Temple gossip, a photo from Bagmati, Central

Photographer's Note

I took this photograph of some women having an afternoon gossip one day when I was at the Swayambhunath temple on the western outskirts of Kathmandu. This is one of those temples where a keen photographer can spend a whole day exploring the nooks and crannies and finding lots of interesting detail to photograph. This was taken on the walkway around the Great Stupa - its Buddha eyes is probably the most recognisable symbol of Nepal (images of this stupa have been posted to TrekEarth many times before so I won’t post another, but I have placed a small snapshot in the workshop in case you are not familiar with this symbol).

The Swayambhunath temple is locally known as the ‘monkey temple’ because there are hundreds of monkeys living in and around the temple and on the hill that you have to climb to reach the stupa. There are many small shrines around the Great Stupa as well as lines of prayer wheels and stone carvings like the one on the right hand side of this picture.

I was going to crop this very slightly at the top and right, but then I noticed an interesting looking mask in the top right hand corner of the frame, so I decided to leave that there (I hadn’t noticed it when taking the photograph). The only PP with this one was an increase in contrast and sharpening.

david, ChrisJ, cjmm, saamb, aloyho, sarju, fireflyz, capthaddock heeft deze opmerking als nuttig gemarkeerd

Critiques | Translate

david (3992) 2006-02-15 9:13

i like your framing here david, because you've included the small statuette on the right to balance the women ... so the photo has a nice feel about it.

i didn't see the black mask at first ... only after reading your note! so i agree with your decision not to crop the shot. actually, i don't think it needed cropping either way!

this is a nice view of daily life. good shot!

feather (51130) 2006-02-16 7:10

Excellent daily life shot with plenty of surrounding detail. I paricularly enjoy the expression on the face of the woman in yellow.
Kath

kensimage (8563) 2006-02-16 11:45

Very well seen, David--this identifies you as one of those keen photographers you mention. It's nice that the women are making clear eye contact with one another, to establish a connection. All those colors contrast nicely with the worn building. Regards, Ken.

ChrisJ (171818) 2006-02-19 4:05

Hi David

A superb daily life shot from Kathmanndu. I like the colorful saris that the women are wearing. Good sharpness & pov. Tfs!

dsidwell (9783) 2006-02-19 22:59

This is fantastic, David! The four women chatting are engaging in and of themselves, but add the Buddha figure at right, and he looks like he's listening in! I love it!

cjmm (4479) 2006-02-20 8:22

Hi David,

I like very much the two different parts in your photo, the gossiping group on the left and the figure on the right, separated by the standing woman.

The colors and contrast are very good!

Best regards,
Carlos

klennon79 (0) 2006-02-20 11:17

Beautiful, vibrant colors. Great textures and detail as well. It is a very nice capture David! I wonder what they are talking about :)

saamb (1008) 2006-02-20 14:07

thank you for this nice photo, women's sit method and colorful dress is very interesting for me. thanks for note too.
SAAM

john_c (24666) 2006-02-24 17:52

Hi David,
A colourful, clear and crisp shot that captures this interesting moment in time. The expressions of the women and their various attire really captivate here and one almost reaches to turn a volume knob to listen in to the gossip. I especially like the balance you have achieved with the background images. Very fine work, David.
John

devimeuxbe (58557) 2006-02-25 1:51

Hi David
charming scene swith theses womens talking together. It's colorfull
Well done
Bertrand

aloyho (6798) 2006-02-26 8:47

Hi David,
A wonderful shot of these ladies engrossed in their conversation. I like their expression and how they are not the least aware of you taking the shot. The different postures also add to the beauty of this composition and so is the addition of the statue to the right. The colours are most natural and pleasant as a result of your good exposure. Splendid shot!! Have a nice day.

prumod (8300) 2006-02-27 10:15

hi david
it's a very different one... you could capture this nice moments with pindrop silence... i remember lot of daily events in tamilnadu from henk jacobs....
regards
pramod

sarju (5324) 2006-03-01 15:24

Hi David
I love the simple natural mood in this photo and your very rich composition.
I like the work you have done here
tfs ... regards ... sarju

InasiaJones (31566) 2006-03-10 8:27

Hi David,

I really like this capture of everyday life. It’s even more interesting when your subjects are not aware of your presence and are consequently more natural.

Colours, contrast and cropping are impeccable.

I’m not only jealous of your talent but also of all the countries you’ve visited! The map on your intro is almost all yellow... Come visit Canada and you’ll have a new big patch of mustard to cover your map.

I’m a new member and I have to catch up with all these nice photos on this site. I will look with great interest at yours.

André

fireflyz (2097) 2006-03-10 20:56

Hi David,
Their natural expression is just great! Like they never saw you (and probably didn't). great DL post and as usual an interesting note to read.
Cheers,
Skye

capthaddock (28790) 2006-03-23 9:59

Hi David - the women are perfectly placed in the frame, their colourful fabric makes a fine contrast with the gray stone, the mask is indeed interesting, I wouln't have noticed it without the note, adds a somewhat tibetan or polynesian touch.

elmec (12210) 2006-03-25 15:56 [Comment]