A friend's home, a photo from Lao Cai, North East

Photographer's Note

This is Zu's house; the leader of the Hmong girls whom befriended me while I was in Sapa. In every Hmong wooden home that I have been in, they all have two common features; an attic where they kept the excess of the rice or corn harvest through out the year and a fireplace. The fireplace is where most of the time the family spent together since it is quite brisky at this time of year where the temperature is hovering around 20-27 degrees Celcius.

hipnoz, roconnell, Galeota, fapmap, Curioso has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

rudymalou (800) 2004-05-29 18:04

Very unusual picture, I like the colors of the fireplace and the ray of light from outside. Interesting to learn that the fireplace acts as a television for this beatifull family

hipnoz (520) 2004-05-29 18:24

Amazing! It seems one of those families from the past, from the begining of humanity! Great moment

waskahegan (0) 2004-05-29 18:45

I love the welcome effect in this picture, a good feeling of open heart.

roconnell (327) 2004-05-29 19:45

A wonderful candid of daily life around the fireplace. The textures and lighting are great. Well done.

bebel (7518) 2004-05-29 19:50

Very nice picture look like a Latour french painter. Lights are well "smelted" ; the fire place lights every faces with human-hot..
(my english is not very good); les différentes lumières apportent un relief étonnant et tous les petits détails sont bien visibles. excellent travail .

sengir (4956) 2004-05-29 20:16

incredible picture! very in NG style

ninadev (5373) 2004-05-29 20:27

Fascinating shot! I feel that I am allowed to get in the dwelling of an unknown clan. I always find that pics taken inside homes are very intimate and it's a privilege for us. They seem to all dress the same way except for the baby in bright yellow, that matches the fire. Very very nice Thien. The only thing that is just a little annoying is the very bright litght on the woman's face on the right. I like how the light is filtered by the smoke however.

philip_coggan (11) 2004-05-29 21:34

I really would like to visit this place. And I would have thought 20-27C was quite comfortable, but I guess they get used to warmer weather.

waysai (607) 2004-05-30 0:09

Very heart warming and home sweet home photo. The colors are very warm too. Due to a long exposure there are a few places that have visible motions. The girl's head in the backseat and the knee of the lady on the right. As noted, the light on the lady's head too. Otherwise, it is a great one.

Isn't Sigma 15-30 can go down to 2.8F and couple with 1/20 sec would be the same? But I think you could lose the DOF and clarity with 2.8 and gain the edge softness.

Galeota (10338) 2004-05-30 2:10

Very nice photograph. The tones are wonderful (very like National geographic magazine) - is this coming out of your camera or did you make any post processing? Great expressions on their faces.

strangiato (10) 2004-05-30 2:38

I've seen Hmongs walking everywhere in the Sa Pa area and now through you I'm invited to have a look at one of their homes. The whole scene is very nice. First there is the sunlight trying to get in through every hole and crack it can find, then there is the fire which does an excellent job illuminating the family. All light sources and the smoke create a great atmosphere. Except for the baby everybody seems to be minding their usual daily business, as if there is no intruder.
Very good work and a favourite.

manny (21833) 2004-05-30 3:04

This is very good Thien. I like the light an dthe softness. Neatimage?

kogawa (4310) 2004-05-30 8:45

Grate picture as it is, and I like the darkness but in order to dig out some more details I tried Workshop – I hope that we can learn more about the Zohe people from this version.
Anyway, grate mysteries picture (that I didn't succeeded to take while visiting there)

[workshop] [compare]

Jitterbug (177) 2004-05-30 12:49

I don't know what I can add here, I think you really captured the life going on here. Thanks!

fapmap (250) 2004-06-01 9:07

Great shot: I have been in these houses and know how difficult it is to pull out your camera (worse, your tripod) and take a picture without ruining the atmosphere: you succeeded beautifully. I love the glow of the fire, and the leaking of outside light.
Frank.

lemon_logix (1054) 2004-06-14 14:23

Superb. you have captured and freeze the moments. the lighting is nice. Good exposure.

GypsyRebel (86) 2004-08-25 16:54

Nice Friends!
Nice Home!
Nice Guy!
Beautifull Pictures!
Take care! Michel

mikoyen (1180) 2004-09-04 13:39

Beautiful picture, amazing colors, very impressive, very journalistique.

Curioso (9271) 2004-09-06 18:20

You really master the light Thien. Against the outside light, you captured beautiful rays through the smoke. A pleasure for the eyes together with a very pleasant family scene.

totetuti (83) 2004-09-06 19:18

Other said it all already! excellent composition, the subjects, light rays coming through from outside... together they tell a pleasant homey story of family atmosphere.

cloverstar (0) 2004-09-11 6:15

This is a wonderful shot of inside a home in Lao Chai. I like the fire's reflections on the faces, and the smoke. Well done, Thein.