Women East of Gurla Mandata, Tibet

It was one of those memorable camping sites with the unique view and

light of Tibet, away from the main road, but not too far from the

civilisation. On their way to collect animal dung for fuel these

women stepped close by to have a glimps of the strangers, but not

too close... Thanks. Karl

I really get a sense of being at the top of the world. I like the panorama.

Very effectively depicts the vastness that overwhelms people. The composition is intriguing in how it leads the eye. Did you crop the negative to get the panaroma? It's nice to see film here and an authentic photo.

So, in composition 101 one might read that people have to look toward the largest space of the picture, or walk in the scene. Never the opposite. Of course I always do that.... Clearly, this shot proves me wrong in that tells lots of stories just reversing this...

 

Indeed, they are leaving the valley behind them, oblivous to the landscape which attracts us (after all that's integral part of what they see everyday and have more pressing problems) and are off to collect something (bad of you to tell us what, it would have been fun to leave some parts of the story to the imagination)...

 

All in all, it works very well and I like it a lot.

Thanks, Salvatore, for your comment. We can wait until they come back and then see how rule 101 works. Karl

I think it will not work... in the sense that it will not tell a story anymore. What I really like here is how we are told that something is missing in this landscape, and calls for them to go gather it. This is in opposition with the classical westerner approach we might have to think we have find it all (peace, conteplation, nature, beauty) upon the view of such a landscape during a (relatively comfortable) travel.

 

This image, to which I keep coming back, seems to present once again the contraddiction of how a traveler or an inhabitant can perceive in different way their land.

Michael, this photo shows the central part of one photo taken with a 24 mm lense.

Alexander, to continue your philosophical thoughts: what makes this photo so special is perhaps the fact that it is a symbol for both, the eternity and the moment, the universe and the "here and now", the mountains and the plaines. All this after having left all my sins of a lifetime on the way around mount Kailash.... Karl