Apsara's Distant Gaze, a photo from Siem Reab, West

Photographer's Note

Apsara Dancer of Cambodia

The ancient Apsaras live on in sculptures on the many temple walls in Cambodia and in the lives of the Khmer people.

The Apsara's trademark : voluptuous curves and innocent gaze can transport the viewer to this bygone era. The gestures of the Apsaras come alive through the carvings on the wall and ensure their legacy is passed on from one generation to another.

We observed that on stage when the curtain opened, the Apsara dancers stood in the same stance as the Apsara sculptures. Then they danced and at the end of which, the dancers wrapped in the same stance as the Apsara sculptures once again.

In the past, the Apsara dance was an unique form of dancing reserved only for special events and ordinary people were rarely able to watch it, but now everyone can watch the Apsara dancing live on stage (though the mediocrity has crept in into this art form)

An enduring symbol that still enchants people through the centuries and inspires some to attempt to replicate their perfection. The celestial dancers represent an undeniable window into the past- proving to be much, much more than a simple dance routine. Their skill and beauty outshines their more static stone counterparts - who they themselves strive to imitate.

I think I would have taken this shot in the split second, when she was not in dance motion. Her brooding eyes are really beautiful!

F Length = 432 mm
Hand held.

feather, Gerrit, robob, batalay, Dpbours, Vato_Law, emjleclercq, ChrisJ, vincz, papagolf21, pierrefonds, riclopes, siolaw, Budapestman, subhendu_bagchi heeft deze opmerking als nuttig gemarkeerd

Critiques | Translate

feather (51130) 2008-03-08 6:03

She is indeed a very beautiful woman. You timed your shot to perfection while she was still as there is no movement that I can detect. You did very well to hold the camera still with such a long focal length. The wide aperture you chose has thrown the background totally out of focus, ensuring minimal distractions for her beauty. Well done
Kath

Gerrit (62042) 2008-03-08 6:35

Hi Angshu,
Stately portrait of this beautiful lady in her outstanding dress and hat. Fantastic colours and light.
Regards,Gerrit

robob (3648) 2008-03-08 8:14

Hello Angshuman,
Quelle lumière !
Quelles couleurs !
Quelle netteté !
Une image exceptionnelle !
Félicitations !
Amicalement,
Robert

davide (1182) 2008-03-08 8:42

Hello Angshuman,
pity is not possible give more then 2 scores, this photo need more! A great portrait, interesting image, a very precise & compleate explaination!
Thankyou for share,
Davide

ndb1958 (9289) 2008-03-08 9:21

Very nice shot, Angshu. Colours and light are very good. Very nice portrait of the Asian lady. You were ready just in the right moment. Have a nice weekend, Nino.

carper (96) 2008-03-08 10:05

a beauty Angshuman,
she is a beauty and your photo is a beauty, very good portrait and good light and sharpnes, very good photojob here, well dine, have a nice weekend.
gr. jaap

leo61 (0) 2008-03-08 11:24

Hi Angshu!
I like the warm light and the nice skin tones here.
She is a real Beauty.
Nice dark background with the green and blue lights.
Regards,Leo

batalay (41261) 2008-03-08 14:53

Hello Mr. B,

You have just shown that you are an extraordinary glamor photographer, producing this genuinely beautiful photograph of the young woman. The light management, timing, composition, colors — all have collaborated. The shallow depth of field is ideal, with nothing in the background to detract.
well done! Yes, and the Cambodian dancer is spectacular.

Warm regards,

Bulent

Dpbours (222) 2008-03-09 13:33

Hello Angshu,

Very nice portrait you're sharing here! And a very good note to learn a bit about the history of the culture and how it is still used today. Nice!
I did add a workshop in which I played a bit with the light and sharpness, but I like your posting as is!

Greetings,
Dennis

[workshop] [compare] +

Vato_Law (12732) 2008-03-09 14:14

Hello Angshuman,
Man, you must be an ice block to be able to shoot at this focal length and have this sharpness:) Anyway I like to look at her glance and kind of hidden smile which creates some mistery here.
The way she dettached from the background and the smooth colours of it (background) are very nice too.
Cheers.
Paulo

emjleclercq (15778) 2008-03-09 23:37

Very nice portrait in adverse light conditions, with great sharpness of the face which is the most important. The gold jewels are perhaps less sharp, but it is not a problem since their purpose is only decoration from the start!

All the best,

Emmanuel

Graal (103040) 2008-03-09 23:55

Hi Angshuman,
very nice portrait, amazing costume, kind face of pretty woman. I like the colours and DOF also. An interesting note.
Gr., Aleksander

ChrisJ (172378) 2008-03-10 0:51

Hi Angshu

A good portrait of the Apsara dancer from Cambodia. Wonderful colour, and perfect dof. Tfs!

vincz (19113) 2008-03-10 1:36

Beautiful portrait with such fabulous light and colors. i love the background with the lights over the black. Excellent work.

papagolf21 (152607) 2008-03-10 2:51

Bonjour, mon bon ami Angshu,
Vous avez fait parler d'une merveilleuse façon cette beauté ! Quel magnifique portrait !
Une image très soignée comme d'habitude.
Félicitations.
Amitiés.
Philippe

pierrefonds (115462) 2008-03-10 4:04

Hi Angshuman,

A nice portrait of the beautiful Apsara dancer. She has a fix expression when you took the photo. The point of view is showing the details and colors of the dancer and of her costume. the subject is well framed. Have a nice dya.

Pierre

riclopes (35577) 2008-03-10 4:19

Olá Angshu, looking at this wonderful portrait I give you the credit of having the most unshaking hands of all times :) It's amazing the details seen here, considering you used the long zoom and low shutter speed. She's gorgeous as a queen and your shot is really good. Great pose and effective contrasts with the background. Congratulations.
Friendly regards,
ricardo

jonathan_hart (21276) 2008-03-10 9:55

well framed and well spoted, warm colours on the model and interesting blue and green BG, very good looking and successful portrait
regards
jo

Bluejeans (64251) 2008-03-10 12:25

Ola Angshuman ,
Que retracto lindo ,ela é muito bonita bons detalhes boa luz, parabéns!!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

crckt (7222) 2008-03-10 14:58

Hi Angshuman,
Fantastic expression, captured quite wonderfully. Like the smoothness in the shot, your zoom is really excellent.
Regards,
Shaeri

siolaw (38294) 2008-03-10 23:11

Hi Angshu,
An SE Asian dancer, like my last post! ;D...
She has all the features of a Khmer beauty, with beautiful attire and lovely face.
Light and colors are good and you attained reasonable sharpness, onsidering it is hand held at 430mm!
Best regards
Laurent
All flights to Myanmar full, we have to fly business class!

sayat (2949) 2008-03-11 9:35

Dear Angshu,
This is a perfect capture of the amazing beauty and dignity. Your hend held shot is beyond belief at 1/40 sec.!! Bravo!

Stepan (27210) 2008-03-12 0:24

She is simply beautiful and lovely. I think I'm falling in love...
Very well captured and done, with warm colors and despite the hard conditions you may have had (and an impressive sharpness).
Stéphane

John_F_Kennedy (43797) 2008-03-12 5:28

I saw a show in Laos, it was so great. Wonderful photo with great colours and lighting. Very nice.
Best wishes,
Achim

noborders (1010) 2008-03-12 6:04

This is a fantastic portrait, Angshuman, not only the light (and the festive colours, also in the BG) but first of course, the person herself and like you write in your title, her gaze, distant but I also see in it assurance and serenity - what a beautiful sight !
Compliments,
Best regards,
Cath.

everlasting (19978) 2008-03-12 9:07

What a steady hand you must have, it paid off, I see no movement at all. The light and colours are wonderfully flattering for her and the bokeh makes a lovely undistracted background.

pboehringer (770) 2008-03-14 18:29

Angshu,
my first impression was WOW what a nice portrait with a magical blurred background, but then the lack of ultimate sharpness made my enthusiasm drop somewhat. After reading your note that you used a fl of 432mm at 1/40s my respect raised again. Man, that is almost unbelievable!
Peter

Merline (0) 2008-03-15 5:57

Angshu, this is great great work ! My, at 1/40 and the fl handheld this quality, a firm grip you have :-)
It's a magical mood, something hieratic yet very sensuous here, the warm glowing colors are just beautiful, look at that lipstick, the misty dark eyes, the background is also glowing with lovely shades. You mastered the light perfectly in my opinion. My compliments!

TFS
Best-
Michèle

Budapestman (82620) 2008-03-25 1:50

Dear Angshu,
Amazing portrait with splendid composition, I like the rich and decorative details and the beautiful soft lights. Great!
Have a nice day
George

AnaFrantz (636) 2008-03-26 6:27

Briliant portrait! Her beuty is amaizing!
Thanks for sharing
Carpe Diem

jafadabret (56501) 2008-04-22 10:54

Hi Angshu.
C'est un très beau portrait avec une belle lumière qui modèle le visage. Les couleurs et la netteté sont au top.
Belle réalisation !
Jacques

subhendu_bagchi (26091) 2009-11-12 3:15

Namaskar Angshu da,
it is really a great photo of your gallery. The Apsara dancer looks so nice with all her ornaments. Those are really glittering. Nice focusing. Depth and light is great here. Composition in vertical format is a great idea. Very well done. Tfs.
Asadharon.
Regards
Subhendu