Romancing the Stone, a photo from Siem Reab, West

Photographer's Note

On final day of temple visits returning from Banteay Srey, we stopped at Banteay Samre. Most people, including myself, would feel after few days of visiting the temples that they all look alike and there is no further incentive to see more, especially when you feel like dragging your body and camera along like a zombie. But I was lucky I did not succumb to such temptation of laziness especially I had carried 7kg load in my bag throughout. It was hot, humid and thirsty. As usual i always climbed up/down, around and about all the temples, when I spotted this lovely couple with Nikon D200, colorful shirts and hat. I wish they are TE members :) Romancing the Stone, no? Definitely the stone was my target when they walked pass my viewfinder frame. Tell me, what do you think I should do, wait for them to go by and continue my romancing the stone, or let them do it for me? HINT:watch the body language of these 2.

A visit to Banteay Samre can be combined with an excursion to Banteay Srei, which it should precede if possible. The whole trip takes perhaps half a day and is best made in the morning. If you need a good driver, I have given the contact of Sophea in my travelogue story. He is highly recommended by trekks. About 20km northeast of Angkor Wat, just off the road to Banteay Srei, this temple was built by Suryavarman II in the middle of the 12th century and has well preserved bas-reliefs of the Vishnu legends. There is a wonderful relief of Vishnu as the lotus-navelled creator of the world. One of the few fortified temples surrounded by a moat and far from the normal temple crowds.
Large, comparatively flat temple displaying distinctively Angkor Wat-style architecture and artistry. The temple underwent extensive restoration this century by archaeologists using the anastylosis method. Banteay Samre was constructed around the same time as Angkor Wat. The style of the towers and balustrades bear strong resemblance to the towers of Angkor Wat and even more so to Khmer temple of Phimai in Thailand. Many of the carvings are in excellent condition.
If you have read up to here, let me tell the secret. The guy's finger was pointing to me. They must have shot local portraits, so I tried it on them but the woman saw me and quickly turned to the wall. The guy saw me later and raised a finger. I am used to people shooting me, so I find this woman's reflex very interesting to post this.
2009:03:07 11:05:10, 1/320s F/6.3, ISO200, FL200mm

ymrk, cunejo200, snunney, pierrefonds, paura, patdeph, phwall, bukitgolfb301, ChrisJ, dareco, jafadabret, dip, Wandering_Dan, AiresSantos, shevchenko, cfreire, jhm, jlbrthnn, skippy007, JCG, jusninasirun has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

delpeoples (60342) 2009-05-28 23:58

Hi Bill, ha, this again made me laugh. A very romantic photo - those bl**dy tourists getting in the way of a shot that took forever to compose. Don;t you just want to kill them? Anyway, it adds interest and I like the texture of the wall. It seems you're all "templed out" butcan still give me a laugh. All the best for a relaxing weekend, Lisa.

ymrk (15099) 2009-05-29 0:14

Hello Bill,
OK,So that!Specially,i've loved to this blues...Blues?I'm talking about t-shirt with hat in there.The background has a golden colorsand your timing perfectly!
See you soon,Bill.

Yağmur

phwall (6787) 2009-05-29 0:19

Hi Bill,
Yeah, now that's a romantic looking couple, Angelina and Brad eat your heart out.
Shame they got in the way of this masterpiece, stone the bloody crows, I'll bet you had to bribe them to move on too.
Enjoy the weekend.
Warm wishes
Peter

wolf38 (30) 2009-05-29 1:56

Hello Bill. Here you show a beautiful and realistic everyday life picture. For me it is a kind person study. Very beautifully. Best regards, Wolfgang.

cunejo200 (7281) 2009-05-29 4:24

Hello Bill,
What a coincidence. I was watching this movie last night. A mighty fine posting with superb exposure, texture, and colors. This posting could very well be a good entry for this week's theme at TL. I have not touched my camera for a good while. Seeing this inspires me to hit the local sites later. TFS.
Danilo

snunney (130967) 2009-05-29 4:31

Hello Bill,
A good capture of these rather incongruous tourists, who look very British to me in their style of dress and by their pasty looking skins. The juxtaposition between the two is superb as is the expression on the man's face. I bet he is say " Haven't you seen enough of these old stones for today, I could do with a nice cool beer!" Well observed and presented daily life shot.

pierrefonds (113610) 2009-05-29 5:06

Hi Bill,

Theres is to way to look at the situation, they noticed you and took their time to leave or they had a discussion about a situation. A good capture of the tourists near the stone wall. The picture is clear and precise. The good light is enhancing the colors of the picture. Have a nice day.

Pierre

Nicou (193806) 2009-05-29 5:59

Hello,

mangigique iamge, colorée vivante, tu fais aussi de la pub pour Nikon,, il sont de vrais touristes et voyageurs, superbe image.

bravo et amitié

Nicou

paura (25802) 2009-05-29 6:51

Bill,
really an humorous composition here. The scene is atken from a nice POV as well. Well done.

Regards

Paulo

jmdias (114296) 2009-05-29 7:45

bill

it is a nice contraste between the tourists and the old wall, with a so beautiful texture. nice que framing and the light

hugs

jorge

patdeph (35750) 2009-05-29 8:44

hello Bill
there is a nice light and beautiful colours!For the couple,I don't know if they are worth your interest,but this is a funny shot!It's always strange when forigners don't want to be photographed by local people,when they ask me for a photo,I always accept!
Cheers
Pascale

ls7902 (7380) 2009-05-29 9:42

Hi Bill,
Pleasant colors, lighting, and textures. The stone wall alone wouldn't be as interesting. The Nikon an object of natural bonding or interest for you. Actually, avoiding a facial a capture the lady provides more interesting back posture relative to the man. Will reply to your email later. Opening TE and thumbnails is surprising fast and easy at the moment. Hope it will remain that way. Regards. Latiff.

Didi (61589) 2009-05-29 15:21

Hi Bill
The man on the left looks like my boss.
Usually I don't like to photograph tourists but I like this scene.
Nice colours with the darker background.
Best regards

Polonaise (5802) 2009-05-29 15:46 [Comment]

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bukitgolfb301 (54014) 2009-05-29 19:09

Hello my dear Bill

Great photo simple but has strong message inside !.
Vivid color coordinatio.
Well consecrated composition and framework.
Congratulation on your good job !

Thanks for sharing and best rest regards,

Takero

dareco (17136) 2009-05-29 19:27

:) A cute capture. I like the body language and the colors of the clothing. The wall is interesting and beautiful. Excellent detail!! TFS

ChrisJ (171252) 2009-05-29 19:36

Hi Bill

At least it wasn't a tour group of Japanese or Chinese. They all want individual shots of each & every tour party member, in front of the " insert attraction here". I recall asking Chinese tour groups to please stand aside for a few seconds, & they graciously complied. This was at the 3 pagodas in Dali, Yunnan. But these 2 arrogant, overweight Western tourists, look like an entirely different kettle of fish. Good colour, sharpness & composition. Tfs!

jafadabret (56501) 2009-05-29 23:16

Bonjour Bill.
J'aime cette photo qui montre des touristes au milieu de sites vénérables. La femme sait ce que c'est qu'un photographe et de quoi il est capable. L'homme n'a pas apprécié non plus. Mais la photo est excellente. Belle lumière et bonne composition avec en prime de belles couleurs !
Jacques

UlfE (14641) 2009-05-29 23:17

Hi Bill,

A funny picture. It is taken in good lighting and the darker wall is a good contrast to the colourful clothes of those two tourists. TFS and have a nice weekend!

Cheers,

Ulf

saigon (6443) 2009-05-30 11:22

bonjour BILL.
j'aime bien cette situation devant ce mur!
bon moment decisif!
amitiées....aldo.

dip (21408) 2009-05-30 13:47

Hi Bill,
sun and Holidays and typical tourists outfit,
excellent captured!
by the way,the textures of the wall are very beautiful :)
and your note is fantastic,well done!
Dimitris.

Disabled_A (0) 2009-05-30 14:10

Hi Bill,
I really love your unusual - extraordinary - captures which are always food for thought! This guy on the left - with his pointing finger... :)
Excellent framing, excellent moment. And your Note is also one of the best of yours :)
Colourwise- super! (+ also blue and yellow - a never-losing combination ;))
Warmest greetings from almost hot and sunny Moscow,
Elena
PS. though it's nighttime right now :)

luighi (5303) 2009-05-30 15:22

Hi my fiend , me gustan mucho la tonalidad de la piedra , ha quedado fantastica .Curiosa y divertida captura amigo.
Un abrazo.
Luis

Wandering_Dan (3449) 2009-05-30 16:21

Hi, Bill -

Definitely a classic tourist pose! I don't know what to cringe over first. ;-) The inappropriate clothing that screams "I don't care about your culture!" or the off-the-shoulder way the woman is carrying her camera that begs for it to be stolen. Not sure about the finger - it seems the wrong one, but maybe he was just getting started.

Best,
Dan

jurek1951 (42198) 2009-05-30 21:47

Hi Bill,
Beautiful and picturesque scenery :] Nice composition, colours and lighting, well framed.
Georg

CMJC (5095) 2009-05-31 0:46 [Comment]

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AiresSantos (56155) 2009-05-31 6:30

Hi Bill
Very interesting note for this very beautiful picture.
Excellent vivid colours and contrast
Greetings from Lisbon
Aires

bobocortis (16090) 2009-05-31 12:02

Hello Bill.
A curious snapshot, that shows how can be funny the tourists. Good composition and colors.
Best regards.
Bobo.

shevchenko (20560) 2009-05-31 22:15

Hello Bill,
May be this couple is TE members too, or may be royalty members, haha~ I'm kidding.
Detail to show the surface of wall made by stones, attractive bright color, well done.
Ally

Cretense (68709) 2009-06-01 8:18

Hi Bill!

Great photo, excellent daily life scene with funny title! Nice composition and framing, great light managment, brilliant colours and great capture of the wall's texture! Great note, too!

Hercules

Ola_Kwiatek (0) 2009-06-01 9:14

Wonderful man and woman. Amazigh tourists. Very funny scene. Nice picture.
Cheers

cfreire (11741) 2009-06-01 14:21

Hi Bill
Really it's fun shot that made laughing too. The colors of wall and its textures were well defineded. Interesting capture. Regards, Consuelo

jhm (211734) 2009-06-02 4:54

Hello Bill,

Old but be in love with couple, very nice for these two people, also a real Nikon fan.
Good light and and very soft colours.
Nice composition and pleasant picture for look at.
Very well done, TFS.

Best regards,
John.

jlbrthnn (76043) 2009-06-02 7:36

Hello Bill,
I liked the reading of your text. Finally, you carried out an excellent image of these tourists who wanted to be anonymous. They adopt funny attitudes and getups. I appreciate the details of the stone. Congratulations.
Have a nice day
Cordially
Joël

marietom (34611) 2009-06-02 14:04

hello Bill,

Jolie scène de vie quotidienne bien colorée :!
Bonne soirée
Marie

daddo (28748) 2009-06-03 21:43

Hi Bill. She seems to be more interested in how nicely the stones fit together than in what he has to say. Enigmatic photo containing a strong human element. Great sharpness and lovely light. Feels hot. Regards. Klaudio.P.S. Just read the last bit after posting my critique. There definitely is some tension- who would have thought you were the cause, but then I remember the poor girl in Kuching cornered by you and Alfred. I am still annoyed i did not join you, but three would have been too much even for the gentle Malay.

foozi (7101) 2009-06-03 22:02

Hi Bill,
you have definitely have the eyes for human activity. I like this depiction cos it have hidden dialogue that we could not hear. Such a nice composition of beautiful contrasting colours and well exploited lighting to enhance the texture and colours.
Such a lovely shot, but would have gone wasted if I were there.

regards,
Foozi

skippy007 (12510) 2009-06-04 0:17

Hello Bill, I think you were very fortunate that these two westerners stood in front of your vied finder because apart from the well;l textured wall & several plants I'm not sure there is much to look at, actually I would go all the way & say it may even been very boring HeHeHe. A boring shot saved by a couple of unsuspecting tourists. A good eye & quick on the trigger, well done. I like you note, interesting, informative with a good mixture of humour, sometimes I think lacking on TE. Thanks. Also you have given me an idea for my next post.
Take care
Santo

serp2000 (47063) 2009-06-05 2:21

Hi, Bill,
An interesting story. I see, that Nikon is a sponsor of this shot ;)) Is it re-placement? )))
Excellent quality!Nice colours and good details!
Have a nice weekend!
Serghei

JCG (35153) 2009-06-07 4:48

Hello Bill,

Here are two coloured tourists who are well emphazised on this wall with the colours ochres. It seems that there is a historical discussion on this wall. An original photograph and treated with humour. An authentic moment well photographed. Well done Bill and thank you for the note.

With all my friendships and very good Sunday,

Jean-Charles

jusninasirun (17529) 2009-06-10 6:50

Hi Bill,

How well you capitalized the light and details in this shot is amazing. The texture of the stone wall is so sharp.

I can see that you have always included people in your recent posts and I like them all. So much maturity in composition and I can see you can go far in photography.

TFS and have a nice day/night.

Jusni