.

scobert (5355) 2007-05-20 10:40

Hello Sabyasachi,
A marvelous photo of this wise looking gentleman. His trascendental expression is surperb. I also like the fact that the background remained intact and not altered in PS. This gives it PJ authenticity. Well done!
Stan

Budapestman (82620) 2007-05-20 10:57

Dear Sabyasachi,
Very sensitive and intimate atmosphere. I like the fine details and the refined composition. Expressive and fine portrait as usual. Have a nice sunday, thank you
George

Partha_c (2029) 2007-05-20 11:25

Hi Sabyasachi. No comment would be adequate for this great shot magically tuned with colour and composition.The concentration with which the sadhu reads the epic is well captured. Through this shot Sangam was remembered by Didi. That's also interesting. Regards.
Partha

enedimd (1532) 2007-05-20 12:15

Hello Sabyasachi,
Perfect POV and Superb portrait.
Orange color and his face lines view are very well.
TFS,
Have a nice weekend.
Best wishes from Turkey.
Emir Nedim

sayan (2617) 2007-05-20 12:51

Hello Sabyasachi da,

A tremandous image again. The colours and the lights are great. I particularly like the skin tone and the wrinkles of the skin. Again the shallow depth does the trick as always.

regards

Sayan

feather (51130) 2007-05-20 15:22

Very good candid portrait where the Sadhu is totally oblivious to your presence. I always like the way you off-centre your portraits but here it is particularly good framing as he is facing the way of the empty space. Well done
Kath

cuneyt-sb (6576) 2007-05-20 18:46

Hi Sabyasachi
Very good composition and very good colors+POV
Hes looks amazing
TFs/Kind regards

atus (15878) 2007-05-20 19:13

Hi Sabyasachi,
very well captured and nicely framed shot with very good sharpness and perfect light control. The colours are well saturated and the dof is remarkable. Very well done!
Tfs and best regards.
Attila

singuanti (15250) 2007-05-20 21:46

Hi Sabyasachi. You've captured some wonderful warm colors. You've got perfect focus and clarity on the man. I love the man but I might prefer a more scenic background although with the way you have it composed our eyes stay on the man and book. Good one Sabyasachi!

vincz (19113) 2007-05-21 1:52

I like very much the crop getting us even more within the field of concentration of this man. light is excellent, resulting in perfect Sabyasachi stamped colours and contrast. Excellent work.

axiotea (21651) 2007-05-21 2:29

Hello Sabyasachi
Good close up of the saddhu reading the Gita with deep concentration. Light and colors are nice and the blurred BG gives more impact to the main subject.
Cheers
Marilyn

eza1701 (3345) 2007-05-21 3:10

Hi Sabyasachi,

This is a nicely composed portrait shot and you can feel how intensely he is reading the Bhagavad Gita, the blurred background adds to the quality of the image.

Best regards,
Paul.

jhm (211736) 2007-05-21 7:04

Hi Sabyasachi,

You really captured his intense concentration, and exposed the shot, nice portrait, good pose and interesting framing, very good composition and very good colours too. TFS.

Greetings from Belgium,
John.

cherryripe (21033) 2007-05-21 7:18

Hi Sabyasachi
Very high quality work with the superb details of this man, especially the skin on his hand and the hair on his beard. The colours of his turban and mark on the forehead stand out so well. Excellent bokeh too.
Regards
Nikki

lucasgalodoido (27698) 2007-05-21 8:32

Ola Sabyasachi!
Interessante essa imagem, com o velho lendo esse livro, Gita! Tem uma cancao do musico brasileiro Raul Seixas que se chama Gita, e e bem exoterica!
Parabens e Abraco!

jwmunro (286) 2007-05-21 10:25

Hello Sabyasachi -

You are very right the man's expression, or lack of, and his intent concentration on the text makes this image. There is also complimentary colors working here to focus the viewer and add to the feeling of the image. Well done!

I must ask, you have a lot of images at holy festivals do you grab these images, or do work with the subjects, do you offer payment, etc? I am not very good at travel portraits and I often wonder how others get around the shyness or the possible intrusion of the camera.

Thank you for sharing your great portraits.

John

patdeph (35750) 2007-05-21 12:49

hello sabyasachi
I like very much this man very concentrated on his book.The sharpness is so good that we could read what is written in it.The soft colours are very nice and I like the orange turban very well harmonized with the orange tissu on the floor.Superb picture.
Have a nice evening.
Pascale

photographer123 (6248) 2007-05-21 12:52

hi sabya..
very tight portrait.. details r very good..but why you crop the turban this way..?best wishes...subir

Zelanda (5692) 2007-05-21 14:34

Hola Sabyasachi,
Una imagen muy interesante y como siempre, perfecta en su color y definición.
Excelente captura.
Saludos cordiales
Zelanda

agbonavita (0) 2007-05-21 15:03

Nice photo of the man studing his religious book. I like the unfocous background here. The colors are contrasting very well with it.

Hugs my friend
Andre

Xalkida (11744) 2007-05-21 17:11

Hello my friend

I admire your style and your photos. This photos is perfect. i love the earth tones and the excellent lighting. Well done.

leo61 (0) 2007-05-22 0:28

Hi Sabyasachi!
Great portrait.I like how he bend over the book and reads concentrated.His position in the frame is good and the burred background gives a good depth to the image.
Regards,Leo

siolaw (38294) 2007-05-22 2:50

Hi Sabyasachi,
Yeah, he is well absorbed in his Gita's reading(even though his eyesight doesn't seem to be in top condition...) Good framing on the side leaving space for the blurred BG... Good light and colors...
Greetings from... India ;D
Laurent

presidente (1122) 2007-05-22 7:29

As usual your portrait are fantastic.
Full of atmosphere, with amazing color and perfect choise of POV.
In this case IMO I would not have cropped the head.
Just a question: you use a 18-55 - nont a zoom - , do you ask the people to be photographed or you shot secretly?
My very best compliment you are my target in portrait/people photo, the kind of shot I would like to improve.

gary91 (15348) 2007-05-22 7:58

Hello Sabyasachi,
I am just dicovering your fantastic gallery and I am very impressed with so many wonderful images.
This one is a wonderful portrait where your captured very well the concentration expression of this man. I like the composition with the subject on the left and the hand on the book. Very good colors and depth of field, this is a great work !
Have a nice day.
Best regards, Christian

pablominto (53746) 2007-05-22 8:31

Hello Sabyasachi,
Action is well captured and conveyed in this fine composition!
The fine light helps out the great colours, amazing details in the person...
The image is telling the story well!
Greetings,
Pablo -

batalay (41261) 2007-05-22 8:52

Hello Sabysachi,

What a truly incisive portrait of the holy man (?) reading the Bahavad Gita. He is engrossed in the text, having shut out the rest of the world. the composition, with nary a distracting object in the background, accentuates precisely the isolation of the man. Excellent light and shadows, and precise definition.
Warm regards,
Bulent

jasmis (58653) 2007-05-22 9:47

Perfect composition and really amazing DOF. Superb colours. This is really impressive portrait. Thanks for sharing.
Regards.

dip (21408) 2007-05-22 15:18

This portrait is superb Sabyasachi!
Very good composition,a good clear and sharp shot with nice colors.
Regards.
Dimitris.

Flavia (10352) 2007-05-22 20:57

Hi Saby,

Beautiful! A precious moment very well captured. He passes truly peace in his soul. The blured background detached perfectly your subject and the composition using the rule of 1/3 works perfectly. The colors and light are really nice as well.

Best Regards,

Flavia

toto (0) 2007-05-23 6:38

Belle photo de cet homme qui lit,cette ligne blanche a je suppose une raison, belle prise, bon axe de prise. Amitiés Thomas

AiresSantos (56155) 2007-05-23 6:40

Magnificent focus and colours in this wonderful composition, Sabyasachi !
Perfect sharpness and light. Very well framed and done
Greetings from Portugal
Aires

sebinho342 (19329) 2007-05-23 10:01

Hi Sabya, recently i saw a great report on a fascinating sport in india, "kabali", you know ? Strange to practise sport without breathing ... strange indians ;)
strange but so fascinating, i must for sure prepare a trip there ... but i'm not enough "mature and prepared", need perhaps one or two years more to be able with my mind to go there, to be ready to see difficult scene but so beautiful ... thank to your gallery you give me the envy to visit it.
I want to see too sadhus !! ;)
Excellent

Stepan (27210) 2007-05-24 1:36

A great realization (as usual) to have a perfect focus on the man. The background doesn't really fit to the spiritual mood of the scene, but the blury effect hides that a little.
Stéphane

papagolf21 (152607) 2007-05-24 5:44

Cher ami Sabyasachi,
Il faut du talent, mais également une empathie pour réussir ce genre de portrait. Votre talent est incontestable et votre façon de mettre en valeur les personnages est extraordinaire.
Félicitations.
Amitiés.
Philippe

Paolo (41258) 2007-05-24 12:29

Hi Sabya, excellent portrait, with wodnerful colours and an excellent high quality and composition.
great shot.
thansk,ciao

mursaloglu (8682) 2007-05-24 12:55

Dear Sabya
Is a very superb picture and portrait work with amazing stunning colors. A great job. Best regards. ihsan

mphotographies (1976) 2007-05-25 4:23

Hey Sabyasachi,

I like the 'jounalistic' style both your image and notes presented here. The facial expression the man has while reading the Gita. His true spiritual faith is well captured with a truly amazing shot.

All the best!

Jom

Cretense (68709) 2007-05-25 6:44

Hi Sabyasachi!

A fantastic reporter once again and a great moment captured by your lens. The framing is perfect and so is depth of field. The colours, as it happens always in your photos, are blinding. Congratulations!

With greetings from Greece,
Hercules

noborders (1010) 2007-05-25 11:13

I love the concentration look on his face, but maybe the poor guy (who seems at peace with himself and content) would need some glasses...
It's a great portrait anyway !
Bravo,
Cath.

zeca (19762) 2007-05-26 1:47

Hello my friend Anghsuman!
Your pictures are always a delight for our eyes, with rich colours and superb quality overall. The subject "people" is always interesting and shows a lot of the country. Thank you for sharing all this nice photos!
Regards,
Zeca

jackart (6702) 2007-05-26 4:01

Hi Sabyasachi!

I very like all Your beautiful portfolio with many interesting portraits full of colors and emotions. You are very good observer of simple life.

Regards

Jacek

temmel (2496) 2007-05-26 6:15

Hi Sabyasachi,
You captured a very intimate moment.
beautiful photo with nice warm colors, good composition!
Excellent work.
thank you !
Regards from Hungary,
Linda

AmiBe (6042) 2007-05-26 9:39

Hi Sabyasachi,
Very nice scene, he seems very concentrated on his book.
I like the warm orange in this picture.
Well composed and taken, rgs

jrj (34843) 2007-05-26 12:53

Another good work by you S. The compo is well done and presents the man in a good way as he is engaged in the book.

kdialyna (3148) 2007-05-27 16:22

Good evening Sabyasachi
Seeing your photo I feel as if I read the book.
Another one splendid portrait from you that gives perfect the sense from devotion of Sadhu in what he reads .
My best regards
Kostas

sothy81 (9646) 2007-05-27 22:55

Hi again, Sabyasachi

Reading! A great portrait of a man reading the book. Nice focus on the moment he is concentrating. Very nice sharpness. Well done

Sothy

brevbrev14 (140) 2007-05-28 4:16

Hi Sabya, another great image!!
great composition, wonderful the hand of the man on the book, great orange tones!
fantstic use of the dof too!
congrats!
ciao!
Valeria

barrufeto_77 (28888) 2007-05-28 5:14

Hi Sabyasachi.

Another great impressive picture. Excellent colours, depth...compo....

MY compliments!

Rgs, Oscar

Vato_Law (12732) 2007-05-28 8:46

Hello Sabyasachi,
Another one of those portraits with this old man reading is book so focused and absorted that he does seem to ear anything around him. The wrinckles on his face and hands, the colours of his turbant, his beard, everything is so perfectly captured.
Great composition with amazing DOF.
Cheers.
Paulo

rbcy1974 (20758) 2007-05-28 9:16

HellO Sabyashi
Very beautiful portrait
the colours are just magnificient as is the blurry background behind
very very well done
Regards
Daniel

dilane (861) 2007-05-28 12:14

Hi sabyasachi
beautiful compo and colours
the focus is perfect
regards dilane

mzmehr (918) 2007-05-30 1:41

Hi Sabyasachi,
very nice sharp and colorful view + great note
now I undrestand more about Hindu

thanks for sharing from Iran
mzmehr

maduixeta (1795) 2007-05-30 16:46

Hi Sabyasachi,
excellent portrait. You've captured very well the concentration of this reading. Beautiful colors and composition.
Very nice work.
Greetings,
Sònia.

HIRAKZ (168) 2007-05-31 16:06

Hi Sabyasachi,

This photograph is rivetting. Fantastic composition. I am rivetted like the monk with his Gita.

Awesome.
HIRAK

marietom (34611) 2007-06-06 6:24

Hi Sabyasachi,

Superbe portrait de cet homme très concentré sur sa lecture.
Marie

stevesaba (8167) 2007-06-07 0:02

Hi Sabyasachi!
This is a wonderful one in every way! The action, the colors, the skin. Your pictures from India are always at such a high standard and are always very compelling. Take care,
Steve

pranab (5354) 2007-06-08 3:55

hello sabyasachi,
how are you. it seems like a life time ago since i visited your gallery.
excellent shot. great details and color, also like the way you have placed the subject in this composition.

ps: will be arriving in kolkata on the 20th of oct., let's get together and shoot some innocent victims for our own pleasure.

Estaban (874) 2007-06-08 11:37

Hello Sabyasachi

Wonderful photo picturing everyday life in India. You managed to take this one without disturbing the reader and this is most precious. Amazing job.

Best wishes, Wojtek

Scharan (14144) 2007-06-08 19:24

Olá Sabyasachi

Um retrato fantástico e as cores são maravilhosas. Imagem perfeita, nitidez de detalhes e ótima composição. Um trabalho nota 10 meu amigo.

Grande abraço,
Vera.

Bruno40 (6662) 2007-06-14 8:54

Very well created piece of art
TFS
Jorge

mesutilgim (0) 2007-06-16 14:30

Hello Sabyasachi
This one is really a masterpiece ! Great compo, great colors and a shot full of content ! Of course also very nice info's which makes us with your rich culture with a huge background and history confident.
TFS
MESUT ILGIM

evanrizo (462) 2007-06-18 12:22

Hi Sab,it is so excellent, it is a superb photo!
The lightness, colors, focus are wonderful.
TFS
Evan

ALIRIZA (16423) 2007-06-19 5:33

Hi Sabyasachi,
An excellent portrait of the reader old man. The colours, sharpness and DOF are beaudiful. Well done my friend...
All the best...
Ali Rıza

Emiel_Skyfreak (3002) 2007-06-28 4:59

This is a strong portrait, I like the off center composition with the very fine DOF, I like it a lot! Good pose & timing to capture that. The sharpness is very strong, but appropriate, it matches this old man..can see all the details of the years on his hand. Fine colours and contrast. Well done Sabyasachi.

Regards,
Emiel from the netherlands/

Bluejeans (64251) 2007-07-12 15:39

Ola Sabyasachi, a India e um lugar fantastico para tirar fotos , fanatsico retrato deste homem a ler , muito bonitas as cores ,parabens!!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

savask (1891) 2007-10-08 0:07

ammazing shot. Clarity of colors, sharpness, cropping andframing, is all there

sacavem (18620) 2010-12-03 14:19

Olá Sabyasachi,

I especially like this picture.I do not remember myself of some time to have visited its gallery. But it is with pleasure that I comment this photo saying:
The other TE friends have said all, but I think this photo can bear another two points ... ;-)

Cumprimentos/regards,
Filipe

jmdias (115100) 2010-12-04 15:11

sabyasachi

your gallery is full of fabulous portraits, this is only one of them. marvelous the naturality of the model, the perfect light, this framing and sharpness. well done, the soul of India is here

hugs

jorge