praying woman Photo

Photographer’s Note

Instead of a sunrise on the Ganges I found a dense fog on my first morning on the ghats at Varanasi . But soon I realized that there were plenty of opportunities and surprises in this mystic and mysterious atmosphere.

sohrab, spence, Luan, cmartos, eleparc, nerve has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

summersun (4978) 2005-02-23 12:07

a very mystic atmosphere given by the fog on the water.
the boats seem to fly in the clouds.
nice contrast with the colorful sari.
excellent compo
Vanessa

maciekda (19599) 2005-02-23 13:30

beautiful photo Izzet, beautiful moment. the composition is excellent - everything is nicely positioned in the frame, great morning light. great stuff, moody
I don't understand why there are so few critiques here, this photo deserves much more attention

sandip (3492) 2005-02-23 13:58

Those boats here and there takes my eyes from one pint to another.Very good composition,and nice worm atmosphere.

sohrab (7423) 2005-02-23 14:16

hi izzet this is a very nice photograph, no it's not dull, but mystic because od the fog and the mustard colour shawl is standing out quite nicely.. ok these are the petty things..
what i really ike here are the 3 boats and the man going to the river, and especially the 3 boats. they add the much needed pattern in the photograph for me.

just read your reply to maciej..
the woman should be facing the other way?? according to the rules??? i'm really happy that i haven't yet figured out the "rules" of photography, i think these so called rules hamper the growth in photography rather than make you a better photographer, so please throw these rules out of the window :)
i don't like to just look at the photograph and analyse it as if i'm trying to correct a mathematics paper, i'd rather feel the photograph and enjoy it.. so in that sense i think people who don't like this photograph because it's going against some trashy "rules" are really missing out on something.. perhaps the subject of law might be more appealing to them :)

and please please don't try to figure out what the people on TE like, you'll inevitably end up styling your photography according to the tastes here. i think you have your own beautiful style and you've won enough awards as a proof. so please try to please yourself and not us :)
take care

[6]

clodreno (0) 2005-02-23 14:49

a very nice shot Izzet, really . I especially love the way she is looking outside.. Cela donne de mon point de vue de la force à l'image. De plus toutes ces barques dans le brouillard, superbe image..
Les couleurs de ses vêtements sont aussi tranchant sur ce fond.. Mais il est vrai qu'en Inde, il me semble, les gens ont une espèce d'élégance naturelle quant au choix des couleurs.. Les hommes un peu moins , c'est vrai..

tontonjc (6617) 2005-02-23 15:17

Superbe photo dans de splendides tons pastels. Tout est joli.

Bravo

Homerhomer (4005) 2005-02-23 15:24

Izzet, I also love this photo, too bad I have nothing to add after Sohrab's critique.
In your reply to Maciej you write that you haven't found photos that attrack the best critique, my suggestion is not to look for them but I suggest is for yout to continue photography that pleases you, experiment, try different things, and this will attrakt critiques from very good critiquers like Sohrab, Luco and many others,..., unless you meant photos that are popular, then I suggest (but please don't do it) silky waterfalls (nothing wrong with that, sometimes quite beautifull) or sunsets.
Peter
PS, what rule are you referring to, it would seem to me that in some portraits people prefer subjects to look into the image, IMO this shouldn't apply to this image.

Rinie_Hoff (9334) 2005-02-23 16:01

Hi Izzet, this is a very moody picture, and I don't care about the rules, I like what Claude says about it, that it somehow raises the tension in this shot.
I like the subdued colors very much, and the boats that get dimmer, are great to see.
Please, keep on posting what YOU like, we can choose to enjoy it or wait for the next one, the quality that you bring us, is so high. I'm sure in the end you will feel much better with uploads, that are your own taste, than the taste of the TE majority

Praetzer (1657) 2005-02-23 16:19

Workshop just for the fun in support of Sohrab.
BTW I like the subtle tones.

[workshop] [compare]

donner64 (284) 2005-02-23 16:56

The composition is magic! Très très fort, bravo.

Morita (203) 2005-02-23 18:30

Izzet, This is beautiful. Many people like the sunny, colourful landscapes, but, I love foggy landscapes. I guess they take you to a dream-like world. Great photo. Maiko

ttmountainman (2275) 2005-02-24 1:35

Hi Izzet,
December and January are really dense fog especially over the waterways of India....but this picture is good despite that.

If youre really looking at the reasons why appreciation was lacking then I should be frank...

This topic of the ghats at Varanasi has been photographed to death now by every single photographer on his visit there...:-)
Also Claude Renault (Clodreno)has atleast a 100 pictures from a similar mileu.....:-)

I fully agree with Sohrab. No need to post pictures that need appreciation...just give us what you like ....you are good enough for us to enjoy without you changing your style to suit the demands of TE members.
Good pic..I like it.

[workshop] [compare]

spence (1554) 2005-02-24 4:16

I love this, Izzet. Really great moody scene with the boats fading into the fog. I love the composition and the fact that the woman is exiting the shot adds to the air of mystery. Wonderful colours too. Very well done.

Luan (15935) 2005-02-24 4:20

What a mystic shot, boats seem to drive people to heaven. I like to foggy atmophere.
Excellent
Luan

AmiBe (6042) 2005-02-24 7:05

Very nice picture...
The fog is really good, it give a very mystic atmosphere.
Well done

sixTL (8586) 2005-02-24 12:24 [Comment]

Show Comment

Kicka (0) 2005-02-24 15:09

What a beautiful photograph Izzet. Very well composed, I liked the way the women is faced out the image. The fog gives a special atmosphere suits well with the overall motive and I love the way the boats are kind of fade away in that fog.

ash_parikh (2266) 2005-02-25 1:52

Nice shot. Very nice composition and good capture of the light here, creates a lovely mood.

cmartos (6086) 2005-02-28 17:47

A very subtle catch Izzet. The composition is amazing with the prayer on the right and the few boats very well positioned in the frame, they guide us thru the scene. Nice contrast between the sharp woman and the misty background. A wonderful catch, I like it a lot.

eleparc (24063) 2005-03-05 5:16

it is getting difficult to add anything smart after all my friends' comments... I fully agree with Sohrab as for the rules... and Claude, Maciek, Rinie and Vijay and most of them here... this is a fantastic photograph.

I love the way the three boats are displayed in the BG, the front boat and worshipper just at the right spot in the right corner, and this woman seemingly leaving the scene but still the focus through the mustard colored saree... And most of all, last but not the least, this morning mist that add this magial and pystical touch!
brilliant!

Eric

Timmok (800) 2005-03-24 4:16

This fog makes look the woman like isolated from the rest of the world while she's praying. The ambiance is very mystic... The colours are also very nice.

sengir (4946) 2005-04-15 17:08

incredible mood... nothing more is needed to be added. I just want to show my appreciation, and do not dare to change this woman facing in some PS :)

ballyna (1689) 2005-05-10 9:17

izzet hocam merhaba,
çok beğendiğim bir fotoğraf bu,fakat maciej ve eric ile yazışmalarınızı okudum ve nacizane bir workshop hazırlayarak kastettiğiniz kompozisyonla fotoğrafın nasıl olacağını görelim istedim,bu arada sağ alttaki bölünmüş detayı da affınıza sığınarak yokettim.lütfen kusura bakmayın,umarım bu şekli de hoşunuza gider ama bence mevcut hali zaten muhteşem.
saygılar

[workshop] [compare]

bnallama (3755) 2005-05-11 18:08

Lovely contrast. I love the mist giving the mystic feeling.

Bala

Verlaine (21) 2006-08-14 7:11

Bonjour,
superbe image en totale harmonie avec son côté mystique.