Serpents of the Mekong Photo

Photographer’s Note

Boat races in Mekong river, Luang Prabang. These two long boats were turning around after racing with each other. One of these teams won the competition after a few more races. Try to guess which one :)

WS - wider view with Luang Prabang seen in the background.

These races were part of the Festival of Lights and in this the next day this part of the river was filled with large floats festooned with lights.
What at first glance may seem to be a mere sporting event is actually rooted in ancient beliefs that predate Buddhism in Laos. To this day, many lowland Lao believe that the Mekong and other local waterways are the abode of naga, serpent-like creatures that leave the river during the rainy season and inhabit the flooded paddy fields. The boat races, held near the end of the rainy season, seek to lure the naga out of the fields and back into the rivers, so that ploughing may begin.

The festive mood was big and noisy, with exciting crowds screaming for their teams, very diferent from the peaceful atmosphere with the boats disapearing in the misty distance, as seen here and here, in the trainings of the previous days.

mikolaj_kawa, PaulVDV, feather, xuaxo, Photo65Net, josepmarin, ChrisJ, devimeuxbe, danos, zeynepe, stego, Gerrit, Cricri, Emile, Henryk_Bilor, Bluejeans, gokanlam, paura, jafadabret, lucasgalodoido, Amaz has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

mesutilgim (36615) 2008-12-27 1:04

Hi Ricardo,
Very nic capture ! Good pov and nice compo with such warm and brilliant colors and nice geometry.
Good and usefull notes. An entry conforming perfectly to the rules of this site; learning the world through photography.
TFS and best regards
MESUt ILGIM

baclama (4529) 2008-12-27 1:38

bonjour,
un tres joli serpent aux couleurs gaies...
une bonne profondeur de champ, c'est bien vu
vero

Graal (57647) 2008-12-27 1:44

Hi Ricardo,
unusual scenery and place, good reportage. Well quality of photo and interesting note. I like it.
Gr., Aleksander

mikolaj_kawa (29787) 2008-12-27 1:45

Hello Ricardo! Amazing long boats. Wonderful scene. Nice colours. Original shot. Well done!

PaulVDV (5144) 2008-12-27 2:07

Hello Ricardo,
I bet they can row very fast in those serpent boats. Thanks to the different caps and T-shirts of the guys it's a beautiful colourful picture. The picture in the WS is nice too showing us the bank of the river.
If I'm right, in Laos much transportation is done on the Mekong, also people's transportation. I suppose those boats are wider then.
Best regards, Paul

sevy (13272) 2008-12-27 2:15

Hello Ricardo,

Nice title which fits very well to the composition of this shot with the long colored boats in opposite diagonale.
Perhaps the composition is too sharp, I feel a little more space would have been better, but as it is it is already strong enough.

Yves.

alvaraalto (5229) 2008-12-27 2:20

Hi Ric,

You found the right moment to make a real artistic impression of this moment. It needs an architect to use the diagonal lines so beautiful and it needs luck to have the rowers with such great colours in their T-shirts and caps. ( Or did you sponsored them? :- )

Groet Rob

CLODO (4078) 2008-12-27 2:29

Hi Ricardo
Amazing shot because we can think that you have only one boat! 2 diagonals with bright colors. What surprises me is that all the persons haven't a paddle.
Regrads
CLODO

feather (49858) 2008-12-27 3:08

You ask us to guess which one won yet you don't give the answer! ;D Do we have to wait for tomorrow? My guess will be the blue and red team because:- 1. The guy at the back is giving a victory gesture. 2. The body language of the green team suggests defeat, although at least one of them is more interested in your camera ;D.
I love how your tight framing makes the serpent of your title. (You should have called it Naga of the Mekong ;D) The wider shot is great for showing the context but this one has the impact.
Kath

carper (64546) 2008-12-27 3:12

very nice one Ricardo,
a fine shot good colors fine composition and sharpnes, good photo, have a good weekend.
regard jaap

xuaxo (5693) 2008-12-27 3:21

Olá Ricardo,
Entre esta e o WS, não sei. Gosto do WS sem corte nos barcos, mas falta-lhe o detalhe, nitidez e a acção dos remadores que se vê tão bem nesta foto principal.
Cumprimentos
..-. .-. .- -. -.-. .. ... -.-. ---

Photo65Net (43084) 2008-12-27 3:30

Hello Ricardo,
Very good compo !
I like your use of colors and diagonals.
Nice job,
Have a nice day,
JB.

josepmarin (33785) 2008-12-27 4:31

Olá Ricardo,
me gusta el gran colorido de estos dos equipos de piraguas en una posición que tiene una bonita geometría dentro de tu encuadre.
El WS nos complementa muy bien la información gráfica de este lugar.
Buen trabajo, con buen grafismo y muy dinámico.
Un abrazo,
Josep
Feliz Año Nuevo!!!

ChrisJ (70019) 2008-12-27 4:38

Hi Ricardo

I like the 'v' shaped formed by the 2 boats & the striking color contrast between the red & green. Good sharpness & contrast. Parabens!

gilou530 (35007) 2008-12-27 4:38

salut ricardo
excellent ces couleurs des équipages, une image qui me rappelle celle de bertrand, un serpent bien vu photo bien graphique, beau travail
amitiés
gilbert

jasmis (50142) 2008-12-27 5:00 [Comment]

Show Comment

jmdias (19071) 2008-12-27 6:10

ricardo

muito boas estas diagonais de cores diferentes. a luz, o pov, as cores e tudo o mais estão maravilhosos. Uma foto bem curiosa e bem feita.

abraços

jorge

devimeuxbe (55853) 2008-12-27 7:03

Hi Ricardo
It's nice to see such a picture in Laos. It look like the boats races i have seen in Cambodia. Excellent colors
Have a nice week end
Bertrand

hatti52 (12654) 2008-12-27 7:18

Olá Ricardo,
wonderful and colourful image
i like the both's diagonal line
happy new year

coco (27766) 2008-12-27 8:07

Hi Ricardo.

Well done on this photo. The composition is very good and this strong graphism looks terrific.

Thanks for sharing and happy new year.

danos (32198) 2008-12-27 10:15

Olá Ricardo,
really great the snapshot of these racing boats in Mekong river,with the different teams to create a huge snake on the surface of the river.I like your readiness for this scene, as the sharpness and the clarity of this moving boats.You were lucky that you were assisted in a such ceremony.Well done.

happy holiday wishes to you and yours,a wonderful, peaceful and prosperous New Year,Danos

zeynepe (9342) 2008-12-27 11:04

Is winning important to you Ric? People around me say it’s not just about winning, it’s about the effort. On the other hand , no matter what, people only remember the wins ...
I prefer (or like) the green team, the reason maybe, they look poor than the red team, don't have enough equipment (hat etc.) & knowledge and that's why they should be the looser, shouldn't they?
Congrats not only for this but also other beautiful photos from Laos.
Enjoy your weekend,
Zeynep

emka (21179) 2008-12-27 11:58

Hi Ric,
I prefer the WS version because I can see Luang Prabang there. It is such a fantastic place. These boats are really very narrow and very long. Splendid colours. Warm regartds

Malgorzata

stego (22350) 2008-12-27 12:11

Olá Ricardo,
Espectacular! Cor, ritmo, movimento, grafismo... E até um remador a acenar para nós, em vez de remar! :-)
Gosto do enquadramento apertado, embora me interrogue se não está exagerado; provavelmente não está, pois imagino que deves ter versões mais abertas e não foi à toa que escolheste esta. O WS tb. está muito bem e é excelente a mostrar o contexto; embora tenha os mesmos "ingredientes" do post principal, não tem o mesmo impacto.
Um abraço, José.

jonathan_hart (22570) 2008-12-27 13:45

interesting crop that suggest that the two boats are a single snake, well seen and well thought
regards
jc

siamesa (12680) 2008-12-27 14:42

Oi Ricardo,
O efeito colorido das camisas e bonés dos remadores ficou fantástico. A "serpente" humana criou um efeito magnífico.
Abraços
maria

chris04stop (2277) 2008-12-27 15:29

A strong photo, Ricardo! Wonderful the contrast of colors. And than? Who was the winner?Bravissimo and ciao!
Anna Paola

Waylim (10741) 2008-12-28 0:45

Ricardo,
While I like the closer view of the racers, and details on their feature, I like the overall view of the Mekong more while still showing the event and decisive moment, I give better impression of the area and show the beauty of the Mekong, regardless, it's an excellent shot and very enjoyable. I'm glad you are taking us back to Laos, and I myself will return to post some more of photos from there also. thanks
Way

Gerrit (35593) 2008-12-28 2:18

Hi Ricardo.
That's a lot of guys in one boat. Good compo and the colors are quite distinctive.
Regards, Gerrit

Juntas (3147) 2008-12-28 6:40

Olá Ricardo. Bonitas cores e enquadramento desses barcos. Engraçado o pormenor dos chapéus vermelhos que fazem um belo efeito. Por mim, no entanto, preferia (prefiro) a foto do WS embora perdendo as expressões das caras dos 'corredores'. Abraço. Paulo

Cricri (43030) 2008-12-28 9:33

Hola Ric
Un joli événement et agréable a regarder tant pour la scéne et les couleurs, belle aussi celle en WS
Have a nice sunday for you
cricri

Emile (19883) 2008-12-30 7:36

Hola Ricardo.
Nice composition with the colorful uniform of the racers, good colors and great POV. Your WS are also very good shots. Thank you for your informative note.
TFS.
Wish you a Happy New Year.

Henryk_Bilor (20365) 2008-12-31 16:27

Hi Ricardo
Woow! Long boats with crowds on them :). Excellent capture, great colours.
Happy New Year

Angshu (33551) 2009-01-05 19:58

Ola Ric
A fine multicolored serpent in moption here. It must not have been easy to create a frame here, but well done thanks to the high shutter speed. Who's the winner? Of course the men in deep blue & red cap...judging by the body language of the green team...half of them have already left their oars already! Fine picture with the multitude of great colours as well
Friendly Regards
Angshu

Bluejeans (32021) 2009-01-06 2:16

Oi amigo ,
Que bela composição com estes dois barcos de verde e vermelho , gostei do efeito em Z , ficou bonita a acção dos remadores nestas aguas castanhas, parabéns !!
Um abraço Gonçalo

gokanlam (6427) 2009-01-06 12:37

Hi Ricardo,
nice moment from the race..
the team with the red caps looks more stronger than the other team.. i haven't read any answers of you about the winner, but i say the dark-blue team will have won this race..
beyond this, you had cought the symbol of ">" here that creates a great graphism with the live colors..
Congratulations,
all the best for you in 2009,
ReLa
i have no more smiles for today, sorry..

paura (38266) 2009-01-07 2:04

Rcardo,
Composição muito interessante,com fortes elementos gráficos. Eu fui remador na minha juventude e um barco com mais do que 8 era uma coisa inimaginável.

Abraço

paulo

edal (6567) 2009-01-15 5:39

Ola Ricardo,
Ingenius crop of these boats bringing us interesting facts about the competition crews - each boat contains two soccer teams;-))
Excellent colors and sharp focus.
Cumprimentos,
Anton

jafadabret (39357) 2009-02-09 23:10

Olá Ricardo.
J'aime l'originalité et la fraicheur de cette photo. Le serpent est l'image qui vient tout de suite à l'esprit en voyant ces deux embarcations zébrer la composition.
Excellent !
Jacques

lucasgalodoido (16583) 2009-06-26 22:41

Olá Ricardo,
uma imagem bem interessante essa dos remadores, as cores ficaram ótimas também. Belo trabalho.
Parabéns e Abraço

Amaz (6622) 2009-11-09 14:24

Ótima composição, amigo Ric!!
Estúpendas cores e perfeito enquadramento!!

Meus parabéns,

Um abraço forte,

Urs (2726) 2009-11-12 8:05

Ola Ricardo

That is the perfect symmetry, the black team against the green team, who won??? Perfect action shot with fine color hues and high sharpness. Turning such a long boat is not easy. Such boat races are held everywhere in South East Asia, where you have a Chinese community. Thanks for your sharing

Best regards
Urs