Empty Table Photo | TrekEarth

Photographer’s Note

Children sit at around their table in a Hmong village near Luang Prabang, Laos.

I met these people about 15 kilometers from Luang Prabang where they live. It is not a tourist destination as it is hidden off a main road and reached by an obscure trail.

Chronic malnutrition is high, affecting more than 40 percent of children under five years of age in Laos.

A vast percentage of Laotian families are subsistence farmers, and the main dietary source is rice. These farmers have very little food at least six months per year, sometimes longer.

There is a general dietary lack of vitamin A, iodine, and numerous other vitamins and minerals that are necessary to live a healthy life.

Although new foods are being introduced they are still too expensive for the average Laotian to afford.

Fourteen percent of children are born underweight, and forty percent of children under five are moderately to severely underweight.

Fifteen percent of children suffer from wasting, loss of strength and vigor, and forty one percent suffer from stunting, not reaching their full growth potential.

bombilla, kinginexile, gabrielpat, jlynx, sayat has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

bombilla (3401) 2006-11-14 11:42

Beautiful portrait of apparently suffering children. Although they aren't smiling, they do look relatively healthy. It's just terrible that the rich of the world allow children to continue to starve. What does this say about the human race? Should anyone have an excess of wealth while others are without even enough food to survive? (I shouldn't preach, for, like probabaly everyone else on this site who has money for a digital camera and a computer, I am guilty of not doing enough to alleviate the suffering.) The photo is good. The person cut off in the background along the left is a bit distracting in a way. But these are marginal people and I could see the reason for it. (Or maybe it was just a mistake. If so, you could probably fix in photoshop.) Thanks. -Hugh

vts_ch (2624) 2006-11-14 14:46

Hi John,
I love the ambiance on your image, the foccusing is so easy on the girl, thanks to the magnificient light. Great image, strong and sweet in the same time.

Great job

Vincent

gabrielpat (6429) 2006-11-14 16:01

Hi zips,
a very good one!many expressions in those eyes,not touristics smiles,indeed.
may be you could have cropped a little bit the top?

chriswhitley (1398) 2006-11-14 16:18

Hello John,
A beautiful portrait in b&w. The look of the girl in the centre is particularly strong. I agree that the woman standing in the background is a distraction. Whilst not a huge fan of doctoring, some cloning of this area might have done the trick. Very nice though. Chris

jlynx (11360) 2006-11-15 4:10

Hi John,
Coming to Your portfolio I uncovered the man of very sensitive on human the harm, and particularly on the fate of children from poor recesses of the world. This considerably builds my faith into men. The beautiful picture not only about reporter meaning , but also to artistic and sociological. Very the well well-chosen technique, the beautiful light extracting childish forms from the deep shadow, the splendid sharpness and her depth. The superb photo!
Best regards from Poznan,
Jurek

Filko (1116) 2006-11-15 4:34

Nice...nice..and nice! Well done John. I've placed this picture as my desktop...

thanks!

teacozie (1371) 2006-11-17 8:33

Yo John,

Lovely tones and smoothness in the photo. The gradients of blacks and greys are really striking and the little girl is captivating.

Nice moment.

rajju (1317) 2006-11-18 13:14

very nice moment captured by you!! i like the curios faces..specially the boy on right side...the colur tune is also very nice
regards raj

sayat (2941) 2006-11-20 15:28

Excellent shot into the hard lives of these people, mainly the children. The black background stands for the symbol of their condition. Justifies rebel. Great shot.
Sayat

entrelec (8340) 2006-11-21 13:43

nice compo in perspective of theese kids; yes you are right, everytime we go out of the touristic places, the contrast is real.
regards

Joel

verde (957) 2006-11-21 14:56

I like this shot.
the very dark background highlights these children well. and then the composition seems to draw your focus to the child in the front who has more light on her.

very nice shot expressing some very serious issues.
well done
b

mesutilgim (33856) 2006-11-22 15:52

Dear John,

Congratulations. Wonderfull capture which shows again the power of B & W .

Best regards

MESUT ILGIM