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Old Woman of Chichicastenango

Old Woman of Chichicastenango. Guatemala.

Old Woman of Chichicastenango. Guatemala.
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NIKON D90

Aperture f/5.6 ISO 400 Shutter 10/12500

upload_date

Aug, 2013

Views

2794

Likes

+278

Awards

Chatter Award

Zenith Award

Top Shot Award 22

Contest Finalist in Expressive Faces Photo Contest

Featured

Contest Finalist in Street Portraits Photo Contest

People's Choice in Old and wrinkled Photo Challenge

Contest Finalist in Facial Expressions photo contest

Peer Award

+97

Absolute Masterpiece

+35

Superb Composition

+28

Top Choice

+18

Outstanding Creativity

All Star

Magnificent Capture

Exceptional Contrast

Genius

Superior Skill

Top Ranks

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Behind The Lens

Location

This is one of my favorite efforts at street photography. It was a busy market day in Chichicastenango, Guatemala. I stood in front of the four hundred year old church of Santo Tomás, watching as people moved about. In the distance, I noticed an older lady in traditional K'iche Mayan clothing quickly moving my way. I had time to get off four frames before she passed by. In the final frame, she glanced in my direction and I had my shot. A second later, she was gone.

Time

The image was taken in the late afternoon. The market is very busy at that time and the odds of finding interesting peoples shots increases with activity.

Lighting

It was late enough in the day that the lighting was not harsh. Since my photographs are always candid and spontaneous, I never use artificial lighting and work with whatever light is available.

Equipment

The image was shot with a hand-held Nikon D90 and a Nikkor 18 – 200mm f/3.5-5.6 lens. This is the only lens I use as it gives me amazing flexibility to photograph whatever is in front of me at the spur of the moment.

Inspiration

I’m addicted to street photography, especially in the highlands of Guatemala, where the Mayan people still wear colorful traditional clothing and follow age-old customs. I try to blend into the background and let people be themselves. Candid street photography allows me to capture images of people that would not be possible by asking them to pose.

Editing

The photography works well in both color and black and white. You can see the color version in my Viewbug portfolio, as well as the frame I shot a split second before this one. I adjusted brightness and contrast and sharpened the image just a bit. I then burned the edges slightly to make the rest of the image stand out. Almost always, I convert to b&w, simply because I prefer images without the distraction of color.

In my camera bag

My Nikon D90 and my super zoom are the only equipment I carry in my bag. I keep my old Nikon D70 as a Nikkor 18 – 70mm f/3.5- 4.5 as a backup. I’ve also found that my iPhone can come in handy if I’m without my other cameras.

Feedback

The highland villages of Guatemala are wonderful for capturing images of the Mayan people. However, compelling street photography can be achieved anywhere. The secret is to take photos in an environment your subjects are comfortable with. I strongly recommend that you learn to fade into the background and just let people be themselves.

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Old Woman of Chichicastenango

Old Woman of Chichicastenango. Guatemala.

Behind The Lens

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