instant karma Photo

Photographer’s Note

going to angkor wat, the first thing i expected to see were an abundance of monks. however, there were surprisingly few there. maybe it was the 40 degree heat.

this monk was happy to stop and say hello. my friend and i got some good shots of him before he fled to the shadows to escape the heat. this shot was taken right on midday and the sun was really high. you can see how harsh and direct the shadows are.

the monk was a nice guy and, sadly, i don't remember his name. in return for the photos he wanted to practice his english. then he asked my friend for a "donation" to help his studies.

that was a bit disappointing, but it's almost normal around siem reab now. everyone you see or talk to wants money ... even the monks have started asking.

lebjohnson, PixelTerror, triptych2003 has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

KiltedArab (0) 2006-03-11 6:42

Hi David! You post a pervie pic of a Korean lass, then an image of a monk - nice variety! :-)

I like the cropping on this - the bright face and orange contrasted with the dark shadow is, I think, better than a close crop of the monk's face.

The smile seems tired, but genuine and I like the unshaven chin, for some reason. There's good detail in the shot.

lebjohnson (507) 2006-03-11 17:55

The temperature shows in this portrait, he's shiny from the heat, and smiling in spite of it. The direct shadows are part of its charm, nicely done.
Regards,
Lois

jinju (14265) 2006-03-12 4:45

Hey David,

I had to check out the "pervy pic" and I must say I enjoyed it. Legs are a very common theme in my photos.

But looks like we are on the same wavelength. Today we both posted portraits. Nice none, btw. Good cadrage. A bit of excess light on the face, but it must have been a very sunny day.

ndb1958 (9249) 2006-03-12 5:42

Hi David,
a wonderful portrait of the young monk. A great capture of a beautiful smile. Colours are nice and the lightning is great.
Nino

PixelTerror (86853) 2006-03-13 5:53

Hi David,
A nice and luminous portrait, despite the hard sun I appreciate you managed to save good colors here, and always this large smile typical of people in these regions, a nice addition to the many monks pictures on TE !
Have a nice day,
Jean-Yves

triptych2003 (1404) 2007-03-22 3:50

it's a shame this guy asked for money. nice close up though. it does look a little bright however.. oh well. still decent compo..