Saturday, May 17, 2008

Real life experiences

...is the name of one category I am entering in a photo competition.

Needless to say, I have a surplus of such images (not to mention the experiences themselves).

Help me narrow them down.
Young monks dressed as the Cemetery Lords, Thiksey Monastery Cham dance, Ladakh 2007.
Newar Astamatrika dancer just before donning his mask and entering trance. Patan, Nepal 2006.

Some of these photos will be familiar to long-term viewers here. The deadline is 30 June.Ladakhi ladies serve tea at the Dalai Lama's teachings, Choglamsar Ladakh, 2007


Tibetan Buddhist nuns blindfolded for the Dalai Lama's Kalachakra initiation, Andhra Pradesh 2006. Rajasthani dancer and musicians visiting Nepal's Bhaktapur, 2006


My friend Mohanlal and a visitor at the inauguration of the new Murugan temple, Parayakadavu, Kerala. 2005
Washing the buffalo, Pune. 2005

Makar Sankranti musicians in the street, during the Kalachakra, Andhra Pradesh. 2006
Sadhu doing puja in the Ganges, Rishikesh, 2006.



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13 comments:

Captain Nemo said...

I would have voted for the sadhu if the right side of the picture was not blurred.

The peacock guy picture is kind of cool and unusual (peacock slightly too low in composition though, and the size of the linked pic is smaller, so I can't judge about the crispness)

The musicians are also nice. Unusual colorful dresses, nice composition, and it has a "real life" overtone.

The buffalo boy seems banal to me, but maybe not for the members of the jury...

The monks may lack this "real life" emphasis.

The sitting woman seems also a little banal. Then again, members of the jury who never went to India might disagree.

The golden boy is also a nice picture, but I don't see it fitting the profile.

Ashini said...

I like the sadhu and the boy on the water buffaloes -- he's floating and looking at you.

I think all of these photos are brilliant for capturing unique moments.

Sirensongs said...

@All: thanks for your candor. It's always interesting to see who likes what! I can't be objective about them since they are permanently implanted on my brain (in case you haven't noticed, blogging is one way I try to unload my overloaded circuits).

@John:
Yeah, the woman is not so special...I like the composition and the 'waiting' feeling but not a contest winner. I wish the peacock was placed differently too, but it was a wild bird that just happnened to walk in and snapped the best I could. ;-)

Other people tend to love the Sadhu picture. I think something's missing....

----The golden boy is also a nice picture, but I don't see it fitting the profile.
....Which golden boy??

Sirensongs said...

...the buffalo boy is also missing something...should have been tighter on the boy. but it was taken from a river bank....

Stirling Davenport said...

The sadhu photo has a rich feel to it - I can almost hear and feel the water. I think that's why it's so good. That would be my pick. I also love the one with the peacock. It's got an arresting tone.

Captain Nemo said...

The boy with the "golden" yellow dress.

Don't get me wrong about the buffalo boy, it's the best "asian kid in water with buffaloes" pic I've seen. It just coud be viewed as a stereotype by some who've seen a few of these. And the "real life" aspect is somewhat lacking

In a serious context any blurred photo would be a no-winner (sadhu out).

Granted "real life" could mean different things if the contest ios organised by a Hawaian surfing club or by the French communist party... Just need to figure out what it means for the contest you are entering.

I see a lot of very nice pictures that would probably fit the profile according to you, but probably not for some other peolple... I guess your paradigm is "all what you can see around in real life". which is probably not what the organisers meant (I could be wrong)
Actually I really like the street musicians because the street is such a metaphor of life - various contradictory and complementary people crossing paths. Although, fot this to work well and be percieved as ametaphor by the jury on this pic, the context should be wider and less centered on the musicians.

Sirensongs: Indologist At Large said...

I think the street musicians are the best overall photo. --The competition in question is run by an Australian company affiliated with Lonely Planet. I think they want "stuff that makes you feel like traveling." That does tend to include a number of cliches...

Captain Nemo said...
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Captain Nemo said...
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Captain Nemo said...

In that case, you are on the right track for not taking the "French CP" approach then. ;)

Captain Nemo said...

Can you enter just one pic?

I remember a picture of yours driving a rickshaw instead of the driver...

Could fit the profile superbly as it is a real life (travel) experience, that is probably unusual.

Captain Nemo said...

Then again, it could lack the glamour the organisers desire for their own agenda - or not ;-)

Captain Nemo said...

The travel "glamour" I meant - not You! ;-)