Waiting for nothing much to happen, a photo from Jammu and Kashmir, North

Photographer's Note

I like this man. I ate delicious chicken at his son's tiny restaurant, almost daily. He speaks no english, except "sit, wait, chai". I usually had a cup of tea there,(even though they do not sell it). The shop had four little tables, hard to even seat two people on one side. This man is there most days, just sitting, watching life go by. Over 50 years old, according to traditional ways, people no longer work if they are lucky enough to have male children. He has worked hard all his life I am sure. His ankle is very swollen, looks broken. His son in his 40's or 50's must still listen to his father, and does. They are Sikhs, who must cover their heads, usually a turban, never cut their hair or shave. They wear a steel bracelet, and carry a knife always.

doreeneden, Cool-ice, Hanssie, oochappan, nwoehnl, ChrisJ, mimi, hispic, eleparc, Porteplume, thawaitrajkumar has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

doreeneden (1014) 2004-08-15 5:00

Excellent portrait and an interesting note.

maciekda (19861) 2004-08-15 5:02

very nice portrait Gloria, very natural, simple and effective composition, good stuff

spence (65) 2004-08-15 5:04

Wonderful portrait, Gloria - I love his pose and the strength in his face. His arms and hands are a very strong element in the composition. Contrast and colour are both excellent and the dark background works really well.

Cool-ice (5289) 2004-08-15 5:05

Whaouh, one of the most beautiful portraits that I saw on TE !
The light is great, as well as the opposition between the dark background and the face, the composition perfect but above all, I love he enigmatic eye of this man.
Really excellent, Gloria !

Rinie_Hoff (9340) 2004-08-15 5:07

Beatiful, Gloria, wamt, and nice colours, I love his hands, he stands out great aginst the dark background, very good

Proxilva (2157) 2004-08-15 5:24

very nice portrait Gloria, very special with this light and the open expression on the face of this man...

Hanssie (9921) 2004-08-15 5:26

Hi Gloria, I see your portrait, which is very good with the splendid background ! Fine details of this man from India, colours great,
very well done !

oochappan (22043) 2004-08-15 5:27

Very beatifull photo, Gloria, this is really top class in potrait-photografie, nice transition in shadow and his posing is full of expression as he is still talking to you with his eyes. We know he liked to be his photo taken by you.

MKING (3054) 2004-08-15 5:40

The darkened background separates him from it very effectively giving it an almost three dimensional appearance. His pose looks relaxed but powerful and the lighting is superb. Very well done

nwoehnl (122) 2004-08-15 5:45

A strong and evocative portrait work here, Gloria. Beautiful subtle light that accentuates the details of his face, and I also like his seemingly relaxed posture. Wonderfully captured against the dark background, and the newspaper he is holding is a very nice detail.

ChrisJ (86876) 2004-08-15 6:26 [Comment]

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phd94 (305) 2004-08-15 6:39

Très beau portrait avec une lumière de bonne qualité qui met en valeur le visage de cet homme agé.

mimi (2325) 2004-08-15 12:56

Very nice portrait, Gloria. Great expression and great colors. I especially like the green in the background. The rolled up newspaper in his hands is a nice touch.

rodalvas (639) 2004-08-15 20:19

I haven't been on TE much, lately, but I'm glad to see *you* still are :-)
A very relaxed and informative portrait. See you.

waskahegan (0) 2004-08-16 11:43

very impressive portrait, deep expression and colors. The nopte is excellent.
sorry pts tomorrow my tap is dry

eleparc (24063) 2004-08-22 4:38

Hey gloria, just checking TE quickly from Leh before i leave for dehli tomorrow and i see this great pic from you...;-)

very nice gentle face and great posture. did you use the flash? i will meet claude, sohrab and vijay in delhi around the 25th of august. i will be staying in the master paying guest house ( found on most guide books), or send me a mail on my email if you are around...

cheers

Eric

flydragon (0) 2004-08-22 5:58

Hello Gloria
i think i missed some of your pics
woww this is a great portrait
with the black background
i like the way he pose also his hands
great picture
also nice note
Well done
Simon

Porteplume (3323) 2004-08-22 8:47

Not only the portrait is fascinating Gloria... Also the way you speak about the people you meet is great.

A veeeeery good documentary image! Thank you for letting us see through you eyes all this time. What a rich memories you'll bring back "Home" one day! But where is Home then?

moxon (78) 2005-05-06 14:10

What a wonderful portrait. The light and the black background are beautiful. His pose and expression look so natural.

rahul__rahul__ (2250) 2006-08-03 18:24

Hi Gloria
nice picture, good details and colors.

about the location, Chamba is not in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is in Himachal Pradesh and the Chamba district borders Jammy Kashmir, but its in Himachal. Please do change this.

Thanks
Rahul