Body Ghats, a photo from Tamil Nadu, South

Photographer's Note

Back to the Dhobi Ghats (the place where the cloth washing is done), afternoon in Trichy.

You first saw the front, here's now a rear view, including the same person and the colorful saris.

Dhobi activities might not build the most feminine bodies, though I'm sure she didn't need any steroids to get that olympic swimmer back.

quillo, atlantida, Rinie_Hoff, AnimeshRay, thea0211, Brian, brevbrev14, broglia, luisafonso, eleparc heeft deze opmerking als nuttig gemarkeerd

Critiques | Translate

Furachan (0) 2007-05-19 7:11

That is simply sensational, Luko - way beyond documentation toward a nigh abstract world...certain painters come to mind, including Matisse and David Hockney, yes...and a touch of Dali in the compo and use of color.
Ballsy stuff, strong, STRONG work.
Bravo,
-F

partha (14023) 2007-05-19 7:32

Hi Luko,
Creative crop. The composition looks brilliant as well as the colour combination in it.
Regards.
partha

atlantida (2323) 2007-05-19 7:36

Hello Luko,
It does look like a painting in thumbnail view and made me wonder: What is that? I love the simplicity here, towels spread all around and compactness in colors is amazing. This strange body in front is really flavoring here, I don't like it as a body though:) I really like it.
Regards,
Gordana

quillo (11858) 2007-05-19 7:41

-

Hello Luko:

Congratulations for this imaginative photo
and of good taste, for the colors and the
forms do of this simple composition a good
work and that I like.

Well seen friend.

Regards from Spain.

-

nico51 (274) 2007-05-19 8:07

Hi Luko,
La composition est étonnante, j'aurai aimé voir le haut du corps de la femme.
La photo reste dynamique.
Bravo!
Nicolas

delkoo (68) 2007-05-19 8:48

bonjour luko
cette photo degage un erotisme toride, le bas du dos entrain de se devoiler est vraiment tres attirant....
sans parler des couleurs chaudes qui rehaussent cette sensation.

didier

Rinie_Hoff (9340) 2007-05-19 9:08

I remember the photo you are referring to. The woman and her laugh impressed me. She looks like a very strong woman, physically at least, a sports woman, with strong arms and back. And your processing, the shiny brown and the red shirt immeidately reminded me of Line's photo, although there's much more noise of course, but the crop and the colors are quite similar.
Wonderful crop, I love those two legs at the far end.

chicken (1557) 2007-05-19 9:50

Creative and thought-provoking framing. I start to think about how the people relate to the cloth. I also like the abstract geometric forms and bright colors.

Darren (6823) 2007-05-19 10:17

Hi Luko. The colors and the lines are really great here and I also think that it is proof that good photos can be taken in bright, harsh light if you choose your subject well enough. Two things that do catch my eye though. First is whatever is at the bottom of the frame; it is just a little too obvious for my tastes. Second is that you have focused on the blue saree on the same rather than the woman and although she is still fairly sharp, I notice that she isn't really completely in focus. The pair of feet in the background is great.

AnimeshRay (9089) 2007-05-19 10:24

This is one amazing shot, Luko! You have modeled her like a torso from the Louvre, as it were...brilliant crop, abstract, a celebration of the human form and of color. Bravo!

[I now read Darren's comment above, but disagree. I think the feet add a striking naturalism, and also the slight soft focus on the torso is more a help than a hindrance. If sharper it would lose its 'museum' quality I refer to above, IMHO

thea0211 (1365) 2007-05-19 10:26

the bright colors and geometrical straitgh(ish) shapes atract the eye even from thumbnail view - once meeting the larger size, the eye stops and ask: what???

very imaginative crop - the abstract looking image makes one wonder and puts imagination to work :) - nice analogy between the soft human skin texture and the soft fabric texture - the presence of feet in the background looks like some sort of continuation to the body in the foreground ... truly: pieces of human body spread over the canvas in an elaborate and geometrical fashion - among very neatly placed pieces of vividly colored fabric - creative indeed: congrats, luko!

dora

sayan (2617) 2007-05-19 10:53

Hi Luko,

Brilliant crop! Just wonderful. Lovely colours. Perfect!

regards

Sayan

dumanica (5071) 2007-05-19 11:25

intresting and beautiful comp. TFS Duman:)

zig (2456) 2007-05-19 11:48

"she didn't need any steroids to get that olympic swimmer back"...that sounds pitty but that's the truth with the work. Surprising documents on washwomen. I actually wouldn't think of taking her back to indicate that fact. That's what different eyes can do on the same subject. Nice work!

Galeota (10352) 2007-05-19 12:00

Donc tu es sorti vendredi soir et tu t'es procuré des champignons psychédéliques dont l'effet se prolonge durant tout le weekend. Autant j'aime beaucoup cette expérimentation pour laquelle j'ai du mettre mes lunettes de soleil à indice de protection UV élevé, autant je reste sur ma soif en matière de composition. Je ne sais pas ce qu'il y avait dans l'original, mais j'aurais apprécié un complément, ailleurs dans le cadre, à ce dos magnifique.

Brian (3) 2007-05-20 3:00

Very bright vibrant colors Luko! The crop is great in my opinion. The womans back is ripped! Look at her solid skin tone, exotic and even sexy. You know this photo is just something else... I think she should be a part of the Pondicherry rescue team rather than that uniformed gentleman in your previous posts.

Superb!
Brian

P.S. This is a favorite for me..

bfly (5775) 2007-05-20 17:23

hi Luko,
like Darren, I am not very comfortable with the line at the bottom, but I loved it within my uncomfort :)..
I like the strong colors, lovely tones of her body (I mean muscle tones :) that are enhanced by whatever she is doing...very good composition..
I also like it, as it reminded me of some of your once-upon-a-time-TL photos...
best
fusun

PeterC (2242) 2007-05-21 0:40

Luko,
Wow in your face colours! I love the crop especially with the feet and torso. It make for a very strong and vibrant shot!
Cheers
Peter

brevbrev14 (140) 2007-05-21 4:14

Hi Luko, a think to a beautiful graphic impact in this image!! :))
the position of the women is fantastic like your crop here..
Excellent work again!
ciao!
Valeria

luisafonso (862) 2007-05-21 5:26

A crop... Hate crops... Hate 4x3... Love 35mm...
This one is all about colors. But I guess you already know that by now. Like the warm toning and its coherence all around. Very appropriate for a beach shot. The way the saris are so well place is also very good too; It adds a graphical layer that it's very interesting. Seeing that naked waist and trunk is a bit strange but acts as a clear sign that these women really take a lot of sun. I guess solariums are not very popular around this place. The lonely legs on the right are my favorite element.

vapours (8264) 2007-05-21 8:11

Cant say this one works for me sorry mate, with the exclusion of the head I'm a bit confused as to what Im supposed to be looking at. The colours look good, but the scene itself isn't working for me.

dilane (861) 2007-05-22 3:35

hi luko
original centring with very contrast and beautiful colours like that I have seem in varanasi in april
sorry today I use all my points but I think for your picture 2 points
regards dilane

RGatward (20108) 2007-05-27 9:17

Must be hard to find something new to do with this scene, but you've managed it here, even down to leaving what would normally be the subject, slightly OoF, leading to concentrate on the fabrics. V nice work.

Standa (1877) 2007-05-27 9:22

Hi Luko,
I like this shot. Unusual composition remindes me from the first look some pictures and photos of 60th and 70th.
I was thinking about Darrens crituque - I agree with his technical notices BUT thank´s to this focus looks this photo not like a document but like art.
Best regards,
Stanislav

s10001in (0) 2007-05-28 3:29

Luko

More the paiting & lesser the Photo.
Full with feminity...
This is CLASS........
Hats off..
-Regards,

sidstakes (772) 2007-05-30 9:35

Hi Luko! I've been wanting to say how amazing this shot is, etc. etc. but in the end...this photograph only allows me to gawk at it in silent wonder...it's a striking photograph to say the least... :)
Regards,
Siddhartha

nicoz (1979) 2007-06-05 6:25

Salut Luko,
Ca fait plusieurs fois que je reviens sur celle-la. Et je la trouve bizarre. Format bizarre, texture bizarre, couleurs bizarres.
Mais elle est esthetique, erotique avec ces fesses qu'on devine bien musclees et ces couleurs chaudes, ces saris etales etc...

En meme temps il y a tjs ces couleurs criardes, cette femme dont le visage est cache, qui semble se rhabiller, un photo prise de dos, avec un truc flou au premier plan paparazzi style, et ce cote la me plait moins.
Le corps sans tete ne me derange pas tant que ca a priori, ca laisse libre court a l'imagination, c'est peut etre la le pblm ;-) (je devine que la tete n'etait pas aussi sensuelle que le reste...)
Bizarre cette photo... En tous cas, elle me fait cogiter et j'aime bien ca.
Nicolas

recepyuksel (18640) 2007-06-05 15:26 [Comment]

Show Comment

prantik (1136) 2007-06-07 7:43

Luko

I loved this picture when I first saw it but did not have much new to add after all the comments. I came back to leave a comment/request about another picture. Prodded by Francis I checked out your "tribute to women of india" gallery on PBASE. That's an absolutely superb body of work. The women in the streets and the ghats and the temples of India inspiring your lenses which channel light to your films and CCD and your cortex, as the women of Tahiti inspired Gaugin's canvas. I like this shot, howevere, the one just before this one on PBASE ("Hold") is even more stunning and probably the best in the "ghat" series. There is an uncanny resemblane of the woman in yellow on the right with the striking older gentleman whose picture you took outside some temple which promted me think of Goy. He was also wearing a blazinng yellow robe, had long flowing hair and somewhat mythical physical appearence as if they are related two tragic charatcters from Mahabharata or Ramayana. You should upload that on TE.

Best
Prantik

eleparc (24063) 2007-06-09 6:35

elle a qqchose de sexy cette photo, peut etre le bas du dos...? ;-) oups! les couleurs sont un peu surexpo mais le jeu des lignes font oublié cet aspect et au finish je trouve que c'est une photo qui a du punch et de la personnalité! bravo!
voted!
Eric

photographer123 (6248) 2007-06-10 3:30

hi..
its just wonderful..color..composition ..everything r well..best wishes..subir

ayansadhu (1502) 2008-02-20 19:23

Excellent composition with the colors
the intelligent crop
the balance of the elements
& the warmer tone
all in nice harmony to make create a master photographer's impression

DavorSt (123) 2008-12-31 2:09