Lovely Laos - Feb 2008

[2point8]

sharing some shots I took at Laos earlier this year during my trip there in feb. it's really a lovely place that stills retain much of its laid back charm, probably due to the fact that it receives far less visitors than other indochina nations like vietnam and cambodia. feb is the start of the burning season so its quite hazy during this period.

i entered laos from chiang rai in thailand and travelled across northern laos; namely huay xai, muang sing, nong khiaw, sam nuea before exiting to vietnam. please feel free to give your comments. will upload more photos later.



dusk at nong khiaw




cheerful kids at huay xai




storing wood neatly for fuel and construction




a typical sundry shop - the slow pace of life in laos




fishing in one of the tributaries of the mighty mekong river

[fude]

I like the 5th picture.

[gumnaam]

Nice series.... i somehow have the feeling that for first three the white balance is off.....too warm indeed.... #1 is my Fav.... wonderful.

[Parka]

Nice series.

Is the colour temperature really like that? A bit on the brown side. It makes the photos look aged, not that it's a bad thing.

[zoossh]

i like the color balance applied for #1, but #3 can trial for a more daylight balance and i think can bring out the colors more.

#3 and #5 have interesting composition.

[fude]

I like #5 composition.

[2point8]

thanks for the comments

the photos have indeed undergone substantial post processing. to counter the hazy overcast conditions prevalent throughout the trip, i try to make most of the photos warmer. some seemed too warm for me too on the browser. guess this is so as i processed them for print with adobe rgb profile which looks just nice in photoshop.

[2point8]

more photos


boy by a bridge in nong khiaw




kids overlooking the nam ou river




boys in a songtheaw, laos version of the tuk tuk




young monk cycling to school




empty classroom

[2point8]

more photos..


carefree children strolling down a track




songtheaw - the main mode of transport in Laos




surrounded by children upon entering their village




they wanted photo money!




traditional silk weaving

[zoossh]

Originally Posted by 2point8 they wanted photo money!

sad. this is the beginning.

[redstone]

Originally Posted by 2point8 empty classroom

Great gradient and mood!

[2point8]

Originally Posted by zoossh sad. this is the beginning.

i was quite shocked too when they shouted "photo money", and this boy shot out a calculator to make it clearer to me. never expected it as we were quite off the beaten track... must be some tour groups came before and gave them money...

Originally Posted by redstone Great gradient and mood!

thanks

[fude]

so... did u pay them??

[zoossh]

Originally Posted by 2point8 i was quite shocked too when they shouted "photo money", and this boy shot out a calculator to make it clearer to me. never expected it as we were quite off the beaten track... must be some tour groups came before and gave them money...

i dunno. but having a calculator seems to suggest that life may not be that bad.

[aichap]

i like the kids you took...nice.

[2point8]

Originally Posted by fude so... did u pay them??

nope.

Originally Posted by zoossh i dunno. but having a calculator seems to suggest that life may not be that bad.

yup true. they were just being mischievous I guess. they had decent shelter and crops were abundant; nothing like the poverty I had seen in India...

Originally Posted by aichap i like the kids you took...nice.

thanks

[zoossh]

Originally Posted by 2point8 yup true. they were just being mischievous I guess. they had decent shelter and crops were abundant; nothing like the poverty I had seen in India...

some countries may be a little backward, but it is often a case of demand versus supply. supply low but demand low, should still be al'rite.