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A visibly exhausted Tibetan lady was waiting for a bowl of noodles in a Chinese shop in Baiyue, Qinghai province PRC. She was the sweeper and server and had obv...
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A visibly exhausted Tibetan lady was waiting for a bowl of noodles in a Chinese shop in Baiyue, Qinghai province PRC. She was the sweeper and server and had obviously been at it a very long time. Whenever I look at this image, I still wonder what she was on her mind.
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cameraCredo 50

settings Aperture 350/100 ISO 3200 Focal Length 1500/10 

upload_dateDec, 2016

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1123

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Awards

People's Choice in Perfect Imperfection's Photo Challenge
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1000WordsPhoto Vixentrix alef0 DavidRoush ramonr3991 billgardam joankleynhans +11
Superb Composition
Lewis-C-Whittaker Simonds barryryan helderramos Caledonia1965 KateBartnik TPiorkowski +2
Top Choice
JayneBug brianbaitystudio MERCEDESS estercastillo08 Nilesh_P BOULENGER LynnsPhoto +1
Absolute Masterpiece
Narayan1958 victorninestrong beckyreding edandaniphone Lanky44Lanky442 -n-e-a-l bobbybryant +1
Magnificent Capture
Oveone Carolle
Superior Skill
Paul_Joslin

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4 Comments |
edandaniphone PRO+
 
edandaniphone December 28, 2016
Wonderful capture.
estercastillo08
 
estercastillo08 February 17, 2017
Beautiful lady , sad , thank you for sharing, voted The Zen Moment
estercastillo08
 
estercastillo08 February 17, 2017
Congratulations on your win, People's Choice in Perfect Imperfection's Photo Challenge
brianbaitystudio
 
brianbaitystudio April 14, 2018
excellent story to go with your photo. You set a fine example for the correct way to submit photos. I wish more people would do as you did here

Submitted to Photo Contests

Tags

#black and white #food #portrait #tibet #travel #woman
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Behind The Lens

Location

This image was captured in a Chinese noodle shop in Baiyue, an ethnically Tibetan city in the far southern border of Sichuan. Baiyue is on the Yarlung river, opposite the now province,Tibet. The Yarlung is the Tibetan name for the mighty Brahmaputra river, fourth largest in the world. This Tibetan lady, whose ethnic distinction is "Khampa" after the ancient Tibetan kingdom of Kham, had obvious mental and minor physical disabilities ( a "lazy" eye.) She worked as a cleaner and waitress in the noodle shop. We were the only customers, so after mopping the floor she slumped down on a bench and resting the table, obviously exhausted from the day's hard labour.

Time

It was later afternoon.

Lighting

The subject had her back to the light in the dimly lit shop. Although she was still, in her tiredness and reflective mind, the absence of sufficient light was a serious challenge for the medium format gear. Instinctively, I would have chosen a faster, shorter lens ( see below) but it was a fleeting moment of opportunity which I wanted. When Asian women are alone, they are generally very shy and so try my very best to do candid work to avoid making them uncomfortable or inconvenienced. While I could only get a non-tripod shot at high ISO ( for a medium format) 3200, I didn't mind the light saturation and wanted the shallow depth of field to capture the outline of the dark soy sauce bottle and chopsticks against the brighter wall and wallpaper design. Fortunately, the table was laminated, so I could also capture reflections of the objects on the table, which resonate with the reflective mood of the subject.

Equipment

A Mamiya 645+ with Leaf Credo 50 back. 150mm primary lens.

Inspiration

Although my photo destinations are generally remote regions of Asia, where I will take landscape or architectural captures, my favourite subject is ordinary people in their version of daily life. The subject's display of exhaustion and deep reflection mesmerised me. It is a testament to the hard lives the majority of the world lives,

Editing

Leaf captures are processed in Capture One. This software can also be used, for free, with Nikon, Canon and I believe Sony. It is excellent and the subtle adjusting options are without parallel. I also finish the images in Photoshop i.e. image size, file compression and spot removal from all the dust I get from frequently changing lenses in the field, There was some work enhancing Shadow/Highlight. Also removing some burn spots on the golden ornament in her hairpiece.

In my camera bag

Too much, but that works for me. Where I'm shooting,, i.e. Tibet, remote northeast India, rural Bangladesh, if/when something goes wrong, I need replacements and repair. My main camera is the Mamiya 645+/Leaf Credo. For low light and backup, I also carry a Nikon800. For the Nikon I mainly use the 24-70mm short zoom which is excellent. Also the 105mm macro for portraits which is one of the sharpest lenses I've ever used. For extended field trips, lenses for the Mamiya are the 28mm Aspherical, 35mm, 55mm, 80mm, 110mm, 150mm, 75-150mm, and 210mm. Most frequent urban shots are with the 55mm, 150mm & 210mm. I carry a Manfroto tilt tripod head, Manfroto tripod and 5 joint Manfroto monopod. About 600 gb of CF cards, 6 Leaf batteries, 2 Mamiya batteries, 2 collapsing shade discs, car and wall chargers, extension cord on multi-plug power bar, universal socket adapter, small tool kit, compressed air cans ( I get a lot of dust) notebook/pen, voice recorder, (notes), tape measure, multiple cleaning kit, a few ND lenses, map,( no internet where I travel), space front and back lens caps. several small towels ( sweat and extra cushion on heavy equipment straps for long hauls), golf umbrella ( I shoot in monsoon and hot tropical sun) an assistant helps with this load as well as holding the umbrella when necessary. Sometimes a large golf umbrella for an assistant to hold over me. I shoot in hot tropical nun

Feedback

Candid portraiture is like fishing. Find a spot with a good background, set up your gear on a swivel head tripod ( Manfroto has several models, including very easy and rotating ball joint /grip models). Be patient. One GREAT shot makes not only the day, it can make the whole trip and one day, it will likely be one photo for which we are recognized and remembered. Your best photo will define your career. It may happen by accident or more likely, circumstance and persistent effort. Cultivate right effort, right place and right time.If you do so, success and satisfaction will be yours.

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