Ramakien, a photo from Bangkok, Central

Photographer's Note

The Ramayana, which can be translated from the original Sanskrit as the glory of Rama' tells the story of a mythical Prince Rama who appears in the tale as an incarnation the Hindu god Vishnu. Scholars debate how the Ramayana reached Thailand, but influences of the tale are found in bas-relief sculpture as early as he 13th century. Indeed the Thai king credited with developing the Thai writing system took his royal appellation from the tale.

It was, however, the current Dynasty that truly elevated the Ramakien to a Thai national epic and art form. Ramakien is literally, the worship of Rama in Thai. The work in verse commissioned and supervised by the new king, now' known as Rama I (reigned 1782-1809) was completed in 1798. It was twice the length of the Ramayana of Valmiki, and included references to the flora, fauna, geography and social customs of Thailand. This literary endeavor marks the transition from an Indian art form used in Thailand to a truly local creation. To enhance its popularity among the general population even further, the tale emphasized humorous and amorous behavior on the part of Hanuman, Rama's monkey warrior. The tragic ending of the original story was changed to allow Rama and his faithful wife to live, after many trials and tribulations, happily ever after.

ktanska, Wahclellaspirit, SnapRJW, jlbrthnn, jlbrthnn, Atousa, Angshu, xuaxo, Waylim heeft deze opmerking als nuttig gemarkeerd

Critiques | Translate

ricochet (9716) 2011-08-12 13:31

Hello Pat
A very nice picture from the ramayana, well managed light, excellent clarity, nice attitude and perfect framing.
Congrats
Best regards
Eric

bantonbuju (51815) 2011-08-12 13:43

cool!...
what like most is that you managed to "pack" yhose observers between the dancer's hands... fantastic light on the model...

good photo, very...

best wishes, jerzy

ktanska (45126) 2011-08-12 13:48

Hi Pat,
Excellent portrait. That sidelight works well. The posture looks frozen and is well timed. And there is some subtle humour on how the background spectator is surrounded by her hands.

eldancer1 (36343) 2011-08-12 13:53

Excellent capture of this dancer! Good lighting and good dof with nice details. Wonderful colors. Well done, tfs.

Wahclellaspirit (4125) 2011-08-12 14:22

Hello Pat,

A beautiful model as well as the image with its perfect exposure and depth. A well worth event to be one in the audience of Thailand's past.
Great work...
Steve

sandpiper (6788) 2011-08-12 17:44

Hi Pat

Beautiful shot of this classic dance. you were lucky to find somewhere where you could shoot these dancers. Great portrait with excellent detail and sharpness.

Chris

prasun984 (5590) 2011-08-12 22:45

very good portrait shot of this beautiful lady with wearing nice costume ...love her expression & light management...

good exposure value,warm color tone & sharpness...

Very good low light photography with good informative Note...have a great weekend...

Prasun

GREGG (7888) 2011-08-12 23:00

Hi Pat,
very nice composition with the group observers Between the dancer's hands,a good shot!
Enjoy,
Greg

SnapRJW (31631) 2011-08-13 1:01

Hello Pat - A clever and successful composition. The positioning of the dancer is very good and here we see her hands, which are such an important aspect of Thai dance, elegantly flexed and framing the softly-focused viewers. A lovely shot, well done. best regards Rosemary

samson (2250) 2011-08-13 1:21

Hello Pat

A great submission from you on the Queens's Birthday. The dance seemed to had the mesmerising effect on the lady spectator

regards
sam

jlbrthnn (76043) 2011-08-13 2:58

Hello Pat,
The darkness of the background brings to light the grace of this magnificent dancer. This beautiful young woman is perfectly congealed in a very elegant typical attitude. The light, the colors, the neatness are excellent. Congratulations.
Have a nice day
Cordially
Joël

Atousa (7131) 2011-08-13 7:26

Salam Pat,

A very nice composition, great timing n excellent colors n light management in this shot.. interesting details as well.. beautifully captured.. tfs
Best regards, Atousa

jemaflor (148368) 2011-08-15 9:31

Hi Pat,
good angle and lovely dancer, good attitude and position for the arms, good sharpness and light, tfs.

Angshu (56760) 2011-08-16 21:00

Hello Pat
You have captured the grace of the dancer very well. Her poise with her fingers, her face with a hint of the smile, the good focus on her & the dark BG brings her out very well. Where did you see the performance...Siam Centre?
Best Regards
Angshu

danyy (0) 2011-08-24 12:20

Bonjour Pat,
totale réussite, surtout dans les lumières si finement capturées. Le cadrage en décentré et laissant du champ devant la danseuse est bien pensé.
Beaucoup de grâce capturée.
J'aime beaucoup.
Amicalement.
Daniel.

xuaxo (6854) 2011-08-28 11:22

Olá Pat!
Very beautiful, almost perfect. I just don't like to see people in background.
SAA,
Francisco

Waylim (25436) 2011-09-03 0:45

Hi Pat,

It is a very beautiful shot of the Thai Traditional dancer, very elegant and exotic. consider the low light, you got really fantatic details and you are very close to the dancer. I also like how the elegant hands of the dancer, framing the face of the woman in the background so perfectly. whether you planned it that way or not it works out great.
Thanks, Pat.
Way

pablominto (53746) 2011-09-09 23:29

Hello Pat,

A charming lady with an impressive headgear..!
Storytelling by dance is a fine art, unfortunately I'm not one of those who can interpret this language hehehe...
The situation is well framed, showing a typical pose with fine details & colours!

Greetings,
Pablo -