travel

Yao Grandmother

Yao Grandmother
Fuji x100s, 35mm, f/2.8, 1/125s, ISO 200

 The second ethnic minority in the Longsheng area, after the Zhuang, is the Yao minority. The Yao women have a complex and intricate relationship to their hair. They only cut their hair three times in their lives: when they turn 18, when they are wedded and when they are 36. The keep the braids they cut and integrate then into their daily bun. How much hair is apparent also says something about marital status and the number of children. When we met this Yao grandmother, she agreed to show us how she does her hair, and it was quite fascinating.

The Chinese Sweets

The Chinese Sweets
x100s, 35mm, f/87, 1/60s, ISO 2000

On the long walk down from Ping An we stumbled upon these craftsmen. The woman is baking chili oil, but the men are slamming down on sweets with their mallets to mix them with nuts. Quite an amazing sight for our sadly too industrialized eyes. We bought some sweets, it was a kind of nougat, flavoured with osmanthus and it was quite good although it stayed stuck in your teeth for a long time. Just like French nougat.

Zhuang Woman

Zhuang Woman
Fuji x100s, 35mm, f/11, 1/60s, ISO 400

Ethnic minorities are a big thing in China even though they only represent 8% of the overall population. During our trip in Guangxi, we encountered members of two ethnic minorities that coexist there, the Zhuang and the Yao. We didn’t see any men wearing traditional costumes, but the women did. Along the path to Ping’An (about two hours walk in the mountains) we saw many food sellers like this Zhuang woman. She sells (from left to right) dried bamboo, chilies, mushrooms (also in plastic bags), eggs and passion fruit. The passion fruit grow in the mountains, and in this season they are fresh and unbelievably good.

 

Grand Canal

Grand Canal
Fuji x100s, 35mm, f/8, 1/120s, ISO 400

The theme for this week’s photos is Venice. I was lucky enough to have to spend three days in Venice for work last year and spent all of my free time walking the streets and losing myself in the labyrinth. I feel like I haven’t scratched the surface, so the selection this week will be only a little bit of what I think I could shoot if I went back. Anyway, here’s the first shot, a view of the Grand Canal from the Rialto Bridge, with the obligatory gondola. I wasn’t exactly plagued with beautiful weather, but there was enough texture in the sky at most times that it didn’t look completely bland.

The Old Music Shop

The Old Music Shop
Canon 7D, 32mm, f/5.6, 1/250s, ISO 400

 This old music shop in the middle of modern Dublin caught my eye, probably due to the greens and red, mostly. I stopped on the other side of the road from it and waited for someone to walk by…

The Coromandel Expedition – Part 1

The Coromandel Expedition – Part 1

Published by Ben Felten on 15 septembre 2013 | 2 Responses

The last (and first) time I went to New Zealand I didn’t really get to see anything beyond Auckland, so when I had to go there recently for work I decided I would leave Auckland for the week-end. After some hesitation, I decided to head out to the Coromandel Peninsula, a reputedly beautiful place within [...]

Bolivian Horn Section

While on a short trip accross the Bolivian Altiplano, my car was stopped by a morenada, a traditional street parade with brass band and dancers. The tuba players were the best!