Sergio

I find this image as cropped is has multiple layers of information, strong emotional impact reminding us that we are immortal and illustrates cultural practices of disposing the deceased.

The image is composed using the color orange and triangles, to draw the viewers eye through the image. It is in interesting how you used two strong diagonal lines to carrying the viewer to each top corner of the image. The people in the boat balance the people sitting on the wall.

The story is: we are immortal; life goes on.


I   Posted: 04/01/2024 13:46:31

Sergio, this images in Varanasi where the dead are cremated in public, go against the western culture and creates a sense of sorrow, pity, and confusion as how this is happening in the 21st century. Of course this is completely dependent on the culture, religious believes and economic status of the country. The additional controversial component of the image is the presence of a caw just minding her own busines, and feeding from the offerings. I did add some dehaze and increased the blacks to get more detail and color in the right (my right) corner of the image where the colors are washed out, Nonetheless, a very dramatic image.   Posted: 04/04/2024 16:11:03

Yes, cremation is the Hindu culture & Varanasi ghat of Ganga river is considered as the most sacred place for cremation as The Hindus believe doing cremation here, the soul gets 'Moksha' (freedom from body).

The man in f/g with sad mood enhanced the mood of the image. I prefer more contrast to the image to get it more depth & impact. Isaac's version is much better.   Posted: 04/07/2024 07:26:59

I think this is a very interesting image and a story that is very foreign to those of us in Western culture. I agree with Isaac and Vinaya that although it seems clear that smokiness is prevalent in the scene (for obvious reasons), a little more contrast throughout the photo provides more depth to the image.   Posted: 04/07/2024 09:23:06

Hi Sergio
this is a very strong PJ image that tells a story about the cremation rituals of the Hindu culture, an image that would generate a lot of emotion from those from a western culture. While it meets all the criteria for a HI themed section, I do feel it would be stronger in a general PJ section, since the story for me is about the cremations and the location, and less about the man sitting in the corner.   Posted: 04/11/2024 01:58:50

A strong emotional photo for sure! This ceremony is very foreign to me and not knowing the culture, I was not sure what was happening. So many things to look at and very interesting!   Posted: 04/16/2024 09:55:27