The Girl by the Side of the Road, a photo from Siem Reab, West

Photographer's Note

It is actually nothing more than a coincidence I came across this girl. As I was riding back from Bantay Srae (a temple on the far side of the Angkor complex), my moto had a flat. The driver went back to a little village to get it fixed, and I was left to wander up the road about 300 meters to a small temple, and my driver would catch up with me. She was standing by the side of the road, watching what I guess to be her father working in the fields. She was very hesitant about interacting with me at all. I guess the big, ugly westerner in front of her took her out of her comfort zone. I ended up giving her a small Canada pin, and I guess she liked it well enough, although even with that, she didn't show much reaction. The whole time I was near to her, all she really did was watch me.

I will also upload the same shot converted to b&w.

hispic, xadnadjev has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

rziya (542) 2003-08-19 4:47

Nice posture and composition however the background is taking too much of attention. Maybe if the background (trees, water, sky) covered less space of if they were blurred (smaller DOF) the photo could improve. And I believe the lack of sun would be less noticeable.

martin (1242) 2003-08-19 4:47

An excellent portrait: an unusual pose and a compelling expression. The girl's location in the picture contributes much to its impact.

Curioso (9271) 2003-08-19 4:58

Really nice attitude and point of view. It seems to me that the light conditions were not ideal but you succeeded to make a great shot in spite of it.

I really like it.

Regarding the Workshop, the work is good except for the noise in the sky. But contrast is excellent and it goes very well with the little girl.

Edwin (188) 2003-08-19 7:43

I agree with Ruchan regarding the DOF. Nevertheless a good shot. Appreciate your very personal comment as well Darren.

evilren (1395) 2003-08-19 23:20

this is great darren! love the box crop. composition is also good. the only problem in this picture is the sky..which u solved perfectly in u'r b&w version..which I like even more.
I would be more than thankful to get some info on the conversion to b&w..
the skin looks terrific.

gringofil (0) 2003-08-22 6:33

I've looked at both versions, Darren, and I think the B&W looks much better. Mostly here I'm concerned about the sky (a bit too bright) as well as too much empty space all around. On the other hand, the B&W version eliminates the sky issue and makes the details that bother me in color seem part of the story. Also, I'm not too keen on the square format...I moved the screen down a bit just above the reflection on the water and it looks better this way, I think. Nonetheless, good job on this one.

Eagle (522) 2003-09-01 11:27

Great picture and story! The b&w is really good too but I prefer the color version.

Luko (14000) 2003-09-04 17:15

She looks great, popping out of the screen, the way she's positionned into the frame, back against the elements around, enhances the fact she will stubbornly sit that place no matter what occurs around. Plus her straightforward way of looking at you, she might have said as Diogenes "you're hiding my sun" in khmer.

keir (250) 2003-09-09 10:20

Again, great. I agree the sky could be cropped a little and if I were playing in PS I'd try darkening the photo a bit after lassoing the girl.

kiwi (344) 2003-10-11 7:36

This is captivating! Her eyes are amazing. What I find intriguing about the success of the composition is that usually the subjects attitude should be opposite for the photo, but you've caught this scene perfectly and her position is perfect!

xadnadjev (508) 2004-10-11 11:33 [Comment]