looking up / looking down Photo

Photographer’s Note

This picture was taken at the Longmen caves near Luoyang in Henan province in China.

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The Longmen Grottoes (龙门石窟, lóngmén shíkū) are located 12 km south of present day Luòyáng in Hénán province, China. The name literally translates as 'Dragon Gate Grottoes'.

The grottoes, which overwhelmingly depict Buddhist subjects, are densely dotted along the two mountains: Xiangshan (to the east) and Longmenshan (to the west). From north to south, the distance covered by grottoes is about one km.

There are over 2100 niches, more than 100,000 statues, some 40 pagodas and 3600 tablets and steles in the caves, which date from the Northern Wei Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty, i.e. between 316 and 907 A.D.

Longmen art represents the zenith of stone carving in China. Many statues, however, were defaced or even beheaded during the 20th century, either by unscrupulous 'art collectors' from the west or during the dark days of the Cultural Revolution.

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This picture shows the Ancenstor Worshipping Temple Cave, which was constructed between 672 and 675 and is the largest at the site. The central 17m-high seated Buddha, which you see in this picture, is said to be modelled on Empress Wu Zetian of the Tang dynasty.

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IS0-400

(original version in WS)

phwall, holmertz, Budapestman, bukitgolfb301 has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

bebbetto (2893) 2009-07-02 5:02

Impressive shot.
Very well composed

travelm8 (260) 2009-07-02 5:28

Well thought out, the man gives a sense of scale and a look of wonderment at the colossal Buddhas.
Very sharp photo and great contrast well done.

Cheers

John

smarcell (14073) 2009-07-02 5:51

A very interesting place and a great composition, Benny.
The light with no shadows is perfect to show all the details
Regards Stefano

phwall (5422) 2009-07-02 6:03

Hi Benny,
Wow, what a shot, the location is marvelous. I'm glad you included the original as a workshop, it shows how an image can be treated in post to bring out the best attributes of the capture. It was a good idea to clone out the other two people, the image is much more powerful having just the one man looking up to The Buddha. Nice colour grading job too, just enough to again bring out eh best of the shot.
A very good presentation particularly with the accompanying note.
Regards
Peter

sacavem (8058) 2009-07-02 7:59

Olá Benny,

Good work to capture this image.
Excellent composition, very nice colours, and sharpness.
Well done.
Best wishes,
Filipe

holmertz (9284) 2009-07-02 8:18

Hello Benny,
A fine composition where the well placed man gives us a good idea of the proportions of the statues. The flowers are a welcome colourful addition. The soft light is perfect.
Regards,
Gert

Budapestman (40962) 2009-07-02 8:53

Hi Benny,
Beautiful shot of this fantastic place with spectacular composition and amazing details. Excellent clarity and lights, very imposing sight. Tfs! Have a nice day!
George

yquem46 (7772) 2009-07-02 9:52

very impressive and well shot. TFS
Patrick

Silvio1953 (40771) 2009-07-02 9:55

Ciao Benny, splendid view of amazing architecture with fantastic statue, very well done, ciao Silvio

Focales (514) 2009-07-02 23:27

Hi Benny
Je ne connais pas du tout la Chine et le regrette mais un jour peut-être....
En attendant j'admire ces magnifiques statues scultées dans la roche. Très beau.

bukitgolfb301 (4425) 2009-07-04 1:12

Hello my dear Benny

What a perfect framework, composition and light management. The atmosphere seems to be a very much comfortable. Congratulation on your super shot, but already usual for you.

Thanks for sharing and best regards,
Have a nice weekend!
Takero

kschanna (2596) 2009-07-30 4:14

Hello Benny,

Just looked at the original in the workshop. You've done really well with the PP. Sharpness is a bit much for my liking but the contrast and the disappearance of the unwanted characters is great. The man provides a nice scale for the statues.

Thanks for sharing
Kamran

luighi (4054) 2009-09-05 7:13

Hi benny ,
me encanta esta fotografia .Es un lugar mistico y magico ademas de impresionante . Buena idea al incluir la persona en el cuadro para hacernos la idea de la grandeza de las figuras .
Un buen trabajo , saludos

Luis