Orange solitude Photo

Photographer’s Note

Update: alternative WS to crop the car and motorcycle as suggested by tober and gerrit.

Visitors to Luang Prabang are usually struck by the serene, tranquile nature of this idyllic town. Besides the beauty and solitude of the place, what strikes many visitors, is the incredible number of Buddhist monks walking around. Dressed in those trademark saffron robes, usually with an umbrella in hand to ward off either sunrays or raindrops, they can be spoted everywhere.
I was attracted by this lonely young novice walking the charming colonial streets of Luang Prabang, while I was photographing the decorations in temples, for the Festival of Lights.

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One doesn't have to come close to a temple in Laos to see Buddhist monks. And one doesn't have to know anything about Buddhism to recognize them. They are unmistakeably dressed in bright orange - the more brownish orange is reserved for the wise and senior. And they fill the streets everywhere. One can see them walking around a temple with a disposable camera, taking pictures of Buddha statues. One can also hear them sing heavenly songs in Buddhist temples.

But most of all, one can across them everywhere. Their appearance colors the streets. And if one is out of bed early, one can see them going around the streets to collect food and drinks, offered by Laotians. They sometimes come in groups, sometimes alone. And they always walk with dignity.

It is perhaps surprising to see a considerable amount of very young monks. They have been found without parents to take care of them, and they have been adopted by elder monks. Staying in the monastery and becoming a monk themselves is their way to pay tribute to their survival. And perhaps, some day, they will also take a young boy from the streets, shave his head and dress him in orange.

info taken from here

Gerrit, tober, ChrisJ, pen, belido, feather, Photo65Net, siamesa, bostankorkulugu, Bluejeans, xuaxo, Cricri, paura, adores, shevchenko, xavshot, AiresSantos, zeynepe, papagolf21, josepmarin, alvaraalto, JCG, saylan-cb, Angshu, atus, danos, Jonas_Schmitt, Amaz has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Gerrit (35593) 2009-01-07 2:19

Hi Ricardo,
Good photo of this boy in orange contemplation. The room around, the greens and the shadows on the tarred road are good, the motocycle somewhat disturbing.
Regards, Gerrit

tober (3944) 2009-01-07 2:22

Orange dressed Buddhist monk with orange umbrella and very informative accompanying note as usual. Maybe it would be better if you had cut 2 centimeters from the above, in order to avoid the car and motorcycle.

Best regards Ricardo !

Tolga

ChrisJ (70065) 2009-01-07 2:43

Hi Ricardo

A superb daily life of the orange saffron robed Buddhist monk. The orange parasol makes a fine matching accessory! Good sharpness & framing. Tfs!

pen (446) 2009-01-07 2:50

Hi Ric,
What a way to share the life of a buddhist monk thru photography. Nice shot, the simpleness of their being is well captured. Also your note is informative.
Regards,
Pedro

Khattakphoto (676) 2009-01-07 3:14

Hi Ricardo

Good photo of this boy in orange contemplation. The room around, the greens and the shadows on the tarred road are good.
Regards

Hanif Khattak

kiks (6047) 2009-01-07 3:18

Very appealing composition, Ricardo. You catch the expression very well not only the face but also the position of the body is great.
Best regards
Kiks

belido (16331) 2009-01-07 3:30

Olá Ricardo,

eu sempre tenho aprendido bastante com vocês, em relação a essas composições de cotidiano e retratos. A mim, tudo funciona muito bem aqui. Desde o enquadramento à escolha pela captura vertical. O bom senso fotográfico parece fazer par com a sorte e o oportunismo, já que a cor laranja fica como um atrativo a mais na composição. Excelente trabalho!
Abraço,
Carlos

feather (49858) 2009-01-07 3:35

Excellent shot Ric. I love how you have captured him with downcast eyes: very demure and in keeping with his calling. Interesting to see his umbrella matches his robes.
Kath

Photo65Net (43084) 2009-01-07 3:51

Hello Ricardo,
Very nice image from these streets.
I like the way the orange contrasts with other parts of the image.
Have a nice day,
JB.

jmdias (19087) 2009-01-07 6:07

ricardo

o piá (moleque) está bem visto aqui, com boa luz e belo pocionamento em termos de ambiente. gosto do vazio ao redor valorizando a presença humana, ele parece estar meio contrariado, talvez viajando em uma maionese não muito tragável

abraços

jorge

coco (27774) 2009-01-07 6:10

Hi Ricardo.

Excellent work with the composition. Also you were lucky with that man and the umbrella on the road.

Well done.

Floydian (30970) 2009-01-07 6:53

Hi Ricardo,

A stolen image, was he aware that you were waiting for him? Whatever, the pose, the framing and especially the timing with the step forward looks very natural and well presented....i like such images from Asia, well done.

Take care,

Henk

siamesa (12712) 2009-01-07 7:37

Oi Ricardo,
Digo como o Carlos (Belido). A gente aprende demais com essas capturas fantásticas do cotidiano. Idéias super originais e fotos que ficam maravilhosas.
Abraços
maria

trekks (14262) 2009-01-07 8:52

hi Ricardo

From the body language, it is indeed a lonely figure although the orange dress is showing the monk as a differnet sect of society. I have seen photos of this place and it is nice that you have been to visit here.

tfs, bill

bostankorkulugu (33514) 2009-01-07 9:26

...and do they always carry orange umbrellas?... i havent realised it before... lovely portrait of this young man... he looks sad... was he really?... or he smiled at you when he realised you were taking a picture of him?...

good one ric... and the cropped version in the WS is even better...

cheers... krkt...

emka (21179) 2009-01-07 10:18

Hi, Nice photo remembering me the splendid city of Luang Prabang. I also liked the view of the monks everywhere. They same times are very young, just the kids. In Thailand every man is during some time in his life a monk. I suppose the same can be in Laos. They are not in monastery for ever. This novice walks very gracefully. Somewhere they were not allowed to speak to women or to sit next to them in a bus.

Warm regards

Malgorzata

Cara (2029) 2009-01-07 10:41

Olá Ricardo,
Muito interessante a expressão que o monge traz nas feições como que pensando se tudo deveria ser só... laranja...
Excelente composição e momento este, o crop bonifica o geral mas sinceramente nem tinha tinha conseguido passar do monge para trás :-)
Cumprimentos, Daniel

delkoo (34194) 2009-01-07 10:50

hi ricardo,
nice shot, the light on the umbrella is absolutely gorgeous, .I think the composition has gained a lot from not showing the motorcycle as you did on the WS.

best regards
didier

Bluejeans (32035) 2009-01-07 10:57

Oi amigo ,
Beleza de imagem ficou magnifico este jovem de laranja a caminhar a pensar na sua fé ?, gostei muito do detalhe da luz sobre o chapéu de sol , sem duvida foi uma bela captura , gostei mais da versão do ws penso que o carro e a moto não pertencem ao pensamento do monge :), parabéns!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

xuaxo (5701) 2009-01-07 11:29

Olá Ricardo,
Boa foto. Melhor workshop.
~
Orange, saffron, bright orange, brownish orange. Afinal em que é que ficamos? Eu sempre associei esta cor usada por budistas (e outros) ao nome açafrão. Na Wikipédia estão pelo menos duas cores com esse nome.
Curioso a sombrinha ser também desses tons.
Agora, o rapaz tem um aspecto um bocadinho efeminado. Mas se calhar é mesmo do estilo. Pode não ter a ver com os casos de eunucos ou de hijras.
Cumprimentos,
F.

Cricri (43030) 2009-01-07 12:08

Hola Ric
J'aime beaucoup cette image de ce moine marchant tranquillement, seul, et un peu rêveur ^vêtu de couleur orange meme son parapluie, et j'ai beaucoup aimer lire la note, si bien expliquer avec sentiment..
Good evening for you
cricri

gilou530 (35051) 2009-01-07 13:13

salut ricardo
un moine en pleine méditation tout en marchant avec son parapluie orange assorti a sa robe, trés beau cadrage vertical
amitiés
gilbert

chris04stop (2289) 2009-01-07 13:43

A beautiful photo, Ricardo. A very beautiful one. But...so sad! The expression of this boy breaks my heart.Anyway: bravissimo. You caught the perfect moment!
Ciao.
Anna Paola

paura (38278) 2009-01-07 14:26

Ricardo,
Fotografia de mestre, amigo. A imagem tem "alma". Muito boa.

Abração

Paulo

adores (15469) 2009-01-07 17:17

Olá Ricardo!
Cá está mais uma do Laos! Bem captada! Gosto da expressão dele, acho que não vai é muito satisfeito com a vida. Gosto também do detalhe da sombrinha amarela!

shevchenko (9862) 2009-01-07 19:31

Hi Ricardo,
Interesting composition to show a local monk, harmonious color between his costume and umbrella, good capture to his concentrade countenance walking on a damage road, thanks for sharing.
Ally

Waylim (10741) 2009-01-07 20:18

Sabaidie Ricardo,
Looking at the image and the way his body language tells me that life is easy, he is not hurry to go anywhere, whenever, however he get there that the way it is. Time don't seem to make a huge difference to the way of life. That why things are not changing that much since I left 20 something years ago. Well, since the Japanese, Korean and Australian are going in there to build factories and facility and roads. Things a moving in a much faster pace. This image give me that nostalgic and the essence of life use to be years ago. Thanks
Way

xavshot (62267) 2009-01-07 22:29

Bonjour Ricardo
j'aime beaucoup cette photo pour sa douceur et pour la lumière sur cette couleur orange. Belle photo
Xavier

AiresSantos (41908) 2009-01-07 23:43

Ola Ricardo.
Mais um belo trabalho da tua visita ao Laos. Excelente POV e enquadramento. As cores estao excelentes e luz bem controlada.
Um abraco Amigo
Aires

bantonbuju (48524) 2009-01-08 3:51

i can envision this photo being a sort of a masteripece - provided there is different setting for framing of this lonely monk... i find current framing sort of distracting, and i mean the TL and TR corners...

best wishes, j.

(similar "distractors" you may find in my today's post from jerusalem...shame on me...)

zeynepe (9342) 2009-01-08 7:29

He is living in one color of the rainbow. All the other colors exist, but if he is in that one color, he thinks that is all that really exists.In the future someone can show him beauty in contrast, and then he can use a blue umbrella maybe...As a human being, after using the blue-orange combination ,he’ll want all seven colors of the rainbow and I wonder at that time will he be happy , be able to smile again ?
A sad boy in an orange
A perfect harmony in one color...
Congrats Ric,
Zeynep

carper (64580) 2009-01-08 9:26

very nice photo Ricardo of this boy monk,
well taken shot good quality I like it, good photo job here, have a nice evening.
regard jaap

papagolf21 (56217) 2009-01-09 2:23

Bonjour, mon ami Ricardo,
Difficile de trouver meilleure photo où la couleur orange est dominante !
De plus, la photo est très réussie, j'aime beaucoup la posture prise par le jeune novice. Cerise sur le gâteau, l'ombrelle est de la même couleur.
Le cadrage sans la motocyclette est meilleur !
Amitiés.
Philippe

John_F_Kennedy (31229) 2009-01-09 4:17

Nice capture of this monk, colours are very good and details good. Well done.
Best wishes,
Achim

josepmarin (33785) 2009-01-09 10:01

Olá Ricardo,
el WS mejora esta composición porque elimina elementos que distraen, como bien te han sugerido los amigos.
Sin embargo, la fuerza gráfica del novicio con su túnica y su sombrilla naranjas, caminando en solitario por la calle, son magníficas en ambas versiones, y trabajan con una gran atracción a la vista.
Bien vista, y bien realizada.
Un abrazo,
Josep

alvaraalto (5231) 2009-01-09 14:40

Hi Ric,

The car and motor seems to be a anachronism in this beautiful picture, so I do prefer the WS.
The bright sunshine and all that orange gives the image such a peaceful appearance, that seems in contradiction with the worries face of the young monk.

Groet Rob

Graal (57689) 2009-01-09 23:30

Hi Ricardo,
nice portrait, good correction in WS, fine caught moment and scene. I like it.
Gr., Aleksander

JCG (25155) 2009-01-11 3:11

Bonjour Ricardo,

Me, this morning, it is hot bonnet and gloves which I needed, not umbrella although there was sun but not very hot, as on this photograph. You seized a beautiful pensive air of this young monk in full meditation perhaps… You were right to take the advice of Gerrit and to give to us the version without the vehicle in WS which I prefer with this one. Contrasts are quite pleasant. Pretty portrait Ricardo, cheer.

With all my friendships, good sunday and I hope that there will remain snow or ice when you come… So long,

Jean-Charles

saylan-cb (12726) 2009-01-11 3:40

Hi Ricardo,
This is a beautiful photo with great capture and this boy in orange contemplation also image are excellent.
Have a nice sunday,
Regards,

atus (15452) 2009-01-12 7:37

Hello Ricardo,
nice memories from Laos and Luang Prabang..I liked it a lot for the calm and pleasant atmosphere, we can breathe also through your very nice portrait. Apart the perfect light control, it is very well framed with some green plants on the upper side.
Tfs and best wishes.
Attila

bosskokoss (1722) 2009-01-12 9:35

Hi Ricardo. Interseting color and good lighting. Fantastic view and good sharpness. Regards Piotr.

danos (32228) 2009-01-14 1:36

Good morning Ricardo,
indeed the crop of the upper part of the scene was necessary, to fall the glance of the viewer,directly to the main theme,the walking monk.I think that he is a little bit tired or thoughtful as we can see from his face.Well done.

Have a nice day,Danos

kevinos (6927) 2009-01-15 6:02

A nice sense of rhythm and movement in this one , Ricardo. The subject fills the frame very well. I like the motor bike in the background. regards kevin

Jonas_Schmitt (3074) 2009-01-15 6:54

Hello Ricardo!
Very nice picture, I really like this one a lot. You composed the photo perfectly and you chose an excellent point of view. The orange color, of course, is most important for the picture, but also the green plants in the background are really nice ! Best regards,
Jonas

keribar (42742) 2009-01-17 6:32

OLa Ricardo,

I found this one today, and although I don't spend too much time on TE, I couldn't resis telling you how much I liked it, especially with the courageous ue of light.
Very friednly yours - and a good caress to my cats under the chin. .
Izzet

Angshu (33561) 2009-01-19 0:33

Ola Ric
Hope you had a fine holiday in Paris.
When I saw this picture, for an instance I thought that the novice was a 'she'...mainly from the walking gait & also the very feminine face. But then I remembered that I never saw any woman novice...did you? Add to that the parasol colour matches his robe. An excellent shot...infact I'm not too bothered about the bike & car in the BG...I can almost visualise where you took this picture...brings back great memories!
Friendly Regards
Angshu

jafadabret (39417) 2009-02-08 23:31

Bonjour Ricardo.
Tu as réalisé-là une photo très belle, le WS a supprimé les imperfections de belle manière. J'aime la lumière qui vient éclairer l'ombrelle de ce moine et qui en fait comme une auréole.
Excellent !
Jacques

Amaz (6622) 2009-10-20 14:39

Que show de cores aqui, Ricardo!!
Bela captura e extraordinário enquadramento!!

Parabéns amigo!!

Um abraço,

Urs (2740) 2009-10-24 8:32

Ola Ricardo

Contrary to others I do not critique the car and motorcycle at all, but I have a completely different point, which has nothing to do with your otherwise very nice photograph - I like in particular your excellent light management as you were shooting against the sun - it's the sandals this "monk" is wearing. According to the rules of monkshood he has to walk bare feet. Moreover he must have some money to buy the sandals as Laos is a poor country. Having money is a no no for monks ... However that all does not concern your shot, well done my friend

Friendly regards
Urs