Wise men of Arabia Photo

Photographer’s Note

as soon as i looked at this old man, i saw his wisdom. i dont know why. i asked him his permission to take a picture he said ofcourse. later he told me this story:

"my father was a bedioun, who lived in the desert and learned its ways. one day he came upon a stranger wandering in the desert, he greeted and welcomed him to stay. the stranger eat, bathed and when he was full he prayed with my father and slept. the next morning my father tried waking him up but he found out that the stranger had died peacfully in his sleep. after he buried him he wept and then asked god, 'lord yesterday this man was my guest, but today he is your guest'"

this story might seem simple but to me it was not, it has its own meaning in my mind.

*the ball belonged to the mans grandchild who was playing in the background.

Salma, adores, gunbud, happypoppeye has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

devimeuxbe (56532) 2006-11-08 16:15

Hi Robert
This is an interesting portrait; The story is interesting, a real report. Beautifull POV and nice Black and White.
Bertrand

Salma (1276) 2006-11-08 16:40

Hi Akrawi..
you caught a very calm and peacfull situation here...
what i like in this photo is the contrast of b&w... i like so much that he appears lighter (in his white thob) than everything in this photo..
very good choice for b&w.

Nice note :)
TFS
Salma

adores (15841) 2006-11-08 17:56

Hi Robert!
Great photo with a very nice note, as you usually do. The B&W matches well here, with the history and with his wisdom.
Well done!
I see you have been there at the same time I did. Really hot then, next time I'm going in some other month before summer.
I've checked your slideshow today, really nice. You did it yourself?
Regards, Anabela

aadilj (17950) 2006-11-16 2:46

This is an extremely amazing shot with a very wise story. I remember seeing this image when you posted and it reminded me of my stay in UAE. I have seen your gallery Rafid and your body of work is amazing. Keep up the good work.
Regards
Aadil

toto (18783) 2006-12-08 15:22

belle photo,beau bâtiment,belle photo NB,belle verdure,agréable. Thomas

gunbud (28295) 2007-01-08 9:51

Hi Robert,
Excellent photo of this distinguished old gentleman. Interesting POV that includes a rich detailed background. The story is very rich and human.
Regards, Tom

Benedict (7062) 2007-05-21 8:35

everything is perfect here- the choice of MW, the POV but the cropping of the minaret, why?
and where have you been, robert?
benedict

happypoppeye (4064) 2007-06-23 14:04

Great shot...brought to life by a great note.

John