Waiting for a thirsty tourist, a photo from Siem Reab, West

Photographer's Note

This photo was taken in the temple ruin known as Bakong within the Angkor Wat complex. Bakong was constructed in the late 9th Century under the instruction of King Indravarman I.

Many young children work within the ruins of Angkor Wat. It's sad because many of these children should be studying at school or else playing and just enjoying the freedom of being a child. Instead every day they are trying to earn money for their family by selling postcards, drinks and small trinkets to the visiting tourists. I know that many families just do not feel they have the choice and that they have no alternative but to send their children out to help earn some money but it is sad to see it, especially when children as young as 2 or 3 years of age are wandering around on their own clutching a few grubby postcards in their hands.

This girl was waiting just inside the entrance to Bakong temple with her little brother to sell bottles of mineral water and cans of coke to thirsty tourists.

I cropped the image on the right-hand side to improve the composition and added a small frame in Photoshop, otherwise the photo is as taken.

Regards,

Rich

teutza, tomauer, twilight, arhangel, MLINES, Leilani, balatrek heeft deze opmerking als nuttig gemarkeerd

Critiques | Translate

rajhema (1873) 2007-04-04 7:16

Very touching comments and a fantastic narration Richard.

Sharp and well presented.
Cheers
Rajesh

Oceanodesol (0) 2007-04-04 7:45

I love the way the girl stares at you , her dark big eyes and her pose and look , leaning her shoulder to the column which appears neat , sharp with all the details . It all contrasts with the difused blurred background what helps to emphasize the main subject(our princess) embedded in the middle of the composition in diagonal , that little girl and her story , common stories about tourism , richness(wealth) and poverty(impoverishment) ...injustices that put my guts in a rare shape . Touching and wonderful at the same time .The picture is a real gem . Thanks for showing it

teutza (10590) 2007-04-04 8:02

HY Richard,
this is a lovely little girl ..indeed she should be in school..:(
good moment u cought!
good frame
teo

morning-dew (1794) 2007-04-04 8:05

Veru good shot...
The most off all please me her eyes.

Colors, contrast, deep off the sharpness are superb,
i like it

Svillegas (1169) 2007-04-04 8:27

Great shot, good POV, sharpness and composition.

scalerman (26900) 2007-04-04 8:35

Richard: this is a fine travel portrait - a perfect companion to your note. Great sharpness and realistic colour. regards, c

CHInCu_TTHP (34) 2007-04-04 8:37

Great photojournalisnm piece & accompanied notes!
Well done, Rich.

tomauer (316) 2007-04-04 9:17

Very good, You really caught the atmosphere.. Very nice note, Sadly i see the similar thing too much in my country.
Thanks for sharing

twilight (42) 2007-04-04 9:31

nice photo but distressing history

PeterDF (421) 2007-04-04 10:07

A very beautiful shot here...and you've caught her in a great pose, too. I've never visited this site, but from all the posts and photographs I've seen, it strikes me at how beautiful and photogenic the children are. It's also sad to read the notes of how many children depend on the tourists for money each day. Her face really captures the essence of this place.

TravelerNL (3011) 2007-04-04 18:30

Hello Richard,
A very good and well composed portrait of this girl.
Good colors, many architectural details and very sharp.
Well done,
Harko

faubry (35447) 2007-04-06 4:52

hello Richard, very sad history and sad life.... here a beutiful portrait , pitty for she. have a good day
francine

MLINES (12516) 2007-04-23 18:37

Hi Richard. Good capture of the reality for many in developing countries. Looking relaxed or resigned i wonder. Good portrait. TFS. Murray.

kinginexile (2598) 2007-05-09 18:43

Beautiful, she has a great posture, very relaxed against the sturdy stonework, the white shirt could have been an image breaker, but works here very well as an extra volume of primary hue, and the exposure is adequate. The aperture could have been slightly wider, to blur the front column a bit more... Or not. As it is, it's a wonderful scene.

PS: reading your note, I want to say that these "temple" children often work half a day, and go to school the other half.

Leilani (1385) 2007-05-10 5:46

What a beautiful young girl, with such a sad expression. Excellent portrait, the clarity and light are good. Good cropping too.

michel_r (1118) 2007-05-11 19:30

I very much like this picture, quite sharp on the eyes with reflection... it does stare at you. I was wondering if it would be worthwhile to have it more focused on the face... but probably not. To find a criticism, i wish you could have kept more details on the shirt, probably doable if you shot raw. The picture's definitely worth it.
Also, i was reading your intro. Love the idea of this one year trip...
amicalement, michel

balatrek (7455) 2007-06-07 16:52

Hi Richard,

Excellent portrait, the face of this girl is very expressive and full of beauty, the scene has a perfect light, smooth and well balanced, a moment simple but of great naturalness. Great shot.

Regards
José