Village woman, a photo from Bumthang, Central

Photographer's Note

This is my second re-post of a photo from Bhutan in 2003, which I originally had scanned so badly that I needed to erase it from my archive.

You can see the horrible Original Version by clicking in the box to the right.

Here is the original note from 2007:

"I met this woman on a street in Jakar town in central Bhutan. It was a brief encounter, no time to move her away from the strong sunshine or to find a better background. Judging from her clothes she probably belongs to an ethnic minority group, maybe the Bumthap which is a small group in this area.

Scanned from a Kodachrome slide."

To which I can add that according to my diary she posed "happily". I was glad to be reminded that I hadn't put her in an awkward situation, or that she felt obliged to do what the foreigner asked her.

Fis2, ktanska, pierrefonds, pajaran, mcmtanyel, COSTANTINO, jemaflor, PaulVDV, Royaldevon, ikeharel, ricardomattos, aliabazari, ChrisJ, worldcitizen ha contrassegnato questa nota come utile

Critiques | Translate

Fis2 (170885) 2022-05-14 0:39

Witaj Gert!
A successful shot from the street.
Interesting face, interesting outfit, the woman is impressive.
Good framing, colors and light.
Nice scan.
Have a nice weekend.
Krzysztof

ktanska (44814) 2022-05-14 1:30

Hej Gert,
You got excellent results on this second scan. Strong sunshine didn't matter, contrasts are well in control. Her jewels catch attention.
Kari

jean113 (27895) 2022-05-14 4:52

Hello Gert, the quality of this shot is excellent, the textures throughout are wonderful.
If you didn’t say, we would never have known that this was scanned.
Her gold jewellery is remarkable. Wearing the decoration in her nose can’t be easy to manage.
Thanks for sharing.
Kind regards, Jean.

pajaran (116011) 2022-05-14 5:04

Pozdrav.

Lep pogled i trenutak, dobar tekst ...
Lepa narodna nosnja i nakit na zeni, dobro pokazano sa lepim bojama, kontrastom i uhvacenim trenutkom.
Dobar rad, lepa fotografija uradjena skeniranjem slajda.
Lepo secanje.

Zelim vam lepo popodne, sve najbolje.
Paja

pierrefonds (114556) 2022-05-14 5:04

Hi Gert,

You have captured well the serious expression of the woman. The point of view is showing the details of her physionomy and of her clothings. The light is giving good colors rendering. Have a nice day.

Pierre

Silvio1953 (221751) 2022-05-14 5:08

Ciao Gert, great portrait of old woman, fine details, splendid sharpness, wonderful colors and beautiful light, very well done, my friend, have a good week end, ciao Silvio

Tue (92482) 2022-05-14 8:32

Hej Gert,
Man kan tydeligt se at du har fået langt mere erfaring med at scanne gamle billeder. Farverne og lyset ser meget mere naturligt ud her. Det er et godt portræt med kvinden i sit traditionelle tøj.
Lars

CMJC (5097) 2022-05-14 8:35 [Comment]

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lousat (139342) 2022-05-14 11:19

Hi Gert,beautiful portrait of this old woman of Bhutan,she were very proud to be a model for you, i hope that she's still in life considering the year of pic. Have a nice evening and thanks,Luciano

jmdias (115280) 2022-05-14 12:07

gert

without these clothes and jewels she would be a perfect portuguese lady burned by sun of the fields. very nice this portrait and details of the clothes and use of the adornments.

take care

jorge

mcmtanyel (68647) 2022-05-14 20:07

Hello Gert,
I wouldn't call the original horrible, but the scan job looks as though you had scanned a print, and not film. I love the vibrancy of the colors.
Regards,
MT

COSTANTINO (116604) 2022-05-14 23:08

Hello dear Gert and have a nice day
and a happy evening for today
In this photo I can see my friend Gert
because this is a photo bringing
his personal stamp...
A traditional photo from a woman
in Bhutan in 2003...
your notes are really unique describing
this woman on a street in Dakar town....
regards
Costantino

jemaflor (147248) 2022-05-14 23:40

Hi Gert,
interesting portrait, well managed, good light and colors effect, tfs.

PaulVDV (62978) 2022-05-15 6:55

Hello Gert,
I've never been to Bhutan and I don't really know anyone in my own country who has ever been there. I know Bhutan was little visited compared to other countries nearby and a trip there was quite pricey compared to other destinations.
In those circumstances you may find it perhaps easier there to find people who pose "happily" and who don't do this for commercial reasons.
By keeping the crowds of foreigners out, the country will undoubtedly look more authentic, which is certainly an added value for the few visitors.
However, I never heard whether or not the inhabitants of this country led a better life than the inhabitants of other countries/parts of countries in the Himalayas.
Nepal has been visited by foreigners for many decades and that has yielded very little for the residents, I could see for myself in 2019.
This lady wears her nose ring and earrings with pride. Her necklace and her belt also stand out.
Perhaps this was her festive outfit.
I like the colour and patterns of her belt.
Best regards, Paul

Royaldevon (85932) 2022-05-15 10:09

Hello Gert,

This shows just how much your scanning has improved. It is hard to realise that these are from the same slide; the colours and the intrinsic details are so much better!

This is an excellent photograph of the lady. We can see her style of dress, the fabrics and her adornments.

The earrings are fine but I don't think I would like a ring through my nose, like this! It reminds me too much of subservience, being led by the nose! I wonder if the nose piercing happens when the women are children or if it is something they agree to, later.

My warm regards,
Bev :-)

ikeharel (113453) 2022-05-15 16:18

Hello Gert,
Good choice of the second scan, looks excellent outcome on this one.
Strong face expression of the lady portrait.
Have a nice new week,

Ike

GyurMaster (24840) 2022-05-16 1:09

Dear Gert,

This version is obviously better than the other, earlier version. Otherwise, its a good photograph. Its well taken and shows a person that looks interesting. What else could I say?

Best Wishes,
Gy.

PS: Thank you for uploading your 1969 photo into a WS. I just found it. Made my day. :) I just realized that we took the photo from the very same, almost identical POV. I only slightly remembered your photo, when I took mine but still.

kasianowak (17676) 2022-05-17 8:29

Well captured portrait showing the lady wearing traditional clothes and jewellery. You shouldn't complain - strong sunshine is the fact of life in Bhutan and the traditional architecture in the background creates a sense of place. Isn't it incredible that almost all architecture in Bhutan is traditional?

ricardomattos (17460) 2022-05-17 18:22

Hi Gert,

Excelente close desta mulher em trajes tipicos. Sou timido para fotografar pessoas e admiro quem consegue trazer para casa belas fotos como esta. Belo trabalho meu amigo !

Parabéns

Ricardo

aliabazari (22289) 2022-05-17 22:41

Hello Gert
Facial lines indicate the passage of difficult situations in different periods of his life. Clarity and lighting done well. Good color combination of the clothes he wears. Thanks for sharing

ChrisJ (171888) 2022-05-18 10:25

Hi Gert

This repost is a huge improvement on the original post with noticeable skin tone and contrast adjustments for the better. The larger size and improved shadow detail make this daily life scene far more interesting. Tfs!

worldcitizen (16106) 2022-05-18 13:25

Hello Gert,
Your scanning abilities, and I'm sure the quality of your scanner, have improved. :-) I can really appreciate all the details of this woman's traditional clothes and jewelry, and the colors are very natural, too. I also like the bit of red paint on the wall in the background. Take care!

foxy (3461) 2022-05-20 6:23

Hello Gert,
It wasn't that horrible the Original Version ... kinda like it , in a way. She looks a bit like Princess Fiona ( Shrek ), so green and a lot slimmer , of course :-)
Now ... Wow, such a big difference!
She suddenly became 'So Natural' ... a petite lady with strong character. A lady who doesn't mind being photographed.
I do love her nostril piercing ... making her even more distinctive. A role model for many women in her village.
You've done a brilliant job of scanning ... I reckon 'practice makes perfect' not mentioning the 'expensive gadgets' you've invested :-)
Tfs ...
Loong
PS. So nice to hear you said , according to my dairy ... your 'intimate dairy' :-)