Scaverger - Stung Meanchey Photo

Photographer’s Note

A man scavenges for recyclable materials in the garbage dump in Stung Meanchey district of Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Adults earn, on average, 4000 to 5000 riels (US$1.00 to $1.25) a day; children earn on average about half that amount. A whole family working together can actually earn more money than they could in the rural village from which most of them originally came.

joso, teutza, AnimeshRay, rhizomes, ndb1958, jjcordier, evanrizo, cyrrhus, tomaszmarcinek has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

faubry (32429) 2006-06-28 5:26

affreux comment travaillent ces hommes pour survivre!!! cette photo est une image reportage et nous montre avec détail que la vie n 'est aps facile!!
merci pour cela
francine

stiginthedump (1823) 2006-06-28 5:29

Holy cow! This is a great shot. I've been to that very same rubbish dump. Isn't it funny how people are drawn to the place to see something sooooo third world like. They'll start charging admission prices soon!

Are those little black smudges flies? That's a nice effect. I can't quite decide if i'd like the man's clothing to be a little lighter, but saying that the contrast between the hat and the dark clothes is very pleasing...it also adds to the depression and misery of his unfortunate occupation. I'd be tempted to clone out the little piece of litter in front of the man's leg though.

I thought it was a scene from a horror movie when I saw the thumbnail, and I guess in a way it is.

Thanks for sharing!

simplyoga (5184) 2006-06-28 5:37

Hi Maciej,
I love this kind of photo..
This is a real life...
We also had this kind of life in my country..
Nice angle..
PEACE !!

eleparc (24059) 2006-06-28 5:42

back to your old demons??? this series is always amazing to me! what do we see flying? insects or just dust?

any travel plans for this summer?

Eric

hugolef (4909) 2006-06-28 5:51

Hello Maciej
a good compo about things we prefer to forget ... while everyone is catched by its TV and this Mundial, some are working in very bad and hard conditions, not to live but for survival...
A good POV and frame ... a hard atmospher
Well done
Regards, hugues

bantonbuju (48796) 2006-06-28 6:38

człowieku, gdzie ty łazisz?
kapitalne, mrocznie - cuchnące wrażenie, zakryta twarz do tego wskazuje na niechęć do tego co robi,
kapitalne,
pozdr. j.

kevinos (6927) 2006-06-28 6:46

This is a stunning capture. Full of menace and atmosphere.The whle thing, the framing; the exposure are just perfect.

teutza (10568) 2006-06-28 6:52

amasing....i didn't know there are such places...and such jobs....touching...

ALSOM (6616) 2006-06-28 7:26

We can feel the frogy, dusty, smelly atmospher.
very intense & sad photo. The colors are just beautiful.
Thanks, Alain -

pasternak (13698) 2006-06-28 7:40

Hi Maciej,

It's dirty shot, dusty shot, filthy shot, stinking shot... But it's a GREAT SHOT! Your crop really pushes a viewer into this garbage...

Uffff... Very good work!
Alexander

vapours (7913) 2006-06-28 8:02

Great shot, you really are in the middle of the worst of it all and have taken it from the perfect perspective. Really admire you getting to this part of the world.

mrbialy (2568) 2006-06-28 8:12

Siema. Bardzo dobre zdjecie z klimatem, jak reszta zdjec z tego miejsca. Dobre swiatlo a raczej cien( na twarzy mezczyzny), fajnie ze nie widac rysow twarzy ktora zalonieta jest kapeluszem i cieniem. Kompozycja z ciezarowka(wyglada kosmicznie z tym pochylem na bok) w tle i ludzmi i muchami robi wrazenie. Calosc wyglada jak z filmu sience-fiction ==swiat po kolejnej wojnie swiatowej, a co najgorsze dla wielu ludzi tam to normalny dzien. Normalnie szok- wstaja i caly dzionek przebywaja w tych warukach(muchy, smrod, brud, smieci wszedzie). Miliony ludzi na calym swiecie nawet nie zdaje sobie sprawy jak powinni byc szczesliwi i zadowoleni z ich zycia. Pokazal bym to zdjecie kazdemu niezadowolonemu z jego wlasnego zycia i marudzacemu na kazdym kroku bo to i tamto i takie inne bzdety, to moze by zrozumieli jakie maja wspaniale zycie. dobra starczy tych wypocin....rozpisalem sie troche

AnimeshRay (8886) 2006-06-28 11:47

An epic image, Maciej. The tilt to coincide with the man's posture, the bits of debris flying, people scattered around the horizon, and a devastating scene of biblical proportion, the image is astounding. The only bit that bothers me a little is that the crop over the man's cap is a just a wee more than I would have wished for. But that is merely a quibble.

rhizomes (15325) 2006-06-28 11:55

Salut Maciej,
Ta photo est douloureusement belle !
Les conditions effroyables du travail de ces gens sont malheureusement très bien montrées...
Ils sont bien courageux !!
Christophe

designsoul (21394) 2006-06-28 12:08

Another shot that I just need to squeeze among my favourites, Maciej. The composition with the darkened frame of this man is extraordinary. The foggy post-nuclear feel of the surrounding with that tilted old truck is one of the most eerie I have seen. Superb work. And utterly sad.
sasa

ndb1958 (9249) 2006-06-28 13:30

How is it possible to show this hard life and to give a scene like this something poetic. A wonderful and impressing picture. Such a nice work.
Nino

veve (4149) 2006-06-28 15:13

Hello Maciej!
Very impressive!
Great capture!
Regards,
Veronica

jjcordier (25256) 2006-06-29 1:33

Maciej
Une magnifique photo de reportage mais qui nous rend mal à l'aise tant elle exprime parfaitement la misère et la détresse de ces gens. J'apprécie beaucoup le cadrage de l'image qui lui donne une force supplémentaire. Du beau travail!
Amicalement
JJ

jinju (14265) 2006-06-29 3:24

Hi Maciek,

a photo that rubs our faces in the reality of the situation. The best shots Ive seen from the top dogs like Webb or Salgado almost grab us by the hair, kick us in the butt and make us almost live the reality in the photo. I feel like you just pushed my face in the garbage here, thats how powerful this shot is. Absolute top shelf in how it evokes emotion and how it presents reality of these people.

arturo (31) 2006-06-29 8:43

Hi Maciej,

a hell of an image to be honest...one could say a job like any other but abandoning a village to live & work like this is when humanity ends...too often people in different parts of the globe are fooled or economically manipulated by "higher" earnings and decide to quit their traditional life...cheers, arturo

partha (13667) 2006-06-29 13:26

Excellent composition. perspective is so strong.
Nice dof.
Great shot.

Prysme (97) 2006-06-30 10:16 [Comment]

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evanrizo (456) 2006-07-01 3:13

Very interesting, an impressive photo, with very good perspective.
Thanks for share.

Joffre (527) 2006-07-30 0:32

Hiya Maciej, wonderfully clear shot, love the smokie/misty? background, not to mention the numerous flies, very atmospheric I can almost smell the the place, excellent composition!

cyrrhus (2878) 2006-08-19 16:33

Hi MAcej
This is definitely a great picture because it carries a lot of emotion.
The man in the foreground is very neat and strongly contrasted against the dirty background... all details are present and impress our retine forever.
Magnifique coup d'oeil !
Eric /.

s10001in (1485) 2006-09-09 20:40

Maciej. Impressive work.
Really doing impressive job.

How about tapping MAGNUM?
Need some more strong assignment.

Keep it up.
-Shailendra