Thank you, Tibet!!!, a photo from Tibet, West

Photographer's Note

A couple of days ago I returned from three weeks of travel through Tibet. It took me a while to file my pictures and now the time has come to start posting a few of the results on TrekEarth.

I wanted to start this travelogue with a picture that reflects my dearest memories of this very special journey. Two subjects were fighting for first place: nature and people. It was hard to make a choice, but in the end I decided to post this picture of a Tibetan nomad-lady. As nomads are very much depending on nature, I believe that both aspects are combined in this photo :-)

The picture was taken at the end of the day, just before we arrived at our night-stop in the tiny village of Sangsang, which is located somewhere between the more important towns of Lhatse and Saga. Surrounded by hills, we saw a few nomad tents bathing in the evening sun and decided to stop our 4-wheel-drive Landcruisers and have a look. The members of the nomad family were all very friendly and seemed not to have had contact with foreigners a lot. There was a lot of laughing and this was really one of those special unexpected moments, enhanced by the beautiful scenery and the evening light.

With this picture I would like to say "Thank you" to the people of Tibet, for offering us their hospitality and friendship!

Tech: a very tiny little bit of cropping on the top, followed by resizing and USM. I'm aware that the dark horizontal line just above her head should have been avoided and hope you can forgive me...;-)

lestans, ajcsousa, alon, ALSOM, carper, nwoehnl, KevRyan, Rinie_Hoff, Fixfocus, carmem_busko ha puntuado esta nota como útil.

Critiques | Translate

ajcsousa (1804) 2005-09-30 9:32

Hi Michael,
Amazing portrait of that lady. Great DOF and use of light. The texture of her skin it's wonderful showing a whole life on it. Very well done
Regards, António

lestans (17258) 2005-09-30 9:35

Good portrait and very good notes. Very sharp, intense expression, good work. I'll be waiting for next pics to understand and to see what you were describing in your notes: tents, people, environment....
I am asking myself if it is better a portrait so well done but "alone" (without a nbackground) or on the contrary the old lady could be more informative surrounded by her family, or her tent, or her mountain....I don't know. It is a choice. This shot is very good.

Robin01 (280) 2005-09-30 9:46

Her face got a lot to say.
It's a face of wisdom. A peaceful face.

If only I could grow old with such grace.

Michael, the picture is gorgeous. Congratulations,

alon (1289) 2005-09-30 10:18

Michael, what a wonderful portrait! The face of the lady if full of interesting expression. Very good colors and details!
Cheers,
Alon

ishai (4097) 2005-09-30 10:20

Welcome home : Michael
It’s a nice and warm note to start with
The old woman looks like she can write a book full of interesting stories
Her facial exprestion is very pleasant and inviting
By the way what is she holding in her hand ?

Looking forward to see the rest of your work

Ishai

ALSOM (6616) 2005-09-30 10:44

Very nice portrait, the light emphasizes so well her face. Thanks for the note.

Al.

sleon (9402) 2005-09-30 11:49

Hi Michael
excellent portrait! The light has really caught this lady's face, and brought out her expression, wrinkles and all! What is she holding? Great sharpness and nice blurred background.
Regards, Susanna

carper (96) 2005-09-30 11:55

prachtige foto Michael,
wauw drie weken Tibet, dat is wat anders dan de Ardennnen. Ik ben benieuwd naar je foto's.
deze mag er in ieder geval zeker wezen. prachtige compositie, mooi persoon om op de foto te zetten, goede details, uitstekend werk.
gr, jaap

MichaelTrezzi (3374) 2005-09-30 12:30

Great portrait, excellent DOF, nice colors. Cheers Michael

nwoehnl (122) 2005-09-30 15:34

Hi Michael. Wow, I envy you for traveling this lovely and fascinating area, and if this photo is at all an indicator of the photos we are about to see from you, there is a lot for the TE folks to look forward to. Very nice how the sunlight accentuates the details of the old woman's beautiful face, and I like a lot her humble posture and also the detail we can see of her clothing. Last but not least an excellent use of DOF and a nice tight crop to set her apart from the surroundings.

KevRyan (22956) 2005-09-30 18:14

Welcome back from your travels Michael - what a beautiful and soulful portrait to begin the tale of your travels - as you say nature and a human being combined in the story of this woman's face - her smile says to me that whatever her belief it is working for her.

A really wonderful image!

best wishes Kev

jhm (211736) 2005-10-01 4:35

Beste Michael,
Voor eerst mijn complimenten met dit portret, weinig heb ik dergelijke mooie beelden op TE gezien, wat moet dit worden met de andere beelden, na zo een mooie reis door Tibet, op deze manier ben ik ook deels op reis, zeer goed en mooi werk Proficiat Michael!
Goed weekend,
John.

everlasting (19680) 2005-10-01 9:05

Hi Michael, great post to start off your series. I like the warm tones of her skin and glad to see it not sharpened. Nice DOF too.
My friends have also just returned from Tibet, (you didnt bump into them did you:)and I am off to see their photo soon, if they are anywhere as good as this I am in for a real treat.
Looking forwad to more from your trip.
Elaine

Rinie_Hoff (9340) 2005-10-01 18:53

Dear Michael, I started writing a critique at the beginning of the evening, but I never got far enough.
This is a real lovely portrait, with a great use of the light, als the shady parts on her face are very well visible, the golden light is really beautiful. I love het wrinkled old face, (reminds me a bit of my mother ;-)), it shows the harsh condition under which these people have to live. The prayer wheel in her hand is very nice, and says everything about their relkigiou feelings. I have the idea, that there's no country where people are SO religious as in Tibet.

Just saw the documentary that you mentioned, very impressive, gave me a good idea of where you have benn.

flydragon (0) 2005-10-01 18:57

hello Michael
welcome back i hope that u had a nice trip
your first post is so nice this woman
is also so nice, what a story in her face, her skin.
nice light too
waiting to see more of your picture there
regards
••simon••

Fixfocus (9385) 2005-10-02 6:45

Goedemorgen Michael,
A late welcome back,-looks like you had a great trip to Tibet!
Wonderful how you captured her natural expression.Excellent portrait with perfect sharpness and clarity,-every little wrinkle in her lovely face is visible.
Prettige Zondag,
hermann

weswang (18247) 2005-10-02 11:49

Hi Michael, I like the excellent shot of the old lady. Her face and her expression have told the stories of her life, her history and her thought. You have not missed a single wrinkle on her face. This is a very well taken picture with sharpness and rich details. Well done.

carmem_busko (3718) 2005-10-06 1:52

Waht an impressive portrait, Michael!!!
Her expression is lovely, dof and lighting are perfect!!
A minr detail is the left hand... but anyway, it doesn't bother me.
Cheers.. and thank you!
carmem

cgrindahl (6113) 2005-10-06 3:05

This is beautiful Michael with fine clarity, lovely colors and excellent control over depth of field. I don't believe I've ever seen a photograph of a Tibetan that failed to touch me. Tibetans are remarkably spiritual people who've known immense suffering over the last fifty years at the hands of the Chinese. Life is hard in the best of times in such an inhospitable climate, but when one's culture and spiritual traditions are under assault it is remarkable that people still maintain their deep commitment to truth. The Dalai Lama has been teaching us the virtues of his tradition and it is hard not to be moved by his words. When I sat with Tibetan Buddists at a retreat center in Berkeley we would repeat the famous mantra "Om Mani Padme Hum" over and over again. Prayer wheels of the sort held by this woman offers the same benefit as saying this mantra which invokes the powerful, benevolent blessings of Chenrezig, the embodiment of compassion. Living one's life grounded in compassion surely makes facing the challenges of life less daunting. Your lovely photograph evokes all these thoughts for me. Thank you for sharing. I'll look forward to seeing the remainder of the photos of your trip.

sheilaz413 (275) 2005-11-22 4:16

Great portrait - the lighting & POV is perfect. Lovely!

Shen (44) 2006-05-31 8:47

great portrait Michael... I see you have encountered the mystical side of the people... the gentleness is touching here. Thanks so much. You make me look forward to my tibetan adventure next month. Kind regards, Frederic [email protected]