Orange Souls, a photo from Louangphabang, Nord

Photographer's Note

Laos, Luang Prabang.

Promised.
This is my third and last posting of monks in Luang Prabang. Although 3 pictures might be already too many, I feel I would be unfair to this image not to share it on TE.

5.00 am. This is the time of the very silent walk of the monks out of all the monasteries to the daily alm bowls filling ceremony.

It would be wrong to consider that this daily ceremony is only meant to provide the monks with their daily amount of rice. Actually alms giving enables non-religious people to perform a significant merit-gaining action. And this is why so many of them line up waiting for the monks to come, so early in the morning, every day.
At the very moment of giving the rice alm into a monk's bowl, the kneeled person bends his/her head in respectful manner; as then, the monk *IS* Buddha himself. A total silence fills the air.

I took this picture, kneeling on the pavement. My own respectul way, I guess, to this swinging line of silent walking monks. But, of course, my eye was wide open into the viewfinder...

gabse, delnaja, bip-bip, Katharina, tiobibi, saamb trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

Nasonnguyen (841) 2006-03-16 8:12

Good pattern and the composition is still great!

InasiaJones (31566) 2006-03-16 8:18

Hello Anne-Marie,

Looking at this fabulous photo supported with your interesting comments, I can almost feeling there. What a powerful emotion it should be!

Like the rest of the monks serie, this one is very attractive! Your lower point of view makes it even more impactful. When photos are that much exciting, you can put as many as you want!

Thanks for great comments!

André

KellEy (1237) 2006-03-16 8:18

Good action shot. Nice colour.

lestans (17258) 2006-03-16 8:26

Monks are very photogenic for they orange dresses, but here you were able to compose them in a superlative way, in a perfect raw! Their shoulders are all only one line. And green and orange are so nice together.
Interesting and well done , indeed!!
Brava!!
Livia

bibik (2784) 2006-03-16 8:32

Dynamic fine photo with smart DOF. Excellent colours.

manatee (4668) 2006-03-16 8:43

Very good. I like the way you focus the monk number 3 and the motion or the rest mixing this with the colors looks very nice, special the onrange and green.
Well done

gabse (379) 2006-03-16 9:25

Another beautiful photo with this "platoon" of monks. You have been able to capture a really nice perspective of the moving line of monks, and I like the way you focused on the third one. I also enjoy his look, sort of saying "eehhh, tourists", or "whatchu lookin at ?!" :), with patronizing eyes. Beautiful colors... Really well done.
Gabriel

jinju (14265) 2006-03-16 9:32

Hi Anne,

much better shot of monks than Orange Rain. I wasnt a big fan of the blur in that as it was a general blur all over the place. here the blur is localized to the areas of motion and emphasizes that. A very nice progresion of color from left to right.

delnaja (2056) 2006-03-16 14:21

another great orange line... the compo is good... I like that just one monk looking at you/us

ndb1958 (9289) 2006-03-16 15:38

Great image. I like the composition. Great colours. The blur motion is nice. Nino

Mistral (15416) 2006-03-16 17:11

Hi Anne Marie,
another image of monk and another stunning composition of your image!
Love the blurred of the first monk that emphatize the movements. You caught a great moment and you allow us to share it!
A smile
Luca

pastadog (13111) 2006-03-17 5:34

Hi Anne Marie, the key is the third monk, looking at us and well in the focus. Superb perspective and repetition from you great POV. And of course the colors, nice to see the lush green in background. Cheers :) Daniel

designsoul (17843) 2006-03-17 18:15

Anne-Marie, this is a most unusual shot of monks. Really, one I haven't seen before. Perhaps it is the vantage point. Perhaps their dazzling orange robes under the lush green trees. perhaps the perspective. But there is something pretty remarkable about your photo, for sure.
sasa

kevinos (7517) 2006-03-18 9:56

The ceremony of Bindabaht as carried out in Luang Probang has been photographed so often. But, it is actually quite hard to capture well. I don't think I have seen a better image than yours. The perspective is dramatic and I like the way you have focused on the monks further back.

kinginexile (2598) 2006-03-28 3:05

superb, personal in its realization but yet seminal image.

From that angle, with the low speed, it could come out botched, but here, it works perfectly, the intense color, the blur of the walking forward, which makes totally understood that the feet and head are cut off.

Still, it's a most simple image, but rich from the dynamic imparted by the angle, the movement and the saturation of the orange (which conveys as well the singleness and one-pointedness of following the Buddha's Way) .

Everything works to produce a perfect shot, IMO...

bip-bip (1837) 2006-03-28 15:30

Bon choix de cadrage dynamique et superbe ribambelle de couleurs
Un très beau moment que tu nous fais partager
Véro

Luan (12971) 2006-03-31 6:16

Tiens la meme mais de face, sincerment je preferre l'autre, surement a cause des parapluies et moment bcp plus humique qu'ici. Cependant cette image est tres bonne, les moines sont photogeniques c'est sur ;o) et le dynamisme est toujours present.
Amities
Luan

PS : Il etait assez simple de faire des portraits car les gens las bas adorent se faire photographier, mais l'incovenient c'est qu'ils posent, se figent et perdent le sourire, en apprenant quelques mots dans leur langue tout va mieux ;o)

Katharina (401) 2006-03-31 7:12

Ąmazing photo!!!
Great clear colours... Love the compo... Orande and green!
It's one of the best monks photos ever...
Congratulations...
Regards

toddadams (575) 2006-07-14 15:59

The eye contact from the one monk in the middle really makes this photo what it is. The motion blur is a nice added touch. I have one that's similar to this, just not as good. Nice job.