A Poor Boy's Kingdom Photo

Photographer’s Note

In the mountains of Northern of Thailand, many hill tribes live. This boy is from the Acar people, who migrated here from the Tibetan Plateau centuries ago. When we arrived at the mountain top, we found him standing, gazing out over the view. He didn't turn to look at us or acknowledge our presence there in any way. His cloths were dirty and he looked wretched. These hill tribes are very poor, especially now that their traditional crop, opium poppies, is forbidden. After I took his picture I went a spoke to him. I asked him, where he lived. He did not look at me, but gestured to a bamboo hut lower down the mountain and said in Thai "Down there". I assume that because he spoke some Thai that he goes to school. I gave him some money. He whispered his thanks as he pocketed it. Then he returned to staring at the view. In a world without, electricity, games, books or even playmates, I suppose that all there it do is look at the view and dream. Maybe he dreams of a better day for himself and his people.

sleon, axiotea, PixelTerror, John_F_Kennedy, adores, skinalex, arturo has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

sleon (9352) 2007-03-20 12:22

Hi Kevin
This is a really sad story, and set in such a beautiful landscape, at least to my eyes. The boy does have a melancholy look and his clothes look dirty and worn. Together with your note, this is an evocative portrait of daily life.
Regards, Susanna

axiotea (16287) 2007-03-21 3:58

Hi Kevin,
You caught a beautiful light over the landscape and the small boy...Yeah, it's a sad story and you did well to give him some money, because it's seems he has no resources, since poppies are forbidden to grow. Good POV giving sense of distance and depth to the photo and the colors are naturally well rendered.
Cheers,
Marilyn

PixelTerror (86839) 2007-03-21 9:07

Hi Kevin,
A touching story and an interesting photo to go with, it is well exposed and technically taken considering for example how rich the greens at the bottom of the tree are, I find the angle a bit flat and would have appreciated to see more of the landscape on the right having a deeper approach from a position more to the left, but as usual when not having been on site don't know whether this was actually possible ?
Have a nice day,
Jean-Yves

sothy81 (8540) 2007-03-22 0:48

Hi Kevin, this is a veyr nice photo. What interests me the most is the moody look of the picture where the boy standing alone looking thru to nowhere. Nice colors too. Well done. Sothy

John_F_Kennedy (31994) 2007-03-22 6:39

Interesting note. Wonderful shot. You chose a very nice POV to take this photo with the beautiful colours.
Achim

ndb1958 (9249) 2007-03-23 10:46

Hi Kevin,
such a beautiful touching image with the impression of solitude. I like the way the boy looks lost and the wide view into the landscape.
Nino

adores (15755) 2007-03-25 18:31

Hi Kevin!
Great photo and a very good note explaining it. I like this pov, we see the boy but also part of the mountains in front.He seems lost in his thoughts, maybe wondering how's the world beyond those mountains.
Good work!
Regards,Anabela

banyanman (7737) 2007-04-01 11:57

I really like this photograph, Kevin. The presence of the boy adds a human element to the landscape, and as he is not looking at the camera it doesn't feel posed. The melancholy expression on the boy's face tells a story in itself and your excellent composition and deep DOF lets us see something of the environment in which he is living. Good work! Cheers . . . David

skinalex (416) 2007-04-16 14:04

Thank you, Kevin

arturo (31) 2007-04-26 15:44

Hi Kevin,

my eyes are automatically set to look for the horizon here...it is impossible to accomplish the conditions which the majority of people who live on earth experience every day, in our Age of Fuel...life is far from being a Disneyland...cheers, arturo

christian_v (801) 2007-06-08 17:26

Bonsoir kevin

Honestly...i like this image
Nothing else to say...

ps;
congratulations for your publications
cheers
christiab

capthaddock (28640) 2007-07-05 13:42

Hi Kevin - I saw this by random and couldn't resist, a rare case of ethnic portrait and wide landscape successfully combined, I've never been north of Ayutthaya, the landscape looks much drier than I would have imagined.