End Of The Day, a photo from Phnum Penh, West

Photographer's Note

Two young ladies seem to relish the end of the day at the Stung Meanchey landfill in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

These two young women are attired in the garb common to the adolescent women who work collecting plastic with their hooks at Stung Meanchey.

Rumor has it that this landfill will be full in about two years as between 700 and 900 tons of garbage arrive there each day.

Supposedly, a Japanese organization will be donating some money to get the new landfill going, but apparently many of the current Stung Meanchey workers may lose the commission basis jobs here.

This means it is more important than ever to give the support you can to one of the NGO's helping the Stung Meanchey workers, especially to those NGO's assisting in English education......as those who have a basic understanding of English will have a fighting chance to find a job in another industry should they lose this job.

sabyasachi1212, calimex, AmiBe, TravelerNL, robob, Jason_teale, anes_lc, everlasting, bostankorkulugu, brevbrev14, ndb1958, sufi, eleparc, mpdre ha puntuado esta nota como útil.

Critiques | Translate

pacis (105) 2007-02-25 1:16

well captured daily life. I like the facial expression of the two subject and also the present of flying insects around the subject makes you feel the surrounding. It is sad to know that this is spice of reality that children are working in landfill area not only in Cambodia but also in Philippines a like. Whatever we can we should extent our helping hand.

Nice posting. Thanks

sabyasachi1212 (19779) 2007-02-25 1:44

Hi John,
Such beautiful young girls with wonderful light on their face and then you have a look at the background and you realise who they are, where they are. Thanks for highlighting their plight.
With Greetings from India
Sabyasachi

vincz (19113) 2007-02-25 3:49

Excellent compostion and perfect quality for this picture. the light you got then works so well and results in a very strong picture carrying very well the message you give in the note, together with such a softness emanating from the two children. An excellent one. Right in my favorites.

tavara (0) 2007-02-25 3:50

hi,
everything is very good

calimex (151) 2007-02-25 4:04

John,

This is one of the most compelling photographs I have seen in all of TrekEarth. A rich portrait of two children smiling in the midst of their labor in a landfill. The point of view is very effective at capturing the dignity of these children. Your note shines further light. Thank you.
José

AmiBe (6042) 2007-02-25 6:12

Hi John,
it's always impressive to see such young people in this dump.
Their faces illuminates this picture.
Well done

Darren (6823) 2007-02-25 6:16

I think Maciek has shots of the same girl at Stung Meanchey; she photographs wonderfully. For me, this is too tight though; if you were at a slightly higher vantage point and with a wider angle, they wouldn't seem quite so isolated from the reality around them. As it is, the background doesn't really add to the shot for me, other than the flies in the air around them. A lovely exposure and soft, wonderful colors.

TravelerNL (3011) 2007-02-25 6:17

Hi John,
Well captured double portrait of these girls. I like the soft light here and their expressions, it looks like something happens behind you they are looking at. The background effectively brings you back to reality and where these kids work. Well done.
Harko

robob (3648) 2007-02-25 12:48

Hello John,
Malgré ce lieu et ces conditions très pénibles, ces enfants affichent de l’émerveillement sur leur visage. Splendide image !
Bien à toi,
Robert

scalerman (26900) 2007-02-25 14:10

John: missed this one earlier from teh time. Great detail on your theme. This has been a powerful series - the notes in particular, add to these strong images. regards,c

sothy81 (9646) 2007-02-25 19:00

Hi John. This is a wonderful photo. Well placed the subjects in the photo. A very lively one. They look so optimistic! Sothy

jinju (14265) 2007-02-25 20:41

I agree in part with darren a wider angle would work a bit better because part of the attraction is the dump itself, and putting the kids in the context of the dump also helps us out in understanding the situation. The photo though is quite good. A very photogenic girl, its sad that she is still in that reality.

rookie (167) 2007-02-27 7:31

John,
This is a wonderful shot. And terrible all at the same time. TE is teaching me, all the time, about the world, and the people in it. Your capture here is very enlightening. The photo is very well done, but the message is louder still. Congratulations. Diana

Jason_teale (717) 2007-02-27 16:10

This is a very good shot. The lighting off the main subjects face is perfect and the it is very clear. Your photos of these people are wonderful and powerful.

anes_lc (14968) 2007-02-28 9:24

hi john
another strong vision ,i´m impress by your work,i always learn something new.
thanks for share
anes

stevesaba (8167) 2007-03-01 0:41

Hi John!
Good notes here. But also, the light is different, and very wonderful...a hard shot to get perhaps with that light, but it ended up very well. Nice suttle tones on their faces,which are full of expression. Garbage dumps are always unusual places, and I can only imagine what the one in Phnom Penh must be like. Certainly your photos have done a great job of documenting it though! Cheers,
Steve

everlasting (19680) 2007-03-01 13:53

What wonderful light your have on their faces, John, and wonderful expression, looking up into the sky for maybe a better tomorrow.

bostankorkulugu (42866) 2007-03-03 3:21

one of the best double portraits that i ve seen here on TE i think... the looks on their faces are superb... cool catch... congrats john...
cheers
korkut:)

axiotea (21651) 2007-03-05 22:00

Hi John,
A well chosen POV showing a strong image with these two young girls, with beautiful expressions, ready to collect the plastics for their survey. Unfortunately, this sad reality is going on in many countries...
Cheers,
Marilyn

brevbrev14 (140) 2007-03-06 7:48

Wow John, this image is really great....as usual...
The expressions and eyes of these young women are simply wonderful!!
the light is amazing as your central composition!
Very important note
ciao
Valeria

rafid76 (0) 2007-03-08 2:12

incredible photo with great detail along with your note. you even captured the flies!!! they look hopfull even among the fill, their spirit is not broken. its important to have these photos to remind us of our excsess life here, thank you for sharing as always

Angshu (56760) 2007-03-09 22:41

Hello John
Fantastic double portrait. They are looking at the sky perhaps a symbol of hope dawning. The light is fascinating on the sky. I'm not sure of a wider angle, because we may loose the looks on their faces amidst the garbage in the background in doing so. This is quite superb John...into my favourites
Regards
Angshu

ndb1958 (9289) 2007-03-24 5:29

Hi John,
thinking of their enviroment and their hard working day and seeing how graceful and beautiful these girls are. Wonderful colours and lightning.
Nino

sufi (9588) 2007-09-10 5:56

Hi John..
It's a wonderful point of view and very dramatic composition, indeed... The looking of the children and the meaning on the their face are perfect... Also perfect light and colors... The DOF is very successful too...
TFS...
Stay well..
Salim.

eleparc (24063) 2007-09-27 2:23

Hi John,

I discovered this place through Maciek's work long ago but your photo is on par with his magnificent, yet sad photos. You can even see the flies around them.. I count as many as three. That gives a pretty soft idea of the odor that must exhale from this place...
excellent informative note sa well

Eric

mpdre (1611) 2008-03-04 16:56

Hi John
What an incredible gallery! First the quality of the images and the subjects of your photographs, second, the humanity that all of them emanate... I am really impressed. This one is simply amazing. The light in the girls face, the blurred background letting us feel where they really are... and the expression of their eyes, looking to the sky...one can feel the desire for a better future in those beautiful eyes... A marvel.
Thanks for the note as well.
Andre