Mother with daughters

!!!! !

Thank you...I don't want to put this down to rating. Should I submit it for critiquing only? For "yes" just give me a "1", for "no" a "2", for no comment just don't respond to this. Warm regards, rajat.

1

this photograph was taken while on voluntary assignment for a local

NGO working with these families

Rajat, this is a very nice picture well positioned in the documentary category. It documents, in fact, and let us know that poverty - occasionally - doesn't mean sadness. The mother, a nice woman has a serious glance but far from being worried; the daughters look curious, interested and their glances are serene. Of course, some richness will help, anyway. I'm not extolling the beauty of poverty at all.

Technically the photo is equilibrated, the colors are well saturated and create a good contrast and the background, so awful, create another kind of contrast with the beauty of this family.

As far as rating is concerned, you are the master and you do what you like. To me the right to say that should you submit for rating I will rate 6/7.

 

Mauro

BR,

--MAA

Such a vivid and real capture.... excellent work, congrats and regards...

For a moment I thought that Drew had rated this photo as a "1."

 

This is a very fine photo. I see happiness on the faces portrayed here, in spite of no evidence of great material wealth.

 

--Lannie

Raj,

Wonderful candid image of the family. Good work. Best Regards

You have created an interesting issue here. These children look content, curious, well fed and dressed, and that is good. I often compare my life (and those of my field of knowledge) with the impoverished of the world. I'm often amazed at how little it really takes to keep the human organism alive and well. On the other hand, I'm often aghast at how much we do to prevent that same organism from being healthy and happy. Wars, tyranny, selfishness, greed, etc. contribute so greatly to maintaining a very few as happy, healthy and wealthy. Alas, there is such a gulf. But I digress.

 

From my limited experience with poverty (relative poverty, that is), I have found that when a culture is innured to their way of life, then they can move on with living it. In America, our culture has placed us in a position of wanting all that "progress" has to offer. Thus we create a huge disparity between those who have and those who aspire to have. It makes for a great deal of inequality. Do these children wish they had televisions, cars, boats, vacations in Paris? I suppose they do. Are they embittered by the fact that they do not? You would have to tell me that. My guess is that they are not to a large extent in the grip of envy.

 

It's all very fascinating to contemplate. As for the image itself, I really enjoy it. The colors and the body language exude a hopefullness that is uplifting to me. Too often we see folks on Pnet taking images of beggars, homeless, and other misfortunes. There is nothing inherently wrong with that, except that it is exploitative unless it is done with the intent of helping the subject in some way. This is a far cry from those images. On the other hand, I would not wish to get into the mindset that ignorance is bliss, and not to worry about the fate of these children. Yes, they are happy in the moment, but I worry for their future.

 

I ramble excessively. All that is to say that the photograph resonates with me. Good work.

"I'm often amazed at how little it really takes to keep the human organism alive and well."

 

To stay alive very little is needed. To stay well... a much more complex matter. The first is (for the sake of argument) a simple enough matter. The second makes a value judgement that requires "well" to be defined.

 

Good health is a primary consideration, and with perhaps as much luck as staying alive requires, possible to attain relatively easily. My few forays into these "deprived" localities confirmed what my accumulated observations/experience had led me to believe. These monetarily poor people are more healthy than their monetarily richer brethren. When illness strikes the matter of wealth arises. I use wealth here not only in the sense of money: wealth of information, available opportunities/recourses. These are the areas society and government need to prioritize.

 

Financial well-being in terms of improving income levels is achieved by many and not by some. But with increased monetary wealth if the perceived needs and desires of the person multiply then he does not feel satisfied, questions his well-being.

 

The unempowered are by and large free of envy. There are some who have the disease; but instead of festering as a malaise, it transmutes in them into a single-minded determination to better themselves. They are the more patient and hard-working ones. The ones in a hurry, or just plain weaker, are consumed by the poison.

 

Disparities are a growing concern in my country too. Before the "information age" perhaps it was 'ignorance is bliss'. Now, with the penetration especially of television, the disparities are more readily apparent.

 

I would like to say much more but perhaps at another time, on another occasion.

 

Warm regards, rajat

Love this shot.

so do i, Rich

A beautiful photo. . . .and a quite thought-provoking and powerful discussion. Well done!

Regards, ~~~~~~~~~Linda

Thank you, Linda. I love to pontificate. Pontification: the act of speaking out for the purpose of hearing onself speak. But even if it is that, perhaps it is better than unthinking or solitary silence... :>)

I find it a superb documentary portrait of a family...I don't know if it was posed or catched naturally but I find particularly interesting that only the litlle boy bottom right is looking at the camera...everyone has a different attitude and expression which makes it even more natural...

Thank you for dropping by and choosing one of my favorite photographs to leave your card. It is not a posed shot. Very few of them are. Regards - rajat

Whether you set this shot down for a rating or not, it's an exceptionally strong image. The colors and details and expressions, it all stands out. My eye was immediately drawn to this well-executed image.

Thank You. I appreciate your visit and your gracious comments.

This is great.  It shows wonderful dignity.  I really respect the attention paid cleanliness and grooming in spite of economic hardship.  Too bad, I don't truly understand the culture.   I like the contrast, sharpness, and natural expressions here.  Was this set up as a portrait or is it totally candid?  Beautiful job. 

Appreciate your visit! Not a set-up or posed in any way, fully candid. So i can't claim any credit for the arrangement. This woman made a deep impression on me. I saw beauty and great strength of character in her face, in the way she deported herself.

A most charming family portriat my friend!
-r-

Thanks...!