About the Image(s)

As an initial matter, this image is ineligible for competition because it was posed for photography. That said, this is a study group, not a judging event, so your critical evaluation of both the aesthetic and technical aspects of the image is invited. At the conclusion of our trip to Nepal in 2013, we ventured out of our hotel using a back exit onto a back street typical of Kathmandu not generally frequented by tourists. We came to a structure with large steel gates that when we inquired, was told that it was a monastery that doubled as an orphanage. We were allowed entry, generally otherwise restricted and were given a cook’s tour, during which we saw and met orphan youngsters who were being trained as monks. These two orphans were posed for us in the image submitted.

Gear: Olympus E-5, Zuiko 18-180 mm lens opened to 33 mm
Data: ISO 200, f 5, 1/80 sec.