Monks doing a little washing, a photo from Siem Reab, West

Photographer's Note

Siem Reap - Monks doing a little washing

When French explorers rediscovered Angkor Wat in the 19th century, Siem Reap was just a village.
Meanwhile, it has grown into Cambodia's second largest city and the most popular destination for foreigners. However, 'destination' should be understood as the place where most people stay, eat and drink before and after their visit to the famous temples.
There are indeed also those who spend whole days in and around the pool of their hotel.

During the first six months of 2019, 2.5 million tourists are said to have stayed in Siem Reap.
To me this city did not resemble any other place in Cambodia.
Although it was not difficult to find budget accommodation and restaurants, I was amazed at the level of prices in other establishments.
Although Angkor Wat, Beng Mealea and the stilt-dwelling villages around Tonlé Sap Lake are among the most interesting places in Southeast Asia, in Siem Reap you do not imagine yourself in Cambodia.

Here are the only two photos I took in Siem Reap:
Monks doing a small laundry in the Siem Reap River and the covered pedestrian bridge at sunset.

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TE members have managed to catalog photos of Siem Reap under 20 different names on this site.
Except for 4 that indicate further place descriptions in the names, the others are spelling errors ...

jhm, holmertz, ikeharel, Fis2, COSTANTINO, macjake, pierrefonds, ChrisJ, ManishaJain, Royaldevon, pajaran, worldcitizen, adramad, ricardomattos, mcmtanyel oznaczył to zdjęcie jeko użyteczne

Critiques | Translate

jhm (211738) 2021-05-23 9:29

Goedenavond Paul,

U heeft niet de gemakkelijkste hoek gekozen met de felle zon in de achtergrond.
Zo krijgen we deels overbelichting in het water.
Maar u heeft dit nog behoorlijk opgelost door de rechterkant wat donkerde te maken waardoor we nog wat contrast krijgen.
Uw hoofd foto is zeker de beste van de twee.
We hebben al meermaals overgehad, moment opnames daar voor bent u niet op reis om uren te wachten voor het perfecte beeld te maken.
Algemeen goed foto werk, bedankt.

Groeten uit Oost-Vlaanderen,
John

holmertz (103596) 2021-05-23 9:32

Hello Paul,
I think every traveller to South East Asia should be forever grateful to the Buddhist monks for dressing in such a photogenic way. And at a time like this, when the low orange coloured sun seems to put the dry leaves on fire, the monks' robes provide a perfectly matching colour. It's a nice photo with a quiet and peaceful atmosphere, and you handled the exposure well despite the fairly tricky light.
Best regards,
Gert

Silvio1953 (222889) 2021-05-23 9:33

Ciao Paul, fascinating laundry scene, dreaming atmosphere, splendid light and wonderful colors, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

ikeharel (114569) 2021-05-23 9:38

Hello Paul,
Golden light from the far side, illuminated the weed on the bank in most beautiful hue's.
Both pictures wonderfully collected despite the backlight prevailing.
Good afternoon,
Ike

lousat (139982) 2021-05-23 10:22

Hi Paul,very often there are errors indicating the location but here we beat all the records ... ahaha ... interesting notes, both about the life of certain tourists who come here to stay in the pool, and about local life, the whose photos show something excellent, great choice of place and time in the main photo. Have a nice evening and thanks,Luciano

Fis2 (171907) 2021-05-23 10:37

Witaj Paul!
Excellent scene from daily life.
I like framing, colors and light.
Very impressive picture!
Well done.
Good evening.
Krzysztof

COSTANTINO (117756) 2021-05-23 11:13

hello dear friend and have a nice day
and a happy new week
I like this colorful presentation
and the sunlight playing among the
branches of the trees
photo taken almost professionally
well done
regards
Costantino

macjake (98544) 2021-05-23 11:30

Hi Paul
Cambodia would for sure be a very interesting place to visit...is it like Thailand where there are pockets of richness, then pockets of poverty...all mixed together? I remember being in Bangkok and I turn to my right and it looks like Down Town Las Vegas, I turn to my left and it looks like the poorest country on earth. anyways...you have yourself here a wonderful scene, very photogenic. My fav part are the circular ripples in the water. really sweet shot. cheers
Craig

pierrefonds (115518) 2021-05-23 12:54

Bonsoir Paul,

Tu as bien capturé ;es ondes sur l'eau et le moine qui lave son linge. Les reflets sur l'eau sont des atouts ŕ la composition. La prise de vue permet de voir les détails des arbres et du pont. Le coucher de soleil donne de belles couleurs ŕ l'image. Bonne soirée.

Pierre

ChrisJ (172430) 2021-05-23 18:50

Hello Paul,

A superb daily life scene from Siem Reap showing it is still possible to find scenes of ordinary daily life despite the n]mass tourism. The orange sunlit tones on the grass and left bank of the river perfectly match the saffron robes of the bathing monks. Tfs!

ifege (49393) 2021-05-23 21:15

Hi Paul
I also only took a few, mostly now discarded, photos in Siem Reap. This is a good pair along the river the the monks doing domestic chores.
cheers
Ian

jemaflor (148214) 2021-05-23 22:58

salut Paul,
Une scčne bien mise en valeur avec cette luminosité parfaitement capturée et rendue, bon effet également avec ces ronds dans l'eau, bien fait.

ManishaJain (524) 2021-05-23 23:16

Hello Paul

It is a splendid shot of setting sun illuminating a riverside and river water.....The orange attire of monks is also blending with surroundings so well....good pov, dof and sharpness..

Regards

Manisha Jain

Royaldevon (86438) 2021-05-24 7:33

Hello Paul,

I sense that this place was a little disappointing for you but don't be disappointed with the photographs. It's not easy photographing directly into the sun but what an effect it has had! The sun beams are shining across the riverside and making the the grass look as if it has been painted! The monks match so well!
The bridge is hardly visible in the b/g but clearly revealed in your w/s.

I had to smile at your title. I don't know if the expression is the same in your country but in the U.K. 'smalls' often refer to underclothes, usually underpants and knickers! Well done those monks!

My warm regards,
Bev :-)

mkamionka (75113) 2021-05-24 8:12

Hi Paul,
nice combination of the sunset with the daily life photo.
The monks bring in so much life in their orange clothes.
I know what you mean about the wrong spelling. If you mention that to Porteplume she will be able to correct that. I asked for help with several other destinations. I stopped doing it because there are so many mistakes like that. Also sometimes there are differently spelled international or English names, hard to decide what to choose.
Great reportage,
M

jean113 (28253) 2021-05-24 8:37

Hello Paul, the setting sun has given you some lovely bands of light highlighting the fallen leaves on the river bank.
I like how the trunks of the trees frame the two men as they get on with their tasks. Plus one is hidden behind a tree!
The workshop picture looks even better in the large version with a warm glow behind the bridge and reflected light on the water.
Kind regards, Jean.

ktanska (45052) 2021-05-24 9:51

Hi Paul,
Last rays of sunset look great on those dry leaves in the foreground. Monks have now time for laundry and you captured this scene well. Diagonal tree trunk is a strong compositional element.
Kari

Tue (93412) 2021-05-24 10:29

Hallo Paul,
Een mooi gezicht langs de waterkant. De warme stralen van de laagstaande zon komen mooi net onder de bomen door en zetten alles in een aangename gloed. De twee mensen laten een mooi stukje dagelijks leven zien. De kringen in het water zijn ook een leuk detail.
Lars

GyurMaster (25026) 2021-05-24 12:00

Hello Paul,

Its a good documentary photo, but of course the lights and colours, which sell this photo. Anyhow, I really like it.

Best Wishes,
Gy.

pajaran (117033) 2021-05-24 21:49

Pozdrav.
Lep pogled i trenutak, interesantan i dobar tekst ...
Dobar rad sa lepom fotografijom u radionici, lepe boje, kontrast i perspektiva.
Lepa fotografija i uhvaceni trenutak.
Zelim vam sve najbolje.
Paja

worldcitizen (16226) 2021-05-25 8:46

Hello Paul,
The sunburst pulled me in, and then I found all the delightful details in this photo: the covered bridge in the background, the monk standing on the side, and the other one creating a ripple in the water. The strong sun creates some interesting hues, too. Take care!

BennyV (34780) 2021-05-25 10:38

Mooi hoe de felle zakkende zon daar de bomen komt, Paul.
Heerlijk, rustige scčne, mooi gefotografeerd.

Benny

adramad (73442) 2021-05-25 11:34

Hello Paul.
What a delicious scene at sunset, with the monks washing their clothes in the river, ideally the sun that filters through the branches of the trees coloring the river bank giving the leaves on the ground that beautiful reddish tone.
Very original items used in the past in the museum, some bring me many memories, the plates were not suitable for ironing delicate garments .....
Sharpness, lighting, color, and magnificent composition; they are managed to perfection, in this beautiful image.
I like very much.
You have a good day. Very best regards.
Luis.

ricardomattos (17574) 2021-05-31 18:38

Hi Paul

Uma bela cena do cotidiano deste lugar. O por do sol através dos galhos foi um excelente bônus assim como a bela ponte ao fundo. Belo trabalho.

Parabéns

Ricardo

kasianowak (17676) 2021-06-07 2:51

Hi again Paul
This image is wonderful as it captures the atmosphere of an evening by the river and also the sense of place even though it doesn't include any of the main sights of Cambodia (or a hotel pool...). The light is wonderful and the monks really make it special.
The bridge was also worth capturing so nice to see it in WS.
Have a nice week.
Kasia
PS. Your first guess was correct - my next port of call was Agra. It may be touristy but I just had to see The Taj once in my life! As for how I got to Amritsar without a train... I flew from London with a stopover in Delhi - Air India offers such a connection and it was convenient given a small amount of time I had (when I was invited to the wedding celebrations I had already booked almost all my holidays for that year and also January is a very busy time at work so I could only manage 10 days for the while trip, including flights and the wedding events). I didn't regret it though - Amritsar airport is something worth seeing, it's such a different affair from the modern airports in New Delhi or Bangalore.

mcmtanyel (69195) 2021-06-14 13:51

Hello Paul,
I like that sun coming through the tree - a well managed backlit scene.
Regards,
MT