Pots and kyats, a photo from Mandalay, North

Photographer's Note

One of my stops in any new location is the local market where the large numbers of ordinary people going about their day, a colourful place loaded with real people full of interesting characters who are friendly, informative and a vibrant place with endless photo subjects. This is also the ideal place to really capture the atmosphere of an urban community, a good place to orient myself and try the best shots.

From this point of view gives me the opportunity to exploit the colours and identical shapes of the pots on display. Shutter is released when transaction takes place, the telling moment and the effect that I wanted, an unobtrusive candid fly-on-the-wall image that catches people going about their business seemingly unaware of my camera. Of course approaching unfamiliar cultures require trust, gut, repectful and be senstive to local customs.

This very mundane eveyday scene was taken at Mandalay market just across the moat of Mandalay Fort (former Fort Dufferin), a colorful popular market and a landmark for its sheer size and diverse collections of merchandise. Incredibly warm and friendly place I truly love.

Vasa, saxo042, mirosu, delpeoples, jhm, CLODO, Noel_Byrne, adramad, siolaw, ourania, Cricri, Kamilutka, krzychu30, adores, macjake, Angshu has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

sevy (13273) 2013-01-02 6:59

Hello,

It makes me think about some shots I did in Nepal. I like this foreground of pots, very graphic with all those circles.

Yves.

Fis2 (73124) 2013-01-02 7:02

Witaj Abmdsudi!
Next interesting photo.
I like this daily life shot.
Good frame and superb colors.
Well done.
Best regards
Krzysztof

Vasa (15970) 2013-01-02 7:54

It is the way to drawing the market. Question of subject, of composition, question of documentary. At least, it is my criterium Abmsudi. Two points for your sensibility.

Branko

pajaran (36270) 2013-01-02 9:21

Pozdrav.
Lep pogled na grncariju ...
Dobra ostrina snimka, kontrast, lepe boje.
Dobar tekst , sa datim podacima ...
Lepa grncarija.
Sve najbolje.
Paja

Greetings.
Nice view of the pottery ...
Good image sharpness, contrast, beautiful color.
Good article, with the given data ...
Beautiful pottery.
All the best.
Paja.

eldancer1 (17088) 2013-01-02 9:57

Very capture of this pot vendor who appears to have made a sale! I like your pov and it has good dof with nice details. Very well done, tfs.

rychem (9240) 2013-01-02 10:09

Very nice scene with so many pots and the pot seller, beautiful and colorful photo
regards
Ryszard

saxo042 (31802) 2013-01-02 10:11

Hi Abmdsudi,
All these pots provide a very good pattern in this capture. The blue colours of the woman is in a pleasant harmony with the brownish pots. I enjoy the inclusion of an hand, transferring money and a foot below. Do they belong the the very same customer?
Kind regards
Gunnar

nikkitta (5896) 2013-01-02 11:37

Hola Abmdsudi

This capture is very similar at what I saw at Baktapur in Nepal, artisans selling their work being also kind people

What best place to know about people that the market? just wondering you discover interesting scenes like this one

Excellent quality and very good POV with nice frame in vertical format
All the best for 2013 ( good photos and interesting trips)

Maria

holmertz (26980) 2013-01-02 12:05

Hello Abmdsudi,
This is a very bright and attractive composition with good balance between the ochre-coloured pots and the woman's mainly blue dress. I like how you have captured the buyer's hand with the kyat notes and especially how the woman is about to receive payment with both hands. I guess the buyer should also have given her the money with both hands to really show respect.
Kind regards,
Gert

ACL1978 (5789) 2013-01-02 13:00

Great POV, Abmdsudi, and a perfect use of a wide angle to put the viewer into the shot. The feeling here is really of surveying the wares the woman is selling; you've also created a nice graphism in these pots, with an interesting human presence at the top of the frame. Beautiful brightness as the colors of both pots and clothes leap off the screen. Nicely seen and captured.

Andrew

mesutilgim (68014) 2013-01-02 13:04

Hello Abmdsudi !
A lecture for "how a good pov and layout" should be !
Amazing capture with many interesting notes.
TFS and all the best for 2013 !
Best regards
MESUT ILGIM

carlo62 (12636) 2013-01-02 14:32

Ciao Abmdsudi
una foto ben composta, il taglio verticale è piacevole e mette bene in evidenza sia la mercanzia, sia la donna intenta la suo commercio.
Saluti
Carlo

Graal (88950) 2013-01-03 0:10

Hi Abmdsudi,
nice scene good captured. Amazing street shop. Fine natural portrait of seller also. Good composition. Photo I like.
Have a nice day.
Aleksander

mirosu (5533) 2013-01-03 2:00

Hi
An excellent shot; this is the kind of photo I aspire to take. The pots in foreground dramatize the composition so strongly with immense depth from this so well chosen high angle pov. The contrast of colors is great, so too are the lighting, repeating patterns, shapes and good lead in and perspective. The woman adds a nice life to the scene. This is remarkable shot, so well taken and executed. Well done.

delpeoples (45006) 2013-01-03 2:06

Dear Abmdsudi

Happy New Year, dear friend, I hope you celebrated it amongst loved ones. This is a superb and very original photo. I love the effect of the vertical frame, the large foreground and the wide angle lens. These little pots create a wonderful graphism and the provide a superb natural frame for the lady selling them. A wonderful, original and artistic shot, congratulations.

Warmest regards
Lisa

dkmurphys (36831) 2013-01-03 4:27

Hello,
A perfect POV to illustrate this scene. Great catch, truly artistic image.

Daniel

jhm (122474) 2013-01-03 4:43

Hello Abmdsudi,

These lady selling artisan work to people, we see really nice pots.
The light management is perfect taken.
A lovely image, with nice perspective and depth.
A splendid image taken with a very high sharpness and clarity.
Excellent composition. TFS.

Best regards,
John

CLODO (24734) 2013-01-03 5:25

Hello Abldsudi

Very good use of the waide angle to extend the pottery to the selle which cloth are contrasting well with the clay pots.
Seasons's greetings
CLODO

Noel_Byrne (7426) 2013-01-03 8:16

Hi Abmdsudi,
Very clever idea for the shot, and it has worked perfectly. The sea of pots with their identical shapes and colours makes a excellent foreground but you have captrued that precise moment of transaction, showing their purpose and putting great life and meaning to the image. Really nicely done. As I learn from your gallery, I get the strong desire to try candid street photography more and more, something I have never done. I did try in Dbblin before Christmas, but all of the shots were unusable. Must try again soon :)
All the best
Noel

adramad (27556) 2013-01-03 10:01

Hello Abmdsudi.
Certainly markets in Myanmar, are feeling the pulse of the people, with their colorful, smells, thousand curious things, its friendly people ....
Here you have captured a beautiful scene, with the perspective gained pots, since the foreground lead the eye up to the seller, at the time of making a sale. Magnificent moment.
Very good sharpness and lighting.
Well done.
Have a nice day.
Best regards.
Luis.

siolaw (37568) 2013-01-03 23:08

Hi Abmdsudi
The pots provide excellent graphics and lead the eye to the dealer... The hand and foot could be from different persons but they are not!
Have an excellent 2013!
Laurent

ourania (12427) 2013-01-04 8:10

Hello Abmdsudi,
your composition and use of the vertical frame is superb. There's so much interest everywhere and the recurrent patterns of the pots are delightful and offer great depth. Lighting, sharpness and colours are wonderful. Although we can only see a foot and a hand of the customer the scene of the transaction is quite obvious and the content expression of the vendor is very eloquent too. Congratulations and thank you!
All the best, have a great day,
Ourania

willperrett (2959) 2013-01-04 9:44

Hello Abmdsudi
This is a lovely environmental portrait of this pot-seller. The pots themselves create a very satisfying pattern over 2/3 of the frame, and effectively make the woman a secondary element in the composition. But the pots are her livelihood, and almost define her life I suspect. The foot and the hand proferring money is an added element of commerce and comedy. Nice work as ever!
Regards
Will

Cricri (86501) 2013-01-04 11:05

Hi Abmdsudi
Bel effet graphique des pots, la scéne de la vendeuse assise, la main et le pied de l'acheteuse donne un coté original, et donne un coté intéressant , voir curiosité, belle réalisation
Belle soirée
cricri

Kamilutka (3207) 2013-01-04 22:49

Hello,
this is excellent shot with great composition and eye catching foreground. I like laso the way you photographed saleswoman - she is not posing, but carrying on with her every day routine. It makes your picture more natural and somehow more real.
Very good colors and ideal sharpness.
Thanks for sharing and have a great weekend!
Kamila

krzychu30 (8897) 2013-01-05 1:47

Hello Abmdsudi,
really amazing and attracting our eyes perspective.Vertical format and the way you put stress on these clay pots,that fills so nice the lower part of your composition was a superb choice.Beautiful and very interesting scene of a daily-life from Mandalay.Excellently framed and executed with great attention for details and quality.

Have a nice weekend
Krzysztof

adores (28236) 2013-01-05 15:07

Hi Abmdsudi!
You're right! And I remember the one of Mandalay very well!So many things to see there and people are really nice, as usual in Burma. Good pov here! These clay pots form a great foreground - I like the idea of placing the lady in background, busy with her business.

kato (6789) 2013-01-07 3:52

Hi Abmdsudi,

You're capturing well this daily life by a good angle and excellent tone/clarity, so it's interesting and impressive to see many brown pots on ground. Although it does not understand for what it is used, it is carrying out peculiar shape. And, it's interesting in an exchange of a seller and a buyer.

Kind regards,
mikio

macjake (39235) 2013-01-07 14:29

Hi Abmdsudi
as you have mentioned in your note, a good idea to capture this photo from above, looking almost directly down to highlight the pots.
also, the pots orangey color adds life and interest too.
its kinda funny to see the arm and hand appearing from out of frame :)
well done as your usual
cheers
craig

Angshu (51174) 2013-01-08 2:25

Salam Abmdsudi
The high POV making us look 'down' on the pots & create a fine graphic effect. The arrangement of the pots also seem so very nice, creating a quasi perspective leading us to the lady. Of interest is the buyer, whose presence is proven by the leg & the hand offering money. Interesting daily life image indeed!
Best Regards
Angshu

i9l2y1m8a8t3 (4435) 2013-02-28 21:02

hello!

It doesn't seem like captured with an 18mm lens, it's like 16 or 17mm. I love the effect, the framing and the circular shapes for the FG. Great shot!

Matt

gus72 (2508) 2013-03-29 17:01

Hi abmdsudi !!
yes..... another very good photo.... the timing is perfect as I can see half a smile in the sales lady face.
I like the irregular display of the pots.... no shelfs or counter top..... just a market situation that you captured so well.
I had a look in the dictionary to find out the meaning of the word Kyats.
Cheers
Gus