The baker Photo | TrekEarth

Photographer’s Note

A welcoming baker in Shakhrisabz: the prize of taking this photo was a fragrant crispy just made piece of bread.

Bread is holy for Uzbek people. This traditional belief started with a legend. As it goes, each new Governor would mint his own coins but the payment for local people who minted new coins were not the coins that were minted but… bread!

Traditionally Uzbek breads are baked inside the stoves made of clay called "Tandyr". These fragrant breads are known to be crispy and tasty. Even the greatest scientist of medicine, Avicenna used Uzbek bread to cure people of diseases.

petite, atus, everlasting, repaulson, aliya_hd, noborders has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

torben (3084) 2006-03-03 14:32

A very good and funny shot. The whitewashed wall makes a great background for the two coloured items, the bread and the face, they seem to have a special connection to each other (life, eating?) that comes out strongly in this composition. The photo could be sharper but that is not so important here, I like it!

leo61 (43686) 2006-03-03 15:27

Hi Luca!
Great shot,well seen and well done.
This man looks happy and satisfied.
The contrast of the man and the bread with the white looks good.
Regards,LEO

ndb1958 (9248) 2006-03-03 15:46

Beautiful portrait. He has a nice and open face. Nice composition and framing. Very nice done, Nino

petite (550) 2006-03-03 16:28

Hi Luca,
Excellent portrait in context. I like the way the face of the man is framed, and he looks friendly. Nice moment, well captured.
Marie

Philappy (157) 2006-03-03 16:45

Bonjour Lucas,
Une compo vraiment originale pour ce portrait. l'homme a une bonne expression. Très bien fait
Philippe

jbasman (273) 2006-03-03 17:09

Luca - this one is going in my favourites. Such an original image. Superb.

James.

AnimeshRay (8886) 2006-03-03 18:54

Wow! Lucky twice over, first for grabbing this fantastic portrait, then this flavorful bread!! I feel hungry looking at the photo. :))

Drzoana (1122) 2006-03-03 20:20

great face, great image, great composition....
I would skip the frame... too big, too overwhelming.
regards,
J.

jjcordier (25200) 2006-03-04 0:50

Un très beau portait, Luca! Heureux boulanger!
Amicalement
JJ

prumod (8264) 2006-03-04 3:44

hi luca
its very nice... i appreciate your idea! better thought!
regards
pramod

atus (15476) 2006-03-04 4:39

Ciao Luca,
carina ed allo stesso tempo divertente immagine del panificio con il logo inconfondibile.Mi piace l'espressione amichevole del panettiere e la cornice naturale formata dal finestrino.
L'Uzbekistan poi,in abbinamento all'Iran dovrebbe essere la mia prossima meta proprio a giugno di quest'anno.A grandi linee,quando hai tempo,mi potresti dare qualche dritta sui luoghi da non perdere in cca.10-12gg. di permanenza? Grazie e saluti.
Attila

Polonaise (5638) 2006-03-06 22:56

If live portrait means anything..This is it!
The way you presented this guy to us contains more message in one picture than in dozens of others.
Great from head to toe
George

repaulson (607) 2006-04-17 15:35

Luca, What an amazing shot. The features on this man’s face really illustrate the cross roads of east and west. The eyes especially. Thanks for historical perspective on the cultural significance of bread to the Uzbek people.

This photograph really stands out! -Ross

euryan (8351) 2006-05-17 16:07

This is a classic shot! I like how you have cropped it in so tight. The man’s face is warm and welcoming. Nice capture of a man and his work.
Regards,
Ryan

JMcDowell (653) 2006-05-18 15:14

what an interesting shot! the textured wall, the piece of wood nailed to the sill, the peppered piece of nan...not to mention the guy sticking his head out the window. great clarity and color. very original.
james

Nina (4613) 2006-06-08 18:10

Luca I just discovered your work here, it was a revelation. Too many excellent images to comment on, I'll have to come back. This one is just great!

noborders (14201) 2007-04-22 5:28

Excellent photo from a country where I'd like to return for a 3rd time, and interesting note to... (I also heard that when the son of a household would leave his home for a travel - or to fight, or to go to military service..., his mother would cook a special bread, decoreated with sweets etc., a part of the bread would be eaten just before his departure, and the rest would be hanged in the eating room or in the kitchen, waiting for the return of the dear son).
The framing is great too...
Bravo,
Cath.

nata (484) 2007-05-18 6:34

This is an awesome picture! The colors are so natural that it seems to me that this lepeshka (bread)is real. And you can say that the baker has been baking bread for a long time......The color of his skin is brownish because of spending much time near tandyr.....
Good shot