Photographer’s Note
Shwe, probably one of the most used words in Burma : Shwedagon, Shwezigon, NyaungShwe... the magical word that means gold.
When I told Ye I thought Myanmar's color was the dark green we can see everywhere, -from the Myanmar beer label to the paint of Yangon's Cadillac buses- he replied that the national color OUGHT TO be gold!
Gold takes an important part on worshipping : Myanmar's buddhas are so covered with gold leaves that, sometimes, they look like an indefinite mushroom, blob shaped, all covered with gold with no more visible detail at all. For the worshipper, a gold leaf is the most appreciated gift to pay hommage to buddha.
Gold leaves producers can rely on this abundant and ever growing market. On the other hand, they must also ensure that this is still an affordable present for the not so rich burmese people. After a thorough working and pounding on raw gold leaves, the producers can market ultra thin gold leaves at affordable price : a set of 10 gold leaves will cost about 4 dollars.
Unfortunately, roads to eternal heaven are built with the hell on earth. I have visited a gold leaf outlet in Mandalay. This place was like we imagine how slaves worked a few centuries ago.
Raw gold leaves are cut into small pieces, then piled between sheets of a special bamboo paper. A worker pounds the pile with a heavy hammer, a first time for two hours time, then for another five hours. The gold leaves resulting are cut in smaller pieces and pounded again until the smallest breeze makes them fly away in the wind.
What you see there is a pile of gold leaves and bamboo sheets after being pounded for five hours... I also forgot to tell you about how they make the bamboo sheets, it's even harder and more tedious than for the gold leaves...
designsoul, Porteplume, Homerhomer, Geo, Gerrit, naxius, eleparc, sigh, Curioso, don_narayan, bnallama, everlasting, ewag, alexbf, onmax, alimo3, rowanb, Roly, quillerpl, Mistral, MLINES, daisy marcou esta nota como útil
Critiques | Translate
Porteplume
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1759 W: 647 N: 541]](http://i1.trekearth.com/misc/g-g-g.gif){kind=small}
(3257) 2005-11-27 11:01
Bonjour Luko.
I like the crop/framing, making the picture "to the point", concentrating on the hands. I love hands. I always will remember Bob's bride's hands as one of the best... Yours are very attractive too and I think they would be a great adding to the theme, even if I would have liked a liiiitle bit more sharpness.
* You know, I have used some similar gold leaves for illumination in calligraphy and my brother, "patissier", used that too and he's rather famous for his "Palets d'Or" - chocolate cookies with real gold.
Homerhomer
(4005) 2005-11-27 11:03
This must be some kind of celebration on TE since both you and Sohrab upload photos on the same day, a breath of fresh air;-)
As usual fantastic colours and an image that tells a story, I guess hands are even more powerfull in it's expression than eyes, they do tell a story.
Peter
designsoul
(21394) 2005-11-27 11:15
What catches my eye is the shiny bamboo papers that enclose this wonderful slice of pounded gold leaf that gives the obvious focus to the composition. The bony working hands give a beautiful framing to the shot.
... would love to see one day those guilded Buddhas... gold of course took on a very important part of worshipping in Western art too, especially in the Middle Ages with all the icons and religious paintings covered with delicate, thin burnished sheets of gold reserved for the representation of the divine, for all other metals lose their lustre or tarnish.
Sarolta
Geo
(1239) 2005-11-27 11:22
The light shining on the gold makes it erupt from my screen. The hands are beautifully captured.
Thank you for the fine note reminding us where the gold comes from.
naxius
(16679) 2005-11-27 12:02
Salut Luko,
Une photo vraiment très illustrative pour le coup avec des couleurs vraiment bien rendues.
J'ai du mal à voir le point d'AF qui me semble être sur la main gauche à droite ce qui rend le reste de la photo légèrement floue mais ca ne me gêne pas plus que ca.
Alex
eleparc
(24059) 2005-11-27 13:51
belle note luko et tres belle photo tout en discrétion et en douceur. le jaune domine et c'est tres bien! j'aime bcp cette image
Eric
don_narayan
![Gold Star Critiquer [C: 604 W: 46 N: 359]](http://i1.trekearth.com/misc/g-n-n.gif){kind=small}
(2014) 2005-11-27 19:34
Hello Luko. I like the composition and the details within it, mainly the tattooes on his fingers and the bamboo pages. however, I think that there could be more tonality in his skin, it feels like it could be more deep. I know you have this photo as you want it, so i wonder why you wouldn't want a deeper tone in his hands, especially with those tattooes?
Narayan
kclai
![Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 717 W: 38 N: 500]](http://i1.trekearth.com/misc/g-s-g.gif){kind=small}
(2267) 2005-11-27 21:35
Hi Luko
This is truely a new thing for us to see, man.
The pounding of gold into such small breeze of gold leaves and the hours spent to produce it. Very very traditional method and tedious one, too.
This is a very documented image, friend.
Well done, Luko.
Eric Lai
Furachan
(0) 2005-11-28 3:23
Il y a une qualite que j'appelerais bien "organique" ici. Le cote "soft" (voulu je pense), permet justement a ce que ressortent les textures, c'est contre-intuitif mais bon, voila encore un mystere photographique de plus. Et puis j'ai l'impression de regarder de l'analogue ici plutot que du numerique. Et pour finir, que veux-tu, ce sacre aspect "palimpsest" que j'aime tant...
C'est tres beau, quoi.
Francis
everlasting
(10940) 2005-11-28 5:18
The colours of Burma for me would be gold and ruby red. Informative note, Luko.
The light falling on the gold leaf, framed by the tattoed hands gives element of roughness and reality to this compo.
onmax
(843) 2005-11-28 16:28
Hola, excelente motivo, gran momento, buena luz y color.
Esas manos y dedos que dejan ver la vida que lleva la persona es impresionante.
Saludos.
ONMAX
alimo3
(6826) 2005-11-28 16:57
Bonsoir Luko,
J'aime beaucoup la façon dont tu nous montres ce métier d'un autre temps.
la dominante dorée est parfaite et l'angle qui nous montre les mains déformées du travailleur est bien choisi. dommage que le flou sur les mains nous ramène sur terre à vitesse grand V.
Merci pour ta note et cette belle illustration.
Tom
rowanb
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Workshop Editor/Silver Note Writer [C: 295 W: 59 N: 29]](http://i1.trekearth.com/misc/g-g-s.gif){kind=small}
(864) 2005-11-29 3:31
i have to be honest and say it doesn't do it for me as much as your other shots. i think theres a little bit to much blur for me. still a decent shot though =)
rowan
ewag
![Silver Star Critiquer/Silver Note Writer [C: 24 W: 0 N: 15]](http://i1.trekearth.com/misc/s-n-s.gif){kind=small}
(94) 2005-11-29 7:05
i like the smoothness of your photo as well as the contrast between the subtlety of gold leaves (and bamboo sheets as they seem to be almost transparent) and harshness of the tatooed hands which are showing you the bamboo-gold booklet.
fixed
(3831) 2005-12-02 10:20
hello Luko
beaucoup de douceur dans cette photo et dans cette présentation ...
j'aime également bcp les tons gold ;) et les détaillent de l'image
mais se qui me dérange c'est le flou pas clairement défini ... mais là je peux me tromper ...
Arnaud
Prisley
(1249) 2005-12-07 4:58
Salut M'sieur Luko,
C'est rare de voir des photos Lukosiennes sans tête ni visage, assez pour être souligné !
Ce qui m'a d'abord frappé dans cette photo, c'est la subtile inclusion de la couleur verte foncée en arrière plan. Parfaite illustration de ta note!
Sinon, ce que je trouve réussi dans cette composition c'est cet enchevêtrement de textures, formes et couleurs, à la manière d'un patchwork (le flou renforçant cet effet 2D)...bon faut dire aussi que je suis myope alors bon, faudra m'excuser si je vois cette photo comme si c'était un carpette :p
Maintenant, c'est sûr que le focus sur la tranche du livre à feuillets d'or paraît un peu étrange dans le sens ou l'on s'attendrait plus à un focus sur les mains (magnifique sujet les mains, tant elles ont le pouvoir de raconter des histoires !) et l'or.
A bientôt,
Pris.
Photo Information
-
Copyright: Luko G R (Luko)
(13896)
- Genre: Lugares
- Medium: Cor
- Date Taken: 2005-08-08
- Categories: Vida Diária
- Camera: Canon EOS 20D, Canon 17-40mm/4L
- Exposição: f/4, 1/15 segundos
- More Photo Info: view
- Versão da Foto: Versão Original
- Date Submitted: 2005-11-27 10:49
Discussions
- Para designsoul: Illuminated with gold... (2)
by Porteplume, last updated 11-27 12:32 - Para Porteplume: Palets d'or (1)
by Luko, last updated 11-27 11:18
