Thanks, guys.
Flying from the sea level capital city of Lima to such a high elevation as Cuzco (about 12,000 ft.), as soon as I got off the plane with its pressurized cabin air, I had an instant headache. I took a city bus to the central square, found a cheap hotel, and then headed to the farmacia for the necessary medication. Such a problem is common for travelers because of the suddenness of the elevation change (no time to acclimate). I took it easy for the next couple of days and the headache went away, and I could start my serious sightseeing. One of the adventures was to join a van tour of about ten international travelers from several countries, and we visited some interesting sites in the Sacred Valley. In one old village, I spotted this woman.
Charlie
I think you must connect with the people you photograph, and build a bit of a relationship. Because they don't look ambushed or annoyed, they just seem to be themselves.
Again, thanks guys and gal .
While traveling, my approach to people subjects is almost always the same:
If I sneak a shot, I'm so sneaky that I'm seldom caught by the subject .
But with shots like this- where the subject knows in advance that I'm taking a pic- my approach is simple, quick and friendly. I smile and gesture with my camera that I'd like to take a pic. The people almost always indicate it's okay (95+ % of the time). I zoom to frame, hand focus my old 35mm gear, and take one or two shots. I then lower the camera, smile a thank you, and leave. The whole process seldom takes more than 20 seconds. I never pose people, and never ask them to smile. They do what they want to do. In a sense, I'm so quick about it all that the people have no chance to feel trapped. Plus, of course, I smile at them- a lot, which is easy to do. Here I was high among the Andes, in the land of the Inca, photographing an old woman wearing her daily-yet-traditional-style clothing. What's not to smile about?
About the crop- you might be right, Klaus. The original was a horizontal 35mm rectangle. I experimented with several crops and chose this one. Right or wrong? Quiene sabe?
Charlie
A well executed portrait (and a big smile for you .
Huff-puff, again ? Seems to me you were huffing and puffing not long ago (the climbing of Uluru behind a Madame comes to my mind )
Thanks Alan and Santiago.
Santiago- the Aussie lass was a young madamoiselle wearing too-short shorts , and she was partly responsible for my huffing and puffing. In Peru, this woman was NOT partly responsible for my huffing and puffing .
Charlie
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