July in retrospect

So while it is bending my own rules just a little, I thought I would retrospectively post 6 images from the month before I started blogging - for no reason other than the fact it was a good month for me for taking photos! These were taken while I was in Vietnam and Cambodia - so while they are a bit on the 'touristy' side, I have still chosen them based on my opinion of their photographic merit, and in some cases what the photo means to me. In terms of my own objectives (in particular being selective with what photos I display), narrowing down 2700 photos to these 6 was not an easy task!

Location: Wat Ta Prohm, Siem Reap - Cambodia
(F5.0, 1/125, ISO 400, 18mm focal length)

While this photo doesn't reflect any particular experience I had while I was away (other than temple-hopping around Angkor!), I chose it as one of my 6 because I find the expression on the face of the carved figure almost hypnotic! Kind of smiling-sad...

Location: Wat Ta Prohm, Siem Reap - Cambodia
(F3.5, 1/25, ISO 400, 22mm focal length)

I think I like this photo because even though it is a empty temple corridor, it's pretty visually dense. The light cutting through the smoke from the incense, the irregular shape of the spotlight on the floor, the wooden support beams and the fallen blocks at the end of the corridor... Incidentally, this was one of the last photos I took before my battery went flat - i was taking photos with my compact the rest of that day! Which reminds me - I still need to go out and buy myself a spare!!!

Location: The Bayon, Siem Reap - Cambodia
(F6.3, 1/800, ISO 400, 105mm focal length)

Two of the many faces around the Bayon. Each face had its own unique character, it's own look. And, they were massive! I think what I love about this photo is the detail of the carvings, and their literally weathered faces... Literally a portait of stones :)

Location - Temple name forgotten? Siem Reap - Cambodia
(F8.0, 1/125, ISO 800, 35mm focal length)

This is the other 'tree temple' around Angkor - the name however escapes me. There's just too many to keep track of, and after a full day of walking around in the heat taking photos, all of a sudden the names of temples are no longer important! As for the photo, it was spare of the moment that the monk walked into the frame, so my camera was still on the settings from the last location - hence the high ISO. At least I was using 'shutter priority' mode, so despite the added noise from the higher ISO at least it came out balanced! So the reason for this photo - firstly there's the contrast of the monk's orange robe. Secondly, I like the way the tree and the dark step kind of frame the temple in the top left hand side. Like a photo within a photo... Plus it's just a cool looking temple!

Location: The Killing Fields at Choeng Ek, Phnom Penh - Cambodia
(F4.0, 1/500, ISO 400, 18mm focal length)

Ok, so this photo is really quite dark, and not in terms of the lighting. When I left for Cambodia, I knew of the killing fields and of the Pol Pot regime. I had no idea of the extent of it though. This photo was taken at the memorial, which holds 8000 sculls that had been exhumed from a site which is probably the size of a few football fields. Approximately a quarter of the population were killed under the regime. I like this photo because there is so much meaning to it, on so many different levels. The feelings it emotes clearly aren't of happiness; I don't think I need to elaborate further.

Location: Sapa, Vietnam
(F5.6, 1/160, ISO 400, 55mm focal length)

So, this is obviously a much happier photo for me! I love how much detail there is, but I find myself always drawn back to the subject: the girl on the large rock. You can just make out the terraced rice field at the top of the photo as well. The story behind the photo - I had set off one afternoon to take photos down towards Lai Chou (I think?!), and ended up hitching a ride on a scooter with Tho - a Vietnamese girl from HCMC who was on holidays touring the country. We quickly became friends, and before I knew it we had walked through several rice fields (which were the backyards of several families), accompanied by the children who lived there! They sang songs and collected rocks as we walked through the river. All I could do was take photos :)

Ok, so those are my 6 images from July. individually, they are holiday photos, but they are by no means a summary of my holiday album! My friends on facebook may have seen the shortened album I posted on there, while my closer friends would have seen the extended version. I don't think anyone has the patience to see the entire uncut collection!!! So that's that - I'm still taking photos for this month, and learning more as I practise. I will start posting for September when I feel I have something worthwhile :)