More Than A Thousand Words by flowsnow

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More Than A Thousand Words

Sapa, Vietnam

I found this shot a very moving and captivating image. It's depressing in a way but I feel a swell of compassion in my heart for the children. Their facial expression with their dirty looking clothes describes to me a life of hardship.

Nikon D80 ,Tokina 12-24mm f/4 AT-X AF Pro DX
1/30s f/3.8 at 20.0mm iso400 hide exif

Full EXIF Info
Date/Time	14-Apr-2007 19:37:47
Make	Nikon
Model	NIKON D80
Flash Used	No
Focal Length	20 mm
Exposure Time	1/30 sec
Aperture	f/3.8
ISO Equivalent	400
Exposure Bias
White Balance
Metering Mode	matrix (5)
JPEG Quality
Exposure Program	manual (1)
Focus Distance

other sizes: small medium original auto

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Art Rodriguez		31-Jul-2009 19:41
What a beautiful photo. I like how you isolated them from the background. Art

Linda		26-Jan-2009 18:36
I agree, this is a strong image ... the faces emerging from darkness is powerful and compels us to think about what these little girls are telling us ... ~V~

Paradoxal Studio Classic		01-Jul-2007 08:57
Really strong picture, wisdom emanates from them, they look ...adult. :o\|

Guest		13-Jun-2007 06:24
Wonderful shot, you see beyond their dirty clothes into their lifes. vote.

mathilda williams		10-Jun-2007 20:28
utterly moving. wonderful capture. voted mathilda

Richard Calmes		07-Jun-2007 18:27
Stunning work! V

Sam_C		05-Jun-2007 17:41
You've captured these girls so gracefully. Well done Tricia, you got heart! V :-)

Eric Carrère		05-Jun-2007 08:10
Very nice shot, V.

Olaf Herrig		05-Jun-2007 07:39
Excellent image! V.

Terri Steele		05-Jun-2007 06:58
Excellent and compelling photograph. Well seen!

QUERIDO		05-Jun-2007 06:11
Beautiful shot,vote

Anna Wnuk		05-Jun-2007 06:06
You have such a great talent for telling stories with your photos, Tricia! This one is truely touching and expressive. Great light and expressions on their faces! v.

©Lux		05-Jun-2007 05:58
Poignant indeed!

Debbie Blackburn Beierle		05-Jun-2007 04:04
Touching. Good lighting on their faces. v

Guest		05-Jun-2007 03:41
Very expressive faces indeed. A good use of the flash, that didn't burn the details in the light.

Guest		05-Jun-2007 03:24
A touching picture Tricia! Great capture..V

Char		05-Jun-2007 01:56
Hi Tricia, Definitely a story telling photo. Excellent capture. \/

1moremile		05-Jun-2007 00:41
This is a great photograph, Tricia. You always make it interesting with your descriptions, too. v.

Joanne Kamo		05-Jun-2007 00:37
Very touching image..very different faces, but similar expressions. V

flowsnow		05-Jun-2007 00:31
At first glance I was drawn to this image for the desperation of their looks. Like Phil said, the darkness both the background and their clothing drives in the mood of `hopelessness'.

Cindi Smith		04-Jun-2007 23:07
Beautiful shot. Their expressions are ones of sadness. They are beautiful children, none the less. Excellent work. V

Jean D		04-Jun-2007 22:50
An awesome shot, Tricia, although I see lots of dispair, poverty and unhapiness. You captured this candid well! ~V~

Martha Albuquerque		04-Jun-2007 22:02
it's all said, Tricia.. and the image is so well taken, v*

Lee G		04-Jun-2007 21:32
The eyes sure do tell a story in this image. Well done!

Robyco		04-Jun-2007 21:31
All words are said..........

Johan Gerrits		04-Jun-2007 18:48
Very strong capture Tricia, especially the left and middle one looks very hardened by live, "you don't have to tell them how to live", in strong contrast with the most children in those countries.

Guest		04-Jun-2007 18:10
Awesome capture, voted.

Phil Douglis		04-Jun-2007 17:28
Three factors create the mood of this depressing but compassionate image, Tricia. The incongruous response of the children is striking. We are conditioned to seeing children pose their pictures with a happy smile, and to see them look at you so seriously -- almost pitifully -- comes as a shock. But this is often the case in the third world, particularly where children are working the streets to survive, as in my own portrait of a street vendor in Laos athttp://www.pbase.com/pnd1/image/40169877&exif=N . The second factor is the darkness -- The children are wearing dark clothing, and the background is dark. This makes their faces all the more poignant, and all that blackness adds a hopeless feeling to the image. The third factor is the range of expression from person to person. The child on the left seems utterly resigned to to her fate, the child on the right is stoic, while the smaller child between them seems the most vulnerable of all. This may be a posed snapshot, with two random non-functonal mergers in the background, yet the children are so real that it still speaks authentically and tragically.

Tom Munson		04-Jun-2007 16:55
Outstanding image, they don't look very happy. V

Paco López		04-Jun-2007 16:06
Lovely!!! I love the eyes! Very good work, Tricia!!! Big vote!

caveman_lee		04-Jun-2007 15:33
Very touching and nice capture. Don't worry my friend, it is just a matter of lifestyle. They will find their way out provided that city people like us do not push the environment and climate to the tipping point.

Raymond		04-Jun-2007 15:33
Indeed T... the girl with the fair hair, is she the same one you sjowed a little while back ? Well presented T

regi olbrechts		04-Jun-2007 15:06
It certainly IS a photo of flesh and blood! So real, so moving looks...

Bryan Murahashi		04-Jun-2007 14:52
A nice and strong image. V

Guest		04-Jun-2007 14:28
Emotional indeed. Those eyes...wow,it's those eyes.

Vince		04-Jun-2007 14:28
Very well captured. A word of consolation. These girls are strong and they will survive the hardship. Vote.

Guest		04-Jun-2007 14:26
You're really deft with emotional pictures.

fred_il		04-Jun-2007 14:18
Outstanding!! VOte!

carabias		04-Jun-2007 14:17
Very beautiful… Great!

Guest		04-Jun-2007 14:13
Wonderful shot. You definitely get the sense that these children are wise beyond their years, as if they had to grow up fast to survive.

Guenter Eh		04-Jun-2007 14:03
A touching picture with a story behind. Great to show this to us Tricia!

Guest		04-Jun-2007 13:56
nice captured of their facial expression.

Nestor Derkach		04-Jun-2007 13:53
A moving image , nice facial light to capture there expressions. Vote

Fong Lam		04-Jun-2007 13:40
A great portrait with highlights on their innocent faces. Yes, more than a thousand words.....vote

Katie Chew		04-Jun-2007 13:21
Great shot! V

CIS		04-Jun-2007 13:03
Very moving shot of them, agree they have such serious looks for young girls...very telling!!!

Marcia Colelli		04-Jun-2007 12:13
very dramatic and wonderful capture. It is very sad V

Guest		04-Jun-2007 12:06
Very dramatic, lovely portrait. v.

Zaid Kurdi		04-Jun-2007 12:04
Dramatic shot.......well done.....V.

Guest		04-Jun-2007 11:39
great shot, love the tone.

Andrew Vincent		04-Jun-2007 10:50
I don't know, I was pretty happy getting filthy as a kid.... Great shot Tricia, the girl in the middle is delightful! VOTE!