the first encounter Photo

Photographer’s Note

Arriving out of the blue in this very remote hamlet of adivasis (tribal people), high up on the hills after having climbed for a good half an hour without a track, all the 12 inhabitants were wondering why I had come, who I was etc...

As we could not communicate with words, I smiled constantly and tried to reassure them that I was just a crazy but harmless middle aged woman. Here, some dared smiling but many could not yet look at me in the eyes (one of the 1st photos that I took there).

(NB : this other photo leads to 10 other ones telling of my visit there, but I should insert also this one among 2 other ones that I posted since then).

... The top of the photo was terribly dark, I tried the "colorize" option but it gave strange tones with various, uneven red-brownish colours ; still, I liked this result but I had to work on many different layers to get more light on the top. Yes, I know, far from perfect...

rigoletto, tesup, faubry, zmey, ChrisJ has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

mesutilgim (37555) 2008-10-09 11:59

Hi dear Cath, merhaba
Wonderfull monochrome capture from Indıa.
Very good pov and again perfect use of avaliable light.
Nice compoi nice notes.
TFS and best regards
MESUT ILGIM

tesup (210) 2008-10-09 12:13

Selam Cathrine,

a very impressive shot from a faraway land.
the use of light and framing are also worth praising since they are more than perfect.

cheers,

tesup

KemaLMerT (11218) 2008-10-09 12:17

Merhaba,Söze gerek yok..NEFİS. Kutlarım. selamlar,

faubry (32499) 2008-10-09 12:18

Bonsoir Cath, je préfère de loin cette photo à celle d hier, ton traitement en sépia est bien réussi,bien vu le papâ avec l'enfant derrière.
passe une bonne soirée
bises
francine

zmey (7282) 2008-10-09 14:42

hello catherine
my first (early childhood) encounters with india and everything indian was through the works of tagore and kipling & old travel magazines from 20'ies, 30-ies.. for some reason, your photo reminded me of those first impressions. excellent presence and contact. all of them seem to be at absolute easy with you and the open presence of your lense. great work!

regards,
kristaps

rigoletto (27060) 2008-10-10 0:42

How you communicate with those people, how you decide to stay and how they accept you to their houses, and how you do this in countless countries, have always been big questionmarks in my mind. There should be something more than body language.
Great family portrait, yet i don't fall in love with the pinkish tint. Why not only turn this one into B&W?
Cheers,
Deniz

rbcy1974 (20746) 2008-10-10 2:21

Bonjour Catherine
Un portrait de famille tres jolie plus j'aime bien le touche antique de noir blanc que tu as done ici.
Tres bien fait
A+
Daniel

ChrisJ (70485) 2008-10-10 22:41

Hi Catherine

A good b&w group portrait, although it appears the magenta sepia is not everyones favourite. Good sharpness & composition. Tfs!

kensimage (8543) 2008-10-10 23:20

You did quite a nice job evening out the light so we could see the rich detail of the top third of the image, Cath. The top faces really have a nice pleasant glow! It may be a first encounter, but they look very welcoming.

How did you end up there--did you just pick a small remote town randomly on the map and then figure out a way to get there? I know you're very adventurous, so it wouldn't surprise me.

I think making a sepia tone (by adding a bit of yellow) might fit this image better than the reddish tint. But it's still capativating! Regards, Ken.

KateinDenmark (1123) 2008-10-12 11:50

Hi Cath,

I have to say your smiling technique must have worked because this group looks like the willing subject of a photograph. I'm very impressed by your rapport with your subjects because you really seem to capture who they are. I like the details in this one particularly the architecture of their house. It says more about them tan their smiles or dress. Well done.

Regards
Kate

PS: Thanks for the great reply to your other photo. Your extra photos were even more interesting. It's amazing how different and yet the same this world is.