las tortillas, a photo from Quiche, North

Photographer's Note

still in the famous Chichicatenango (Chichi for short) market, only this time in the tourist-empty part where the market serves its true purpose - to buy and sell vegetables, grains, yarns, natural dyes and spices. the noisiest and most lively spot was the local comedor, the Guatemalan version of the diner, where, among other things, las tortillas are being constantly made from maize (interesting fact - in Latvian "maize" is "bread"; the spelling is exactly the same, the only difference is in the pronounciation). you can buy 4 tortillas for 1 quetzal, and 1 US dollar equals 8 quetzales; I'll leave the calculations to you.

the Maya have very special relationship with maize. according to the legends about the creation of humankind, the gods got it right only with third attempt, after they had discovered maize, and used it to make mankind. also, the Maya refer themselves as "true people" and consider themselves literally of a different flesh from those who do not eat maize. traditionalist mothers in the Highlands place an ear of maize into the palm of newborns, and eat only dishes made from maize while breastfeding to ensure that the child grows "true flesh" (source - "Lonely Planet").

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RAW, ISO 500, spot metering, 50mm focal length.

delpeoples, BennyV, rlrad, jwmunro, danos, mark_mk, bostankorkulugu, jjcordier heeft deze opmerking als nuttig gemarkeerd

Critiques | Translate

Bluejeans (64251) 2010-01-29 5:26

Ola Kristine,
Lindos detalhes capturados estão com uma definição muito boa , gostei muito das cores, parabéns!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

supi4u (601) 2010-01-29 6:11

Hi Kristine

Excellent portrait good use of a shallow dof. The photo control here at the right moment. Excellent exposure and strong color detailing. well done.
-Supriya

delpeoples (60342) 2010-01-29 6:38

Hi Kristine, between you and Reeed I'm having a ball travelling all over South and Central America! This is an excellent portrait, the people from this region are so full of character and life. I don't often see portraits from you and see that you're every bit as good at them as you are with your landscapes and your abstracts. I love the light shining off this lady's face and the tight cropping, it really is an excellent photo, congratulations. Hugs, Lisa

BennyV (34748) 2010-01-29 6:43

This is an important picture for me, Kristine. As you probably know, I am both a foodie traveller and very much into China (a wonderful combination). Well, next big summer trip, we've decided to try somethin' else and fly off to Mexico. Trying a very different cuisine will be one of the things we'll look forward to, so this is a good, though unfortunately only visual, taster. I expect we'll see similar scenes in southern Mexico.

Benny

PS: The Latvian maize fun fact is a real treat!

rlrad (1845) 2010-01-29 7:24

Good Morning Kristine!

This one is great! The colors, the focus, the warm tones of the lady's skin, the plate of warm tortillas. Just wonderful. You really put that 50mm to good use.

I know I need a prime lens - have you used the 35mm 1.8? I would like to compare it to the 50mm.

Anyway, I really like this one!

TFS,
Reed

jwmunro (286) 2010-01-29 7:51

Hello Kristine -

Excellent environmental portrait of the tortilla cooker. The natural lighting works very well and you captured the moment perfectly. Well seen and presented.

Thank you for sharing.

John

Wandering_Dan (3449) 2010-01-29 8:40

Hi, Kristine -

Is she working with her eyes closed? Great handling of a very shallow DoF (f1.8!), the colors are strong, and her right arm shapes a good diagonal.

Best,
Dan

eversmile (11636) 2010-01-29 15:27

Hi Kristine

I like very much the warmth of the colors, specially the orange and purple that match so well together. Your close POV creates an intimate atmosphere, which is very appealing. The tight framing in square is effective and stylish, and, however we were not used to this kind of shots from your part; I have to say that I am agreeably surprised by the result. Congratulations.
Regards
Marine

emka (158204) 2010-01-30 23:59

Hi Cristine,

Another Chichicastenango shot! Typical Maya face of the woman and splendid colourful dress. Nice scene. And tortilllas with something inside - why not...

regards

Malgorzata

danos (110407) 2010-01-31 0:30

Hi Kristine,
So 32 tortillas for a 1 US dollar! Very cheap indeed and of course an interest transaction. Lovely snapshot with the woman and her fried tortillas in action.I like her colourful dress,as the close up portrait which is full of life and action.Well done.

Regards,Danos

baba_flies (8829) 2010-01-31 3:14

Hello Kristine! It IS the food - among other things - that makes me want to travel, trying out the different dishes and spices (and yes also in the States despite the fact that everybody says that you do not eat well ... but you can; okay not like in Italy, I agree, and it is not France either ...). This is a very fine picture and you are right in the middle of all the preparations. And it is THESE colors that brings you into the right swing and that makes you want to salsa and dance around, and you want to try these tiny torillas and I bet they are very good, I have no doubts. You are our kitchen spy ... sometimes cooks don't like that :))) Have a nice Sunday, it snows ... Barbara.

mark_mk (266) 2010-01-31 4:10

Hi Kristine,
a great portrait of this lady, the f/1.8 looks very nice, leaving just the most important parts of the image in focus. Great portrait of everyday life, love the different colors of their clothes!
Oh, and I`m not very good at math, but if I´m right it´s 32 tortillas for 1 Dollar, jesus! :)

Take care
Mark

sayeed_rahman (6461) 2010-01-31 6:26

Great use of natural light Kristine, you have chased the colours in this series, you cropped here but with this whole people and daily life photography one has to stick to the 3:2 ratio of the frame..i too sometimes struggle to frame it right in the viewfinder, if not i make it a point to crop it keeping the ratio in mind. Moreover, i think the strongest shots on people in a scene have to be in that ratio, i look through the photos on NG, TIME, news papers etc, it always follows the rule..

there was a good writeup on the frame being that ratio, i will forward it to your ID..

take care

sayeed

bostankorkulugu (42866) 2010-02-01 14:06

hey i ve missed many... and this one is not to miss... with the light, with the colours...and with the flavours >:D...

kisses

K

sevy (58) 2010-02-02 5:25

Hello Kristine,

I like a lot the soft an indirect lightning with a good rendering on the face of the lady.
The composition is nice in this square frame with each important elements at the right place.
Due to the background color in TE, when you use white frame, it is better to add a small black stripe of 1 pixel to make the border. The impact is huge.

Yves.

jjcordier (79299) 2010-02-03 5:20

Kristine
Très beau portrait-scène de vie. La lumière est sublime et le cadrage excellent....et quelles couleurs! Splendide
Amicalement
JJ

marietom (34611) 2010-02-15 12:27

hello Kristine,

superbe composition, de cette belle scène de vie quotidienne. C'est joliment coloré aussi.
Bonne soirée
Marie

Waylim (25436) 2010-03-02 9:10

I misread your title, and I thought you said "Last" Tortillas, and I think, better be quick before someone grab that last one :) But than you said "last" tortillas are being constantly made...So that mean it's always fresh :)
Anyway, a fine shot of the local activities and food is the most important of it all, it's one of the most exciting thing about travellin sometimes is to taste the local food.
Way

batalay (41261) 2010-03-11 22:05

Hello Kristine,

I thought I had commented on this lovely close-up shot of the Maya woman making tortias in the famous Chichicatenango (I remember seeing photos of the town in a National Geographic issue in the mid-70s). It's a photo worthy of the NGS.

Warm regards,

Bulent