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Gay Jatra in Bhaktapur, Nepal
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 25, 2013 12:46 pm    Post subject: Gay Jatra in Bhaktapur, Nepal Reply with quote
Hi,
since a few days I am in Nepal, and in the ancient city of Bhaktapur in the Kathmandu valley, it's center is a world heritage site, the socalled "Gay Jatra" is going on right now. Don't misunderstand, 'gay' means 'cow' in the local language, so this translates as cow festival: Carts with photos of family members that have deceased during the last year are taken through the street and it is believed that the holy cow will help them to pass to the highest realm. So it is a happy festival, locals hang out enjoy watching all kind of performances, groups of people dancing through the streets following the beat created with sticks beating together and late evenings and nights dancing groups with traditional attire circle the city.

I have used four manual lenses on Ricoh GXR M, Voigtlaender Heliar 4.5/15mm, Skopar f4/25mm, Canon LTM 1.8/50mm and preset Takumar f2.8/105mm, and also one AF lens, Sigma f2.8/19 on NEX5N. The AF lens came in handy and because there are photos both taken with AF and MF lens I was not sure where best to post and decided to do it in the AF section.

Already I have uploaded many photos to my flickr stream and certainly most are just to document and nothing special, nevertheless I hope someone will be interested to see. I still need to organize them better, add more tags and of some photos I am not sure anymore if I used the Heliar or Skopar, hardly can remember which ones were taken with the Skopar. There are many more photos and quite a few I will still upload. So it's still a work in process but now there are already almost 100 photos in the set, please have a look: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kuuan/sets/72157635181295110/with/9588207596/

a few samples:

the Durbar Sqare, the 'central square of Bhaktapur

Heliar f4.5/15mm on Ricoh GXR M

procession through streets of carts with photos of deceased family members

Heliar f4.5/15mm on Ricoh GXR M

kids impersonating Gods:

Sigma AF 2.8/19mm on Sony NEX5N


Sigma AF 2.8/19mm on Sony NEX5N


Sigma AF 2.8/19mm on Sony NEX5N

mythical dances

Canon LTM f1.8/50mm on Ricoh GXR M

groups of locals doing the 'stick dance'

Canon LTM f1.8/50mm on Ricoh GXR M

cleaning the roof of a cart in which the main deity of a temple will be carried to the streets

Canon LTM f1.8/50mm on Ricoh GXR M

watching from the window

Takumar f2.8/105mm on Ricoh GXR M


Takumar f2.8/105mm on Ricoh GXR M

I hope someone will enjoy,
best greetings,
Andreas


PostPosted: Sun Aug 25, 2013 2:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Andreas,

This series are really amazing. Colorful, very good composition, well exposed, interesting subject, and a place in the world that deserves to be visited at least 1 time in life. I saw no occidental folks - tourists - at any pic, very good.

Congrats, very well done. I'll jet an eye at your fickr stuff too,

Best regards,

Renato


PostPosted: Sun Aug 25, 2013 4:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
RSalles wrote:
Andreas,

This series are really amazing. Colorful, very good composition, well exposed, interesting subject, and a place in the world that deserves to be visited at least 1 time in life. I saw no occidental folks - tourists - at any pic, very good.

Congrats, very well done. I'll jet an eye at your fickr stuff too,

Best regards,

Renato


thank you very much Renato fro your kind comment!
yes, it was quite surprising that there were not more tourists present. One can see a number of them touring the sites during day but hardly anyone specially came for the festival, I only has seen a few Chinese, mostly ladies with big FF cameras, some with 2 of them, dangling from their neck.

If you like these pics please do check out the set corresponding set at my flickr, there are many photos, chances are that you will find some that you will even like better then these few shown Wink

best regards,
andreas


PostPosted: Sun Aug 25, 2013 4:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
wow andreas these are wonderful, thanks for sharing such a magical locale with us! your cv 15 seems very sharp compared to the copy i had and sold. do you do much PP with it?

also, though i like the results, its easy to see how much lwer contrast the canon ltm is than the other modern lenses.
tony


PostPosted: Sun Aug 25, 2013 5:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Stunning series, I really enjoyed it! Very Happy


PostPosted: Mon Aug 26, 2013 4:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
rbelyell wrote:
wow andreas these are wonderful, thanks for sharing such a magical locale with us! your cv 15 seems very sharp compared to the copy i had and sold. do you do much PP with it?

also, though i like the results, its easy to see how much lwer contrast the canon ltm is than the other modern lenses.
tony


thank's Tony!
Generally I don't do much PPing, specially those were edited on a fly. Most do have some adjustment of exposure, above all downing highlights and upping shadows in case there is sky in the frame to have details in it, that sometimes makes the other contents a bit flat and if so then I up 'presence' ( all in lightroom ), sometimes add a bit of sharpness.
For upload I use a custom action in PS that I have created, it reduces size and sharpens in two steps each, with some photos / lenses that ends up too sharp and then I go to history to undo the 2nd sharpening.
I actually consider the Canon quite sharp, but you may be right abt. lack of contrast, sure it doesn't like to be shot against strong light. I am always impressed how good old Takumars as e.g. the preset 105 used here fare in this respect, actually, since I had started out with Takumars only, I only began to understand the importance of good coating resp. the problems related with inferior coating once I had started to use other than Takumar vintage lenses

best greetings,
andreas

Last edited by kuuan on Mon Aug 26, 2013 4:37 am; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Mon Aug 26, 2013 4:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Great shots...lovely colours and scenes...and very sharp! Well done indeed.


PostPosted: Mon Aug 26, 2013 4:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Nordentro wrote:
Stunning series, I really enjoyed it! Very Happy


thank's Smile
if you enjoy them I again must recommend to click on the link provided in my original post to view more. The ones shown here are not shots that stand out, well I do like the portrait taken with the Sigma and the man cleaning the roof of the god's cart taken with the Canon, but the rest were chosen just to introduce the theme and there may be other photos in the set you like better!

so I show a few more:


Heliar 4.5/15 on GXR M


Heliar 4.5/15 on GXR M


Heliar 4.5/15 on GXR M


Sigma AF 2.8/19 on NEX5N


Canon LTM 1.8/50 on Ricoh GXR M


Canon LTM 1.8/50 on Ricoh GXR M


Heliar 4.5/15 on GXR M


Takumar 2.8/105 on Ricoh GXR M

cheers,
andreas


PostPosted: Mon Aug 26, 2013 5:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
dropmyload wrote:
Great shots...lovely colours and scenes...and very sharp! Well done indeed.


thank you very much!

again, these were meant to just introduce the theme, there are many more to be seen, also just added more to the set which now includes 116 pics. Stats of my flickr stating sources of linked views ( which often are wrong ) would indicate that noone here has used the provided link to view more, so ok, I add more:







all three taken with the AF Sigma 2.8/19mm, a very sharp lens indeed, on a NEX imo the perfect AF street shooter package for very little money ( paid less than 100 usd for mine )

cheers,
andreas


PostPosted: Mon Aug 26, 2013 12:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
fabulous. that one of the building with people in every window--that one is saleable. its a unique shot very well executed.
tony


PostPosted: Mon Aug 26, 2013 12:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Amazing, keep posting!


PostPosted: Mon Aug 26, 2013 3:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
First class images, they are good in every respect. Cool


PostPosted: Mon Aug 26, 2013 3:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
superb colorful pics, my favorite is the pink goat, it was the happening in the series Very Happy


PostPosted: Mon Aug 26, 2013 4:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I'm looking at the flickr gallery right now, added you as a contact,

Renato


PostPosted: Mon Aug 26, 2013 5:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
poilu wrote:
superb colorful pics, my favorite is the pink goat, it was the happening in the series Very Happy


perhaps that is the goat in the bucket in the penultimate photo.

wonderful, wonderful photos.


PostPosted: Tue Aug 27, 2013 4:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
rbelyell wrote:
fabulous. that one of the building with people in every window--that one is saleable. its a unique shot very well executed.
tony


thank you Tony, it's the one I like best too!
Framing was a bit difficult, if I'd used the NEX, with it's moveable LCD tilted down, instead I could have held the camera overhead and the lines would have been less collapsing, but corner performance of the 15mm Heliar is better on the GXR M


PostPosted: Tue Aug 27, 2013 4:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Rick1779 wrote:
Amazing, keep posting!


thank you Rick, I do, I do Smile


PostPosted: Tue Aug 27, 2013 4:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Lloydy wrote:
First class images, they are good in every respect. Cool


wow, thank you so much Loyd. I am very happy if I get responses of appreciation. It's a great photo opportunity and I took so many. I am not satisfied with the shots I got of the dancing people, but that wasn't easy, it was very crowded around them and they were moving fast, again something to learn how to improve


PostPosted: Tue Aug 27, 2013 5:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
RSalles wrote:
I'm looking at the flickr gallery right now, added you as a contact,

Renato


thank you Renato, just added you as a contact too
hope you enjoyed the photos! I shall upload more, but internet speed here is painfully slow, so it will have to wait a bit until I find the time, also to check out your stream.

best greetings to all, andreas


PostPosted: Tue Aug 27, 2013 5:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
poilu wrote:
superb colorful pics, my favorite is the pink goat, it was the happening in the series Very Happy


philslizzy wrote:
poilu wrote:
superb colorful pics, my favorite is the pink goat, it was the happening in the series Very Happy


perhaps that is the goat in the bucket in the penultimate photo.

wonderful, wonderful photos.


thank you very much, very happy that you like them!

goats..are very much present on the streets, on all kind of shapes, as you have noted Wink
the one with the pink forehead, that's the third eye painted like Hindus do, these goats very leisurely hang out around temples



I have seen people revering them like like gods, stroking them, treating them very well, they get fed there


This one just gave birth to a baby just there, next to the temple entrance, it was helped by a temple attendant:



I guess these are destined to be offered to the gods, as had happened a few minutes earlier here ( with a crowd of people around, that's why I had not taken any pic of 'the act' )



some look quite impressive



and mutton and 'buff', that is buffalo meat, certainly are local favorite food, specially at festival time Wink



I believe 1,2,3 and 5 taken with CV Snapshot Skopar 4/25, 4 and 6 with Heliar 4.5/15, all on Ricoh GXR M
oh my, by now 145 pics in the Bhaktapur set, most likely more to come

cheers,
andreas


PostPosted: Wed Aug 28, 2013 7:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Very stunning series.
Nepal and Butan are the top #1 holiday destinations of my dreams (ecept mabe Bora Bora $$$ Wink) and these are making me even more interested to see some of these countries with my own eyes Smile
kuuan wrote:


all three taken with the AF Sigma 2.8/19mm, a very sharp lens indeed, on a NEX imo the perfect AF street shooter package for very little money ( paid less than 100 usd for mine )

Lol looks like shoe box pimped with Contax G lenses and a tablet computer Very Happy

EDIT: Hey, where did the guy with the shoebox-videocamere go?


PostPosted: Fri Aug 30, 2013 7:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
My wife and just looked at your flickr. Stunning photos. Well done.


PostPosted: Sat Aug 31, 2013 6:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
philslizzy wrote:
My wife and just looked at your flickr. Stunning photos. Well done.


+1 , very neat presented Andreas Very Happy


PostPosted: Sat Aug 31, 2013 8:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
First class documentary photography Andreas!

Some of the images are really outstanding and will stay in my memory for a long time


PostPosted: Sat Aug 31, 2013 3:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
ForenSeil wrote:
Very stunning series.
Nepal and Butan are the top #1 holiday destinations of my dreams (ecept mabe Bora Bora $$$ Wink) and these are making me even more interested to see some of these countries with my own eyes Smile
kuuan wrote:


all three taken with the AF Sigma 2.8/19mm, a very sharp lens indeed, on a NEX imo the perfect AF street shooter package for very little money ( paid less than 100 usd for mine )

Lol looks like shoe box pimped with Contax G lenses and a tablet computer Very Happy

EDIT: Hey, where did the guy with the shoebox-videocamere go?


thank you!
Nepal sure is a very picturesque place! People are generally very hospitable, and one really should do trekking here!
the camera guy is still there, no? His camera actually is made from a gasoline canister Wink
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