Since I won't be shooting much for the next month or so, I'll post pictures of my extensive India archives. I'll also try something new and bring in some technical and creative elements to explain why I took pictures the way they are.
Si let's first head back to Rajasthan. Today's shot was taken in Mandawa, a small town famous for its wall paintings. I found this veiled girl standing against a wall with this marvellous pink saree. 99% of veiled women I had seen so far in India were dressed in black, so this flashy color was quite a surprise. She probably saw me but did not move an inch. Maybe she was proud to have her external beauty photographed. Yet I wish I'd seen a radiant smile to go with the saree.
I like to shoot this kind of scenes wide open. It blurs the background and add some mystic to it. You can barely notice a man in the background. It was unnecessary information for that picture so an extensive depth would have been a gamble depending on his facial expression. Note also that this is a slightly cropped shot (vertically), indeed I did not want to get too close and risk her to move away. Finally, I think the colors on the walls make a good complement to the pink saree. (click on picture for high res)
Leica M9 with 35mm Lux Asph at F1.4, 1/4000, ISO160