Amlapura grocery, a photo from Bali, Nusa Tenggara

Photographer's Note

This is the second posting of the Indonesia mini series. Displayed here is a girl working at the grocery in one of the main streets of Amlapura , the capital of the Karangasem district of East Bali. She looks very concentrated, working in her small niche on a low wooden stool between crates and baskets filled with fresh fruit and vegetables.

The next postings will also portray people at work – for me an essential way to make a connection between them and a variety of meaningful cultural elements. And it has the added benefit that the pointing of a big lens at people feels less awkward this way, for you’re shooting the work activity not an isolated person – a subtle but important difference.

The postings of this mini series are all scanned from photos with my Epson 2450 photo scanner, at 800 dpi for decent PP-headroom. The quality isn’t flawless due my continuous battle with the malfunctioning focussing system of the Sigma and the grainy aspect of the photos. But I think they’re still agreeable & I hope you enjoy them.

PCS-tech, cropped, adjusted levels, curves, desaturated, ran Noiseware, USM-ed, frame added & saved for the web

Fixfocus, Rinie_Hoff, snuggleaphagus, SoupDragon, jhm, cmartos, nwoehnl, quantabeh, alvaraalto, jrj, MvS, pamastro, Xalkida trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

Fixfocus (9385) 2005-02-28 2:18

Goedemorgen Bert!
B&W is a good choice for this one,-it´s supporting the statement of the compo.Excellent documentary shot about working children.Good capture of expression you can see on her face the she rather like to do something else!

Rinie_Hoff (9340) 2005-02-28 2:32

it's a nice surprise, seeing a human being in one of your shots, and I must say, I like what I see!
Composition is quite nice this way, the girl sitting on one end of the frame, and the lines of the 'display'behind her, leading our eye to her. The baskets with fruits and vegetables aer a nice element in the picture. I personally wouldn't mind to see that in color.
Well done, Bert, and I do like the change of style (for a while)

snuggleaphagus (4146) 2005-02-28 3:00

The way she is captured amangst her work and the merchandise it's as if she becomes one with her surroundings. Even her headwear seems to be like a basket of sorts. The composition is great letting us see the whole girl and her enviroment.
Her face looks sad and this brings a tone of saddness to the photo. Black and white is great here.

SoupDragon (652) 2005-02-28 4:24

A really great portrait of someone hard at work!
I like the squarish format too, works well in this composition, the girl being placed bottom left really gives this impact (i.e. it is her world).

Sad about te slight loss of definition, but as you hint, it is very agreeable!

Zepi (22848) 2005-02-28 4:59

Très beau noir et blanc !
J’aime ce grain, toute la magique de la photo argentique !
Très belle composition !
Une photo très parlante !
Je repasse plus tard !
Amicalement – Sébastien

jhm (211738) 2005-02-28 6:37

Dag Bert, meer collega's gaan in het archief zoeken naar mooie beelden zoals u nu, en mensen aan hert werk is weinig te zien op TE, dus zijn we nog iets te wachten, ik ben niet echt een Z/W fan maar, ik moet toegeven dat deze toch wel mooi is, het meisje heeft echt geen oog voor de fotograaf en werk geduldig verder, ik vind de samenstelling goed, prettig werk hier Bert!
Groeten uit inderdaad het koude Vlaanderen,
John.

cmartos (242) 2005-02-28 9:27

A splendid picture! This composition is very nice with the girl on the side, and the immediate surrounding included in the frame. The B&W PP work is fine, acting as a very good alternative to a colour version IMO. A very, very nice catch Bert. A pity your Indonesian serie will be a "mini" one.

nwoehnl (122) 2005-02-28 13:23

Hi Bert. A very nice pull from your archives with this portrait of the working girl in her surroundings. The composition is well made with the main subject at the left, facing to the inside of the frame where we can see the different wares on the shelf. Good work on the contrast and with the b&w, well done.

quantabeh (5205) 2005-02-28 13:48

This is truly a national geographic type photo. It is a brilliant documentry shot and the capture of the experession on her face is flawless.
thanks for sharing.
regards,
Behrang

alvaraalto (42804) 2005-02-28 17:54

Hi Bert,
This picture is more a document or a statement than the usual pictures we see here.
However it is just what it has to be: It learns us more about the world by photography. And the world is more than beautiful landscapes and nice little towns.
Groetjes Rob

cgrindahl (6113) 2005-03-01 3:26

Wonderful work Bert! The tight crop pulls us into this girl's world. The tattered baskets, sign behind the girl, stained frame of the shelves tell of a real world of work. So does the girl's expression. This isn't play. The details are crisp and the tonal range fine. Your processing of this image is quite good as well. I like your choice of black and white. Excellent work on every level.

jrj (34843) 2005-03-02 5:06

Well made daily life scene Bert. I like the tight compo and the good use of the BW presentation. The light is well balanced and as for your 'model' the concentrated look and focus on the grass is good.

MvS (4163) 2005-03-03 15:32

Bert,
Nice capture of a moment in this girls life. She seems not too happy about her situation.
Regards,
Magnus

pamastro (7296) 2005-03-03 23:54

This is a different shot from you, Bert. But you did a good job here, too. You focused right in on the scene and the action being carried out here. the baskets frame the girl very nicely and overall it is nicely balanced. I'm just curious about this in color. I have been saying that a lot tonight about images but I think here there might have been some nice color so I have to mention it. Of course it's a personal thing since I love colors. Nicely done. And we even see a bit of your eye for graphic images in this person photo, as well.

Xalkida (11744) 2005-03-04 22:01

Very fine and strong B&W portrait! Good scene and expression! Very fine light! Good work!

faubry (35447) 2005-06-02 6:23

j'aime beaucoup cette photo en noir et blanc, le grain et la composition, elle est très occupée au travail ets ans doute n'a t elle pas fait attention au photographe
merci
francine