Please , DO NOT TOUCH!!!

[MrMatthieu]

Hello,

Picture taken in a small village 3 hours from Calcutta in India.
These people belong to the "untouchable" caste, poorest amongst the poor. They work all day long breaking stones to repair the road, ... a job which seems to be inhuman to us , but which enable them to stay alive.

Short but strong instant.
ALl comment more than welcome

 

[MrMatthieu]

Maybe I should not but I am shocked.
Everybody is free to give or not comment to picture, and I do same.

I do not ask for charity.

After 65 views if I can not get any valuable comment, it means that something does not work either in my picture or with the people who look at my picture.

Anyway, comment like " great shot" and nothing else are very sympathic but not helpfull at all for me.

Could someone explain where I should post this picture to get comments and criticism about it?
I can fully understand that some pictures that I post are not interesting or attractive, but this one I am surprised.

Sorry if this message seems to be rude, it is juste because I do not speak very well english.

Matthieu

 

[d70girl]

Matthieu,

I like your picture. But the reason you've not received any replies is because today is Christmas and most people are celebrating with their families. Wait a few days -- you'll see some replies.

 

[Arch]

you have posted it in the correct gallery.... sometimes it takes time for people to respond to your pictures... please dont take any offense by this. It is after all Christmas day.... forum activity is understandably very low today... im sure you will get comments in time.

Personally i like the shot.... you caught the expressions at the right time, nicley done :thumbup:

 

[Renair]

I like it alot. Its like the style you see in NG Magazine.

 

[MrMatthieu]

ARchangel, d70girl thank you

Sorry I apologize for my excessive reaction, but I am too much emotionally attached to these people and the year I spent there... I considered this indiference as a offence not to me but to them ...
Sorry I am surely too sensitive.
Anyway
Thanks

Mat

 

[Tyson]

Do you expect to see alot of people reply in 30 minutes? Look at the post, it had only been up for 30 minutes and you want everyone to give you a comment.

Ok her it is, it does nothing for me at all. I see people like that down town Columbus Ohio. For that matter here in Newark, Ohio we have homeless people too.
Looks ok kind of dark to me. If you wanted to capture a saddness you didn't do it.

 

[Arch]

Do you expect to see alot of people reply in 30 minutes? Look at the post, it had only been up for 30 minutes and you want everyone to give you a comment.

you missed the am/pm.... so actually its 12hrs 30mins.... besides MrMatthieu has already apologized for the way he was sounding, so thats done now

 

[Tyson]

you missed the am/pm.... so actually its 12hrs 30mins.... besides MrMatthieu has already apologized for the way he was sounding, so thats done now

Opps My Bad.

 

[MrMatthieu]

Do you expect to see alot of people reply in 30 minutes? Look at the post, it had only been up for 30 minutes and you want everyone to give you a comment.

Ok her it is, it does nothing for me at all. I see people like that down town Columbus Ohio. For that matter here in Newark, Ohio we have homeless people too.
Looks ok kind of dark to me. If you wanted to capture a saddness you didn't do it.

Tyson OK, am/pm no problem As explained by Archangel, the picture was there during 12 hours and already seen by 67 people when I made my comment. I m not the only one to make excessive comment .

Anyway Tyson thank you for telling me that:
- you do not feel any no emotion by watching this picture. I do not pretend to be universal and each reaction to it is interesting fo me. I prefer you tell me this that instead of "good shot" if it is not what you feel. I just hope you did not say this because you thought I only waited 30 min...
-you have also poor people in US. We have also in France.

I did not try to capture at all sadness, because these people are not sad.
I just took what they gave me . In this picture I don't see sadness, I see fear, surprise and even happiness maybe on the boy face.

I stayed with them 1 hour and they reaction to me was amazing.

This picture was taken during the first minutes when I just arrived.
AFter some time they reaction changed. They were about 20 women & this young boy there. They watched at me like a weird personn, because I am to them. And the fact I came to try to comunicate with them was shocking because it is worth that the homeless people we have in our country.
Not only they are poor, but they are also ""impur" for their religion (Hinduisme) and nobody see them or can touch them.

I sure even if you see "homeless" dying in the street you will do something. Here I have seen dead people on the floor & people walking around, buying fruts, talking at 1 meter distance of the dead, as if the dead body was not there. Just to explain to which extend this people are not visible to higher cast people.

It means that even with money & big car they remain "impur".

SOme people of this low cast in India succeded with the help of government to make study and become wealthy. One became president of India. Nevertheless they all remain "impur" & intouchable. And they children will be also.

In our country respectability is only link to money. It is also very questionnable.

Just to tell you, after a few minutes being with them trying to communicate with simple words & hands. One of this lady came close to me to "mime" a kiss & touch my hand. They started all of them laughing & her also.
The don't have anything but they still have a sens of humor and humanity to me.
Just to say sadness was not there at all at this time, I am not surprised you don't see it on the picture.

Thank you again

Mat

 

[LaFoto]

Guilty as charged, Mat, sorry.
I did see your photo yesterday and I had thoughts on what to say and how to comment in my mind, but yesterday having been Christmas Day and my father-in-law visiting and going into the internet at the same time being frowned upon, I only just skimmed the forum but never commented on anything.

To me this photo is quite powerful.
And although you say that the people are not sad as they are, since they seem to be accepting their fate (have done so for centuries, else the traditional thinking of castes would no longer exist, Indian politics have long done with it, traditions and religion have not, as it seems), it makes me sad to see that a boy such as this one, with his open and visibly intelligent face, who - in another tradition and society, given some more financial means, maybe - might be able to achieve much in his life, will most likely stay with his caste and the job opportunities he will have.

This photo makes me think: what if he starts thinking about it and rebelling against his "given fate", even only inwardly? Will it make him suffer (even if only inwardly)? Will he find it hard to "stick to the rules", to "live with tradition", to "not be able to break free"? Or will his fate not even expose him to the knowledge that things might be different for him?

Actually, this photo, and mostly so this boy and the way he so openly "communicates with us" through his direct gaze into the lens and his open smile (showing some very nice teeth), speak to me much and make me wonder about a lot of things.

 

[SpaceNut]

Nice cpature photowise, MrMattieu, your picture is inspiring (at least to me). Many may look at this photo and because they do not respond or comment, doesn't mean they don't appreciate your photo. Your capture of the subjects, especially the boy with his smile makes me appreciate what I have, be more thankful, and maybe this coming new year I will complain a lot less. Thank you for sharing with us!

 

[SpaceNut]

By the way, welcome to the Forum!

 

[MrMatthieu]

LaFoto, Spacenut thanks for sharing your emotion about these people and the picture.

La Foto you are guilty of nothing 1,2,3 prozit:cheers:
Happy to see that this boy touch you.
Me he ruined most of my pictures :mrgreen: . Ok not this one but each time I was shooting some of this lady , he was quite jealous and jumping right in front of the lens to be sure he will appear also on the picture :er:

To come back to your discussion about people of low caste in India. From what I have seen government make since Gandhi quite outstanding job to promote integration of this people in national companies and administration.
They have a kind of "positive discrimination" to integrate these people and offer job to them. But the task is gigantic & endless ...
At least they try.

Rebellion is to my understanding not very natural for these people. Because I guess they have also deep inside this felling of guilt and shame.

Spacenut:
Thank for your welcome.
I hope also finding here the place to present some pictures and open discussion with the people interested either by the technical aspect of the picture or/and more the human aspect. I hope also to receive severe critic when it is justified :mrgreen:

Just to briefly introduce myself. I am Matthieu, 29 years old, french as you may have noticed . I spend only 2 month a year in France , rest of the year I travel for my job.

Since 1 year and my long stay in India I start taking picture with Canon 350 D. I start being really passionated by photography and looking forward to accelerate my learning that is why I come here in this forum. This picture is one of the first I took.

Bye

Matthieu

 

[Tyson]

To me it looks like a family portrit, evrery time I post a picture I get told I nee to crop it down to dring out the subject. Here I think you would have been better off with some background. A street scene or something. As far as emotion, non for me. I think the color is a tad bit to dark as I said above. Have you tried B&W with it yet?