From the muddy banks of the Inle Lake Photo

Photographer’s Note

I took that image close to the Ywama village, the "capital" of the Inle Lake.
Ywama today is similar to many other villages of South-East Asia that are and were touched by the tourism fever.
Guesthouses, bungalows, travel companies, small resturants, bars...all that in Ywama is at the beginnings 'cause Burma was closed to foreginers for many decades and re-opened to travelers only in the mid 90's; so, just outside the small village, that have the classical Floating Market for tourists, there is a real Burmese Market, close to the muddy banks of the lake.
we rested there for some hours and we didn't found any other tourists: only Inthas, Burmeses and Shan people.
There was a typical work-fever, all did something, men trasported woods from and to the longboats, women cooked food in the woks and sold it, merchants sold silk and other stuff in the small market.
There were more or less one thousands people that worked here, but there was a fantastic silence.
The clouds ran very fast in the sky, the water of the lake reflected the sunrays, the children played close to the water, strong scents of curry came from the woks, the buffalos worked togeather with men...and there were only 2 "white devils" (us) with their boring photocameras....

*scanned image*

bantonbuju, PixelTerror, Coyotyto, AmiBe, capthaddock, gaby, donluicu, huynt, annagrace, joseelias, igorw has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

bantonbuju (48334) 2005-07-11 3:54

buon giorno paolo,
a like this picture very much - the "dangerous" colours and clouds create a very attractive mood for this picture;
very interesting;
have a nice week, jerzy

Zepi (22848) 2005-07-11 3:55

Hello Paolo,
Très belle teintes, ce ciel est incroyable !
L’orage c’est t’il abattu sur toi ? ? ?
Très belle composition, beau travail
Amicalement
Sébastien

PixelTerror (86032) 2005-07-11 4:14

Ciao Paolo,
What I first like here is the intense activity going on all over the place, and also there is no visible sign of modernity, cars or likewise, so this shot transports us as well to a past vision, the heavy clouds add a good atmosphere over this fine scene.
Have a nice day,
Jean-Yves

Furachan (0) 2005-07-11 4:27

Very interesting composition, Paolo. In a way "centralized" which everyone tries to avoid like mad...;) But the looong bamboo pole from the bottom right to the center plays a very useful role here in anchoring the shot. Nice mushy, saturated colors. Great sky. Super! Francis

rbcy1974 (20742) 2005-07-11 4:36

Bongiorno my friend,
Nice busy image with lots of activity to ocupy the wondering eye. I like particularly that its in Inle Lake but you cant see much water. Thats original.
A+
Daniel

Coyotyto (1299) 2005-07-11 5:40

Hi Paolo,

I really like all the activity going down there, very intense ! And the impressive clouds give the feeling of emergency. Quick, quick, do everything before the rain comes ! But in fact no, they're all so calm.

Well done !
Cheers,
Youssef.

dolin (15647) 2005-07-11 7:17

Hi Paolo.
Another nice shot with incredibles colors tones....I LIKE !
Nice atmosphere in this scene. The framing is good.
The contrast is very nice too.
I like your gallery, very interesting composition and PP.
Thank's
Fred

AmiBe (6042) 2005-07-11 7:28

Ciao Paolo,
that's Burma feeling !
I like this place, full of life.
The cloudy sky is fantastic. I like the bamboo, too.

jinju (14265) 2005-07-11 8:11

I lime how the scan has produced an aged look to this [hoto. I think sokme of the colors were a bit degraded and sharpness lost but it works with this particular composition.

Graal (57278) 2005-07-11 9:42

Unusual place, good reportage from the really life. I like the composition and colours.
Rgs, Aleksander

pione (2031) 2005-07-11 10:33

Ciao Paolo, vorrei farti i complimenti per questa grande immagine, carica di elementi interessanti ed ottimo manifesto e simbolo dell'operosità di questo popolo!

gaby (19793) 2005-07-11 11:41

Hi Paolo, j'aime beaucoup cette photo qui montre unde des facettes de la vie quotidienne au Myanmar, d'autant plus que le scan accentue l'effet de vieillissement - le ciel est fameux -
Merci et bonne après midi
Gaby

Zanni (5885) 2005-07-11 11:53

I see four lines: 1) first line the busy people; 2) second line: the boats; 3)third line the houses; 4) fourth line: the mountains. These lines creates a great dof. The dramatic sky enhances the composition: the fatigue of a simple people in a difficult wild place. Great colors too.
I write in English for all Te members (ma in italiano avrei espresso meglio i concetti).

devimeuxbe (55673) 2005-07-11 17:04

Hi Paolo
Nice shot with this dark sky typical of he rainy season in Asia.
Congratulation
Bertrand

huynt (5077) 2005-07-11 17:28

Hi Paolo
A wonderful daily life photo. I like this asmophere in the dark sky. Well composition. Ciao. Huy

kinginexile (2440) 2005-07-12 2:39

It's incredible how much activity there is on the shores of rivers and lakes in Myanmar. It sure becomes a paradise for photographers, but also witnessing how burmese work hard to make a pittance.
Still now, one will see some visitors all grouped in one area, close to their boat jetty, while a few steps beyond, burmese life grips you, unaffected by tourism.

greg64g (11193) 2005-07-12 3:09

Hello Paolo,

What a incredible sky here, the mood is perfect and the exposure is very very good.
cheers
greg

capthaddock (28640) 2005-07-12 9:27

Hi Paolo - a busy but nice composition, rich in cultural interest, and here it looks very authentic and unspoilt.

annagrace (2463) 2005-07-12 17:21

Our Western existences are so very easy compared to the hard work of these people. This is especially good for a scanned photo. I like your POV and the dark clouds overhead. Nice post!

Alli

marieaude (1196) 2005-07-13 12:50

hello Paolo,
I love this activity of this photo, something is going on in every points of this scene. The colors are nice too and the sky is great. It must be fantastic to be there and just looking what's going on around. Thanks

joseelias (367) 2005-07-15 12:19

Nice busy image. The atmosphere of everybody doing something is well portrayed here. Really like the diagonal line starting in the bottom left and describing an arch through the picture. That bamboo carried by the person works nicely in filling the frame on the bottom right.

Luan (15935) 2005-07-17 6:52

What a mess, it is the rush hour here...very nice landscape, I like the mountains appearing in the background.
Nice shot
Luan