close iframe icon
approved icon SzilagyiPP avatar
SzilagyiPP
Banner

Torreadora



behind the lens badge

Views

967

Likes

Awards

Featured
Curator's Choice
Peer Award
davidjprosser Tudorof billmartin_2615 ileanaandreagmezgavinoser NancyFlemingPhotography djalmaarmelin keithart +50
Superb Composition
jenniferrose_3572 dumbdrum JTurk klinker44 MaggieMays annahazlewood Markiboy +15
Top Choice
2535_4845 p_eileenbaltz joannavaillancourtburditt Jhunt Hellrach Morgan_Lytle maxmanus +13
Absolute Masterpiece
crystalised ancuanca nealgarthmandyodonnell tafazzi66 james_ JackAlt Jazzphotography +5
Outstanding Creativity
Gilleroo1 karinkremers KonstantinSokolov timpill DUPLICATE_Eamo juandanielvargasluque ricrog
Magnificent Capture
Eidolon QueenJen thricegrate marleecross brnycamera
Superior Skill
diegoscaglione RosieThorn DaylightReader
All Star
GILLEMOIREPHOTOGRAPHY

Emotions

Impressed
dellerbamario

Top Ranks

Inspired By The World Photo ContestTop 10 rank
Inspired By The World Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
Anything Animals Photo ContestTop 10 rank
Anything Animals Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
The Wonders of the World Photo ContestTop 10 rank
The Wonders of the World Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
Everything Nature Photo ContestTop 10 rank
Everything Nature Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
We Love Animals Photo ContestTop 10 rank
We Love Animals Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
Around the World Photo Contest By DiscoveryTop 10 rank
Around the World Photo Contest By DiscoveryTop 10 rank week 1
Inspiring Shots Photo ContestTop 10 rank
Inspiring Shots Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 2
Inspiring Shots Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1

Categories


2 Comments | Report
JDLifeshots
 
JDLifeshots March 07, 2015
Great shot! Congrats.
SzilagyiPP
SzilagyiPP March 07, 2015
Thanks!
Alberto_Suarez
 
Alberto_Suarez October 05, 2017
Super shot !
See all

Behind The Lens

Location

The photo was taken in an isolated small village in the mountains, called Bratca, in Transylvania (Romania). The settlement contains only a dozen houses, several hundred meters from one another, inhabited mostly by old widows.

Time

In a late afternoon I was visiting our neighbor, Nanny Florica, when I caught this scene in her backyard.

Lighting

There were no special lighting conditions, on the contrary, the sky was white and unspectacular, in contrast with what I saw this local woman doing.

Equipment

The camera I used to take this photo was a Nikon D70 with a Nikkor 18-70 mm (3.5-4.5) lens, without tripod or flash. I had almost no space left on my memory card (the picture was taken in 2005, when my memory card was a little bit smaller than today's standards :) ) so I had to shoot it at medium resolution. The settings (due to bad lighting conditions, and for evidencing the subject) were: focal length 16 mm, f 3.5, exposure 1/30.

Inspiration

Seeing this old woman fighting with the cow, having no idea why, was the trigger that made me grab my camera and start shooting. It seems I witnessed a little local witchcraft in action. After she finished the process, I asked her what had she done. She told me that the cow had just given birth to a calf and, with the help of a neighbor, she tied it to a tree, took a long iron nail, made a hole with it through the cow's neck skin, and then inserted a local medicinal herb through that hole. The plant is used as a natural antibiotic by the locals who still know the old alternative medicine procedures. This practice avoids any possible infections the mother cow might otherwise get after giving birth.

Editing

As post processing I made small corrections of contrast and I converted the image to B&W. In the original picture, the old lady wears a very pink dress :)

In my camera bag

Besides a beer every now and then, I usually have Nikon D90 with the kit lens (18-105), and sometimes a 70-300 mm zoom.

Feedback

The most important advice I would give someone would be to try to get close to your subjects, communicate with them, until they open up so that you can capture them being themselves, without trying to "look good" for pictures. It is also important to understand and blend in in the local atmosphere. Once you get accepted by a community or a family, it is a lot easier to capture real moments from their lives. As a side note, this image was published in a photo magazine, and I took the publication to her and showed her the article. She was very happy and felt very proud for appearing in a printed work, and since then, the magazine is framed and hung on her wall.

See more amazing photos, follow SzilagyiPP

It’s your time to shine! ☀️

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes.
Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.

Already a member? Log In

By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Service, and acknowledge you've read our Privacy Policy Notice.