Please note though I haven't had a lot of time to post process but PLEASE make any suggestions there. I have a new computer and I am trying to figure out how my display is. Also for some reason when the images are down sized or whatever they don't look as clear but I will deal with that later.

Anyway I am in a very rural area in Southwest China. It's near the Vietnam/Laos border. At our hotel I went and asked at the front desk about the guys around here with the water buffalo because I figured it would make for a good picture. Low and behold I made the strangest concierge request ever. I asked for a water buffalo and I got a water buffalo.

It was actually the guy from next door who wasn't even a hotel employee that took me over. He was actually a school teacher and was impressed with my Chinese and my curiosity. He and I rode bicycles over and I waded out in knee deep mud in a rice field and got some shots. It wasn't planned at all. This is a very rural area so he just took me over at the spur of the moment and I got a chance to do my thing. This was definitely not some 'set up' kind of thing. 110% the real deal. As usual, zero plans.

[Unregistered User 8]

Excellent series alamo. I would very much like to get results like these with " zero plans !! " Very well taken.

[alamo5000]

Excellent series alamo. I would very much like to get results like these with " zero plans !! " Very well taken.

Thank you! I need better processing I think but otherwise it was awesome! We hijacked a local bicycles and just rode over right then and there on the spot. I was literally knee deep in mud at times. All natural lighting.

Almost every shot was very wide angle. 16mm on my K3. That is the widest I have. I have a lot more shots but I will have to mess around with that later. I have several hundred from this trip alone.

[Unregistered User 8]

I have several hundred from this trip alone.

Looking forward to seeing some more.

[CreationBear]

It's near the Vietnam/Laos border

Great travelogue and photos--I'm going to insist you have your FA 77 in your back pocket from now on, though...or better yet, we'll get Kerrowdown to sell you his A*135/1.8. (FWIW, I think without the subject isolation of a fast lens, you might find yourself relying on monochrome treatments.)


At any rate, thanks so much for taking us along on the adventure--a lot of history (e.g. Dien Bien Phu) made in that part of the world.

[alamo5000]

Great travelogue and photos--I'm going to insist you have your FA 77 in your back pocket from now on, though...or better yet, we'll get Kerrowdown to sell you his A*135/1.8. (FWIW, I think without the subject isolation of a fast lens, you might find yourself relying on monochrome treatments.)


At any rate, thanks so much for taking us along on the adventure--a lot of history (e.g. Dien Bien Phu) made in that part of the world.

The problem for me wasn't proximity. I was shooting at 16mm (on my K3) for a lot of the set. I really do plan to upgrade to the K-1 for a number of reasons, one of which is I can get that FF 24mm (16mm equivalent) down to f2.8 with better ISO performance. In this situation I would have loved to have a prime but it would have been impossible to swap lenses out there with a buffalo moving around with me literally knee deep in mud. Even having a f2.8 lens would have been substantially better in terms of flexibility to do background separation.

Once I move over here in a few months it might be a whole lot easier (I hope) to haul around gear. I only brought one lens on this trip and although I love it it's not very fast. Also I am coming to appreciate weather sealing more than ever before now.

[CreationBear]

background separation

I'll be very interested in what you find to be the main differences between shooting in East Africa and now in Asia in terms of conveying the narrative "presence" of your subjects--something with the light and the mahogany skin tones of, say, your Kenyan soldiers, seemed to create an analogous "separation" from their backgrounds, lending their portraits an individuality and gravitas that was very special. I'm wondering if your processing might eventually have to account for a different set of complexions and the all-pervasive background haze if you're to "locate" your new subjects' character within the frame. (It occurs to me that all those "high-key" shots I see from Asian togs might be for a reason.)

[Kerrowdown]

we'll get Kerrowdown to sell you his A*135/1.8

Does the phrase... "pry it from my cold, dead fingers" mean anything to you.

"Lady Luck” is quite particular and with whom she performs her magic with...

[Chetverovod]

Very well photos!

[alamo5000]

Very well photos!

Thank you!

I am not very happy with my post processing though. I will try to do it again.

Also I am not sure how they create the profile correction in Lightroom but it seems like the correction for the 16-85 makes the photo seem sort of weird to me. Also being on a very terrible internet connection does not help either.

All that said it was an excellent experience!!

[KiloHotelphoto]

Love his smile.