The Chefs at Ki Monastery Photo

Photographer’s Note

These three lamas are the official chefs at Ki Gompa (Monastery) and their job is to make 2 meals for between 90 to 200 resident monks.This duty will be for a whole year before the next 3 are chosen.

They cook out of a small kitchen ...with a wood burning fireplace. The wood is chopped by a different team.The open skylight above them is both a source of light as well as the chimney allowing smoke out through the roof!

During summer the light is good through supper time but in the winter they cook by the light of a small oil lamp and the moonlight through the roof!

Day in day out this routine is borne with the smiling calm that is what Buddhism is all about ....take life by the smooth handle...accept what comes your way and improve it while you're at it!!!

I was welcomed and given an everpresent plastic chair to sit on..and a cup of tea....they ( the plastic chairs) may at times spoil the timeframe of the picture but without plastic our lives would be a lot poorer so I did not clone the ones in the background out!

Enjoy Himachal!

MKING, naxius, hispic, Vagabond, azuri, richtersl, sn00zie, Galeota, Rinie_Hoff, cgrindahl, CycleEyes, bfly, rabani, Homerhomer, serena, rafid76 has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

MKING (3050) 2004-08-05 8:46

Well composed group portrait-- especially your use of lighting! There's enough wood in the foreground to add context and the darkness masks any other distractions. Well done.

naxius (16679) 2004-08-05 9:01

Very nice composition. I like the light that comes through the roof. Excellent!

maciekda (19587) 2004-08-05 9:38

nice one Vijay, wondeful light, great portrait of those guys, really well composed and captured.

Vagabond (5797) 2004-08-05 9:51

Very good picture. I was tempted to suggest the crop of the top picture but your information is decisive to show the point of coming light. Good work ..

azuri (1598) 2004-08-05 10:02

it's like a mediaeval paiting! good colors and composition.

Verseau (38) 2004-08-05 10:19

This is not just a snapshot; it's a painting. Excellent lighting (even the extra light that reflects on the faces!!!). I will agree with you for not removing the chair at the background. Bravo!

ninadev (5225) 2004-08-05 10:30

Nice trio. I like how they pose, like on a painting. Love the darkness of this shot, with only some little light coming from the right filtering the dust in the air, and the bright orange on the opposite side of the image which gives a good balance of darkness/light.

richtersl (3544) 2004-08-05 10:38

A nice group portrait. I like the ethereal-looking light illuminating them.

oochappan (22032) 2004-08-05 10:41

Very good composition and lightening here, my compliments.

sn00zie (2384) 2004-08-05 12:40

Another lovely picture from you Vijay. love the way the ray of lights penetrating in the dark room below. the lama's who is standing looks so young! beautiful....

mustafaa (608) 2004-08-05 12:54

Perfect scene, perfect shot. Congratulations.

Galeota (10334) 2004-08-05 13:13

Beautiful group portrait, extremely well composed. The light makes a moody atmosphre, and the colours with saturation and low brightness are very much national geographic type. I love it.

Rinie_Hoff (9332) 2004-08-05 17:24

Hi Vijay, this is a wonderful portrait, the composition is great, and the light is really very beautiful.
You honoured them with this pic and your notes! Thanks very much for both.

cgrindahl (6109) 2004-08-06 1:16

Gorgeous Vijay! The lighting, the brilliant colors, the texture of the wall, the wood at their feet, all elements come together beautifully here. The image is a bit soft but I don't find that a problem. These are challenging conditions in which to take a photo and you did an excellent job with your Carl Zeiss lens. Thank you both for this fine image but also for your lovely note. Namaste.

Martine (0) 2004-08-06 2:50

je crois que, pouvoir capturer ce genre d'instants, est tout simplement un véritable privilège.

timotey (1926) 2004-08-06 3:01

Very beautiful composition rendering the quietness of this place and these people. The ray of light is very well caught and permits to emphasize the various warm colours of the costumes. Very well done !

CycleEyes (598) 2004-08-06 4:52

The photo transmits the atmosphere of the place, the colors of clothes and the light, nice portrait !

bfly (5737) 2004-08-06 5:30

very beautiful Vijay :) of course the plasctic chairs as are in our village square..and that would too orientalist to clone them out...try painting them to brown wooden print in the ps..joking of course :))

excellant...wonderfull light, very natural although it is composed..I am jealous of the places you have been recently..amd makes me more jealous that you did it on the bike mainly..

avis2avis (4236) 2004-08-08 11:34

Wow... just wow... the light falling from the top just makes this picture!! You have managed the light really well... wonderful portrait. Keep sharing such great pics Vijay.

rabani (9421) 2004-08-23 21:09

What I understand from your note and the natural lighting of these 3 chefs is this;to live life as simple and as hard, for others and for the next life. Thank you for your note Vijay. Very thoughtful.

yesterday (9787) 2004-09-05 15:12

Excellent compoced picture, SPLENDID light, beautiful colour and contrast, Excellent photo.

regards Kaj Nielsen

Dionysos (1232) 2004-09-06 4:30

Excellent tech...and a few words about the chairs...without them, this picture would be one of thousands of Indian pictures...with them...we can talk about it !

kmolz (997) 2004-10-18 16:53 [Comment]

Show Comment

suvankar (84) 2004-11-18 12:28

What a pic..... Excelent lighting.... Fantastic.....

Homerhomer (4005) 2004-11-25 13:25

This photo could very well go for a painting from the turn of the century. Colours are so warm, light is fantastic, textures just as good.
Thanks for sharing it.
Peter

serena (327) 2004-11-25 13:35

A well posed shot. I think you were right to leave the chairs in. They add a nicely surreal touch to what almost otherwise looks like an oil painting.

borax (1548) 2005-01-20 22:06

excellent light and composition. The atmosphere of the scene is really present !

ash_parikh (2266) 2005-02-02 0:20

Very nice photo. Superb composition and great light.

fiedziu (1762) 2005-09-20 19:36

great picture
with wonderful light
well done
regards

keribar (42742) 2006-03-22 13:24

Hello Vijay,

Excellent moody picture with dark background and atmospheric rays of light. I also emjoy the red tone soft the robes of the monks: The picture is so strong that the plastic chairs have not been able to ruin the image.

Izzet Keribar

itaca (293) 2006-03-22 13:48

hello Vijay
It's a beautiful photo.
Taste very of the atmosphere.
The color is fantastic.
Congratulations for the photo

Mazeo (211) 2007-09-29 1:58