Some people in Cambodia

[bustak]

In mid-December I went to Cambodia for vacation. It was a pretty touristy trip. Took the terrifying/dusty road trip from the Thai border to Siem Riep, saw the Angkor Wat, went on a boat tour of the Tonlesap Lake, stuff like that.

Besides that stuff I was able to break away & see some of the sadder parts of the country, which is easy to do, it's a really impoverished country.

I've typed enough, here's a few pictures I took while there:









^ these 2 pictures are of a brother & sister who pose w/ a snake around their neck for $1.












^ on the lake tour there was these boats w/ Vietnamese immigrants who'd come up to the boat we where on & throw little kids on to our boat to sell soda. I said to the tour guide "isn't that dangerous" & he said "no problem, the children here know how to swim."










^ some douche bag in front of the Angkor Wat.








^ WOW, the more I ate the hungrier I got.


^ In my opinion this is the best photo I've ever captured. This lady has one of the warmest smiles I've ever seen. She was cooking lunch for the monks, & allowed the cats to share some of the raw fish she was chopping up.


^ A beautiful sunset on top of a old wat near the Angkor Wat.

I've been using the Canon PowerShot SD800 IS for the past couple of months while I'm in Asia. I really like this camera because it's small, so people don't pay any mind when I'm snapping away & also it's a GREAT camera for those from the hip shots.

I've taken roughly 8,000 pictures in 5 months, these are just a few, hope you enjoy them.

[jizzybloke]

Some great pictures there bustak!

poor little sod don't look to impressed having a snake round his throat!

[Propagator]

Great pictures - had a laugh at this one as it looks as he is just lifting his leg to squeeze a quiet one out

[Marmite the Dog]

You da man when it comes to photos.

Fucking excellent, really. Next time you're in town I'll get your barfine wavered.

[zipcode]

Great photos! Camera has excellent color saturation and crispness, but the composition (and choice of subjects) is all your skill. More please if you have the time.

W.r.t poverty, having travelled to many countries where rural poverty is prevalent, I find it noteworthy when the poor make an effort to keep their home/surroundings clean. Also, that even the poor are charitable and helpful. Not true in every country though.

W.r.t the beg-baby picture, no adult should be wearing pants like those outside of their house! I hope it wasn't someone from your group. "The horror..the horror"

Wish there was a greener green to send you (yeah, I know, money would be nice)

[Texpat]

In my opinion this is the best photo I've ever captured. This lady has one of the warmest smiles I've ever seen.

Very nice photo, indeed.
Consider cropping in. The hands on the left border distract from your subject. Also crop down to the top of her head to maintain relative dimensions.
Nicely done.

[bustak]

Hey thanks a lot for the + feedback, I really appreciate it!

I went to Burma a few weeks ago, I'll post those sometime this week.

Originally Posted by Texpat

Very nice photo, indeed.
Consider cropping in. The hands on the left border distract from your subject. Also crop down to the top of her head to maintain relative dimensions.
Nicely done.

That's a good suggestion, I'll play around with that, thanks!

[ChiangMai noon]

they are truly excellent.

not sure which one to use as my screen saver.

think I'll go with the monks one first.

[rawlins]

Some of the best photos I have ever seen posted.... Excellent..

[klongmaster]

Bustak: you're got a great eye for detail...thanks for taking the time to share these with us...particularly liked this one...

[tango]

Absolutely tremendous photography with an especially acute eye for subject matter, Bustak. Would you mind sharing your camera detail such as type etc.
Thanks.

[zipcode]

Bustak,

Been investigating the camera; am wondering if all the pictures (except the b/w one with the prosthetic musicians) were taken in Auto mode?

If so, the camera is worth buying.

Thanks in advance for replying.

[Mid]

Simply Brilliant

thanxs for sharing ,


wordpress.com

[klongmaster]

Most times the answer is in the thread Tango:

Originally Posted by tango

Bustak. Would you mind sharing your camera detail such as type etc.

Originally Posted by bustak

I've been using the Canon PowerShot SD800 IS for the past couple of months while I'm in Asia.

[Marmite the Dog]

Originally Posted by zipcode

Camera has excellent color saturation and crispness

I thought he'd upped the saturation in photoshop, as it seems too much.

[zipcode]

That's why I asked if he was using Auto mode; the camera has a Vivid mode IIRC.

My local Costco carries it, and I will probably buy and try for a week. Costco has lovely return policies!

Generally, I stay away from cams that use non-standard batteries, but the picture quality seems excellent.

The Panasonic Lumix I use now is feeling heavier these days

[Marmite the Dog]

Originally Posted by zipcode

The Panasonic Lumix

You'll notice a massive improvement if you move over to a Canon from one of them. The non-standard battery can be a pain, so make sure you have a spare or two. Luckily my Powershot A640 uses normal batteries, but it isn't very compact.

[bustak]

Thanks again for the nice feedback, I'm surprised by all the positive attention.

In-camera (Canon PowerShot SD800) I shoot in Manual mode & have the color set to VIVID.

Then in Photoshop I like going in to the levels & crushing the SHADOWS & opening up the HIGHLIGHTS. The MID-TONES usually stay the same, unless the detail in the face needs to be opened up.

I usually go in to Hue & Saturation & pull the saturation down because when you mess w/ the levels in the fashion I do, usually the image becomes unnaturally over saturated.

I then go in & add the SHARPEN filter.

Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog

I thought he'd upped the saturation in photoshop, as it seems too much.

The colors looking over/under saturated is dependent on the monitor you're looking [at] them on. On some monitors my photos looks over saturated, & others the colors look rather flat.

I would prefer over-saturated to flat. I'd worry about color calibration on my monitor if I was going to have these printed.

Thanks again everyone.

[zipcode]

Funny thing about camera size and weight:

Women typically have a purse, so size/weight not an issue;

Men with bumbags also not so concerned;

Winter time when wearing a jacket or coat, not concerned;

But now that spring is here, i just don't want to keep the Lumix in shirt pocket.

Price seems right, so mebbe the Lumix might be relegated to backup role.

[zipcode]

^^ Aha! VIVID and photoshopping!

Next you will be admitting that your subjects actually are a Thai travelling Shakespeare troupe who dressed up for you!