The machete man..., a photo from Mon, South

Photographer's Note

Around the Golden Rock Pagoda in Kyaiktiyo, up in the mountains of the Mon state, there was this guy clearing up some jungle with his machete... I took a few shots at him, and selected this one for his expression, and the piece of plant flying over his head...

japiey, besnard, Atousa, ribeiroantonio, kri54, MarcT, Wanda1, feather, dip, john_c, MLINES, cuneyt-sb, Mondaychild, riclopes, maltese, sufi, chrisnet, cobbydale, stego, Henryk_Bilor, Emile, paura has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Miks (1717) 2007-09-14 21:31

Well snapped. As you note, the facial expression makes this one! I would probably have gone for a tighter crop and vertical format. But this one works for me as well because it shows more of the (by the way beautiful). landscape. Very nice snapshot!

Cheers,
Mikkel

[2]

SamB (1948) 2007-09-14 21:58

Hello, Laurent--
Nice work here, the expression is intense and the moment is nice with the piece of plant that you mention. i wish that you had composed the composition tighter on the right and with more of the plants at the left and at the bottom to give a little bit more immediate foreground context, but it's nice as it is.
Thanks!
sam

[2]

Atousa (7131) 2007-09-14 23:01

Salam Laurent,
Good decisive moment, shows his joy and interest in what he is doing .Is it a job for him or not?
Nice depth and colors.
Best wishes,
AtousA

[2]

flatwin (2181) 2007-09-14 23:43

bonjour

tres bon cliché de cet homme en action, net

bravo

Arnaud

[2]

dvlazar (6662) 2007-09-15 0:01

A sharp and clear picture of this man in a really interesting pose set among a breathtaking background.

Great work!
Dave

ribeiroantonio (22730) 2007-09-15 0:05

This is a very good shot. The DOF is superb and the colours too. I really like his expression and the details on his body. Very well done.
Antonio

Graal (103038) 2007-09-15 0:06

Bonjour Laurent,
fine scene with the portrait in one. Good DOF and colours. I like it. Good captured moment.
Gr., Aleksander

leo61 (0) 2007-09-15 0:23

Hi Laurent!
Great shot,you had a good timing to catch him in this dynamic pose.His body and machete contrasts so well with the background and I like the composition with the branches and leafs at the left side.
Regards,leo

evanrizo (462) 2007-09-15 0:36

-:)) Salut Laurent, at the moment you shot it the composition has also a great impress and funny effect with the flying plant.
Light and colors are superb.
Cheers
Evan
I will come back.

kri54 (1515) 2007-09-15 0:36

bel instant

MarcT (20964) 2007-09-15 0:47

Salut Laurent,
très belle scène pleine de dynamisme. J'espère qu'il n'était pas dangereux...!
@+
Marc

besnard (59036) 2007-09-15 1:47

Bonjour Laurent
Très beau cliché de cet homme saisi en plein mouvement. La voix a l'air d'accompagner le geste.
Le tout est d'une grande netteté.
Merci pour le partage et bon week-end.
Nicole

[2]

Wanda1 (15142) 2007-09-15 2:16

Hi Laurent,
A good in action shot. I like the detail of the veins in his arms and his expression is very well captured. Great sharpness too.
Regards
Wanda

feather (51130) 2007-09-15 3:54

Very good action shot. His expression shows he certainly means business. The small inclusion of the bush he is attacking works well in the composition. It is also good to see the vast forest in the background. Well done
Kath

japiey (10163) 2007-09-15 4:04

Hi Laurent.

A perfect moment for the click !!!
The expressions and the image balancing is amazing.
He's strong, and the power is visible..
The distant valley is looking great.
Salutes.

jean paul
(soon)

[2]

dip (23892) 2007-09-15 4:13

Hi laurent,
beautiful image,good timing and well exposed,
good sharpness too,
Greetings,
Dimitris.

vincz (19113) 2007-09-15 7:50

Super timing, quel expression superbe sur le visage, j'adore le mouvement pris en pelin dans l'action.

john_c (24666) 2007-09-15 8:58

Hi Laurent,
Great dynamism here with the machete in full swing and the debris flying. The lighting is quite intense and you managed the exposure well, with good shadow effects on the fellow's body. His muscles are certainly huge. I like the tasteful cropping. Cheers.
John

ndb1958 (9289) 2007-09-15 10:34

Cool portrait of that guy, Laurent. I like his expression and the way you were able to catch his muscles and venes. Good colours and impressing background. Nino

Gerrit (56749) 2007-09-15 19:33

Hi Laurent,
great portrait. Perfect sharpness and definition,
Quit scary.
Regards, gerrit

kevinos (7517) 2007-09-15 19:50

He looks as though he is enjoying his work too, Laurent.There seems to be more or the warior than the gardener about him. You have a nice piece of frozen action against a good jungle backdrop.His expression is priceless. regards kevin

MLINES (12516) 2007-09-15 20:07

Hi Laurent. An excellent composition taken at the right moment. He looks strong and healthy for sure with his active life. Good bacdrop showing the large areasof native jungle still in some parts of the world. TFS. Murray.

Angshu (56760) 2007-09-15 22:14

Hello Laurent
The expression is intent & the moment of capture excellent, because the piece of the branch flying away in his back. Excellent clarity & natural colours, so much so that we can see his tightened muscles & nerves. Shallow DOF isolated him well from the BG. I might have wanted you to take this shot a shade to the right so that you could have a bit more of the bushes on the left. However I know these shots are split second ones, and framing may not be possible everytime, everywehere. An excellent shot.
Best Regards
Angshu

cuneyt-sb (6576) 2007-09-16 1:04

Hi Laurent
What a nice capture of this action view.
Very good DOF and perfect POV.
Colors and compo is just great

Congrats TFS
Kind regards

Mondaychild (378) 2007-09-16 1:47

Hi Laurent,

good lord ... look at his muscles! Looks amazing but also a bit frightening! The motion you catched is great, very vivid. The green hills in the distance make a good background.

riclopes (35577) 2007-09-16 2:38

Wow, what a great portrait, Laurent. Full of dramatism and energy. It looks like a scene from a movie - he is a member from an ethnic minority that will fight ferociously the white man that is destroying their green lands. Impressive capture.
Cheers,
ricardo
p.s.-in 12 days, I'll be in Bkk...

UnTrained (0) 2007-09-16 3:24

Salut Laurent,
very lovely capture of his motion and impression. With the plant just the right detail.
Lieben Gruss, Ulf

maltese (22907) 2007-09-16 5:11

Salut Laurent
Sacré timing pour bien saisir ce geste avec une superbe netteté, j'aime bien cette lumière qui estompe l'arrière plan pour bien mettre en évidence ton sujet.
Très beau boulot
Amicalement
Hervé

sufi (9588) 2007-09-16 8:53

Merhaba Laurent, my friend...
It's a wonderful timing and perfect facial expression, indeed... The colors, the contrast between the colors and the light are also perfect... Wonderful point of view and background too...
TFS...
Stay well..
Salim.

chrisnet (23062) 2007-09-16 12:47

Salut Laurent,
Bon cliché de cet homme en pleine action, le 400eme a figé le mouvement et donne une image parfaitement nette.
Amicalement
Christian

delkoo (68) 2007-09-16 13:59

bonjour laurent
un mouvement bien figé, bon timing,surtout cette branche au dessus de la tête, super netteté sur l'homme qui se dettache bien du fond.

didier

danyy (0) 2007-09-16 23:12

Bonjour Laurent,
techniquement parfaite la photo, beaucoup de relief causé par la différence d'intensite de couleur entre avant et arrière plan. La DOF est intéressante, elle efface un peu l'arrière plan, tout en le laissant deviner aisément.
Une photo très dynamique dans le mouvement.
Bien à toi.
Daniel.

Budapestman (82620) 2007-09-17 4:10

Hi Laurent,
Great shot, timing is superb. I like the fine composition and the splendid details. Clarity and sharpnes excellent, lights as well. Suggestive portrait, Well done! Have a nice week
George

cobbydale (1958) 2007-09-17 12:52

Great sharpness and DOF in this shot Laurent. The jungle backdrop works really well to add to the effect.
cheers
Leon.

barrufeto_77 (28888) 2007-09-18 3:28

Hi laurent

The moment is great and the background is a perfect complement for the man.

Well done!

Rgs, Oscar

gilou530 (34) 2007-09-18 13:07

salut laurent
bel instantané de cet homme au travail, action bien capturé avec une belle netteté beau travail
gilbert

brevbrev14 (140) 2007-09-20 7:09

Hi LAurent, a good moment captured and great natural expression here..
the blured background is perfect..
Interesting image
ciao!
Valeria

stego (24132) 2007-09-20 16:48

Salut Laurent,
Très bien chassée. Son expression faciale et sa pose so impressionnantes, plein de vigueur. Le fond brouillé et le branche volant donnent un peu de contexte. S'il n'y avait pas le branche, elle pourrait être effrayant...
Amicalement, José.

Henryk_Bilor (20803) 2007-09-22 13:26

Hi Laurent
Good, dynamic capture. I like the expression in the man. Good light and blurred background.
Regards

Emile (20352) 2007-09-22 14:31

Hola Laurent.
The expression makes your shot, intense, strong and decisive. I like the way the machete cut off the piece of plant and you captured it flying over him. Very good POV with great colors and definition. Excellent DOF with the green mountains in the back.
Well done. TFS.
Best regards.

paura (25796) 2008-02-12 17:29

Laurent,
An interesting "decisive moment" in a very dynamic scene. Perhaps is usual made this motion only with the right arm because it looks like a bit more stronger than the left arm.
:-)

regards

Paulo

boromare (366) 2008-07-19 16:41

belles veines!