Surrounding 3 ( better seen large)

Another kind of surrounding. Looking at my older photos,it reminded me my travel to Mali in West Africa, with my women Org. some years ago.Hard life indeed.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Mali remains as one of 10 or so countries I would like to return to some day. Great village scene.

interesting and illustrative document

Very nice photo

Best regards

Xavier Corcobado

xcorcobado.blogspot.com

The humility of this existence speaks to me.  The child's vacant stare is a blank slate.  Dreaming of something else?  Resolve to fate?  Who knows?

That one hand steady against the pump holds so much energy and tension.

Beautiful and poignant. It tells pretty much the whole story. And it make me feel so fortunate. Thank you for that. I've needed some of that lately.

GungaJim, thanks, it is a very interesting country even though mostly very poor.  Touching. We have had (my women Org))two projects there for young children.

Rajat. thanks for your comment.

Xavier thanks for your visit and impression.

Jeff, it was one of a most rewarding voyage, that has again,  opened my eyes to know that we  are all human being but some are luckier than others.

Dave, you are right, it is an eye opener. When you see how they live, especially in  the rural areas. it is so hurtful,and as  I wrote to Jeff, we are the lucky side of life.This one may be in a book in Germany, if we shall come to term..

Pnina, a grim documentary of our times. Though man has been able to reach the moon, deplorable condition on earth remains the same for centuries. This image is shot at Mali, but  almost same conditions prevail in India, Pakistan,Bangladesh,Nepal, Afganisthan,Indonesia,to name a few countries. Your composition & choice of tone highlights their misery.

How nice thing to meet you again: really a wonderful B/W conversion and image!

Good document,Pnina, and you handled the harsh light quite well. Africa has been and is a concern in terms of drinking and potable water and Mali is not an exception. However, there is water - and that's what it's all about.

Interesting life shot!

Pnina,

I always enjoy viewing and learning from photographs of people in far away places. Especially those that simply show "life as it is!"

You have captured "life" around this apparent "community well" with exceptional details. The expression in her face shows the "mundane" chore of gathering water for the day, or maybe it's just one of many trips to the well, to supply her family and their livestock?

Interesting composition & lighting.

Regards, and may "good light follow you always" on your travels,

Jim j.

An interesting snapshot (forgive pun) of part of the daily routine in a far off land.  When both buckets are filled I doubt I could carry them very far.  Oprah once showed a documentary of a 13 year old girl somewhere in Africa who had to carry her family's water 10 km. to her house each day .  She carried, on her head, a weight that Oprah couldn't even lift.  I think of that girl whenever I find myself luxuriating in an excessive use of water, a commodity of which we in my country have in such abundance we seldom if ever give any thought to it's importance in our lives.  You've handled the excessive contrast here well by exposing for the more important mid tones.  Even at that the highlights burn out and the deepest shadows show little or no details.  That country is very close to the equator.  Nicely done!  Best, LM.

Amal, you are right about the difference between upper  technology  and life on earth. It only shows that we, the  luckier ,has to do more for the under privilege among us.

Maurizio, thanks for your visit and  nice  comments.

El, You are right about the water, but still it is a hard task for the women daily chorus.

Svetlana, thanks for your visit and  feedback

Jim, Thanks  for your nice interpretation and wishes, which I appreciate much. Only being  there, seeing the hard life the women have, is a trigger to do more to help at least to a part of them( which we as a women Org.are doing).

Len, thanks for your detailed impressions. My women Org., one of our  project was to dig  water wells in Senegal , and even so it is hard to understand how difficult  life can be for the women caring  water home. As you know being a tourist , we can not choose the best time of the day to shoot, but I think that this  photo is a good example of life in these countries.

the wall of mud, the sheeps, the collettive water, the cisterns, you have really many elemnts of that society in your photo. sometimes a photo explain better than a book

It is said that we can survive for days without food but we can't last too long without water.  This picture with the girl getting water was so interestingly poignant to me.  Even though her surroundings are bleak, especially for those of us who come from industrialized nations,  I don't see her as unfortunate because she has access to water, the most basic of needs.  Her blank stare into the distance is intriguing and gives the impression that this is a routine choir for her.  The B&W tones are well rendered and help enhance the focus on the subject.

This capture makes me appreciate travel even more because it is a great teacher and I am lucky to indulge in it often.  Travel opens our eyes and minds. 

Andrea, thanks.  Yes , If you look at the file of Mali it is hard not to see the hardship of the people there.Thanks for your nice feedback.

Adan, glad to see you here .You are right about water, which are so important as a basic need of life.I agree with you about traveling. it is an eye and mind opener.How was your Brazil experience? I'm going to look! Thanks Adan!

If one spends some time with this image there is a lot going on and a lot being said.  A very challenging scene to process given the harsh mid day sun... you've given it an admirable rendering.

I'm glad you saw what I have seen in it .It was in mid day, the worst time for shooting....;-)) but sometime it is hard to  give up.Thanks again I love to read your comments.

fantastic photo!

Very good documentary. Excellent scene and moment, b&w is a good idea for this kind of photos.

Pnina - Brazil was amazing and even better when you have local friends to show you around. 

That little patch of light on her beautiful face makes the onlooker (me, in this case) feel uneasy, to say the least... 

I wonder where my responsibilities start and end... There are far too many of them...

All of you!(even though a bit late )...

Bulent, thanks , you are right, too much poverty. World resources are not equally divided... we, the more privileged has a role, to help. Thanks for understanding it .Each can help in his corner.(which we do here).