Title: Life in Angkor Wat Location: Angkor Wat, near Siem Reap Country: Cambodia Subject notes: Angkor Wat, built by Suryavarmann II of the ancient kingdom of Angkor between the years of 1113 and 1150 AD, is the centerpiece wat (temple) of an area commonly referred to by the same name, of numerous, impressive temples spread over 40 square miles. This main temple is surrounded by a moat 570 feet wide and about four miles long. Along the inside of the moat, are thick stone walls with very few entrances to the inside. In this photo, a Khmer man is walking across Angkor Wat's moat (in the dry season) bringing water to a monk sitting on the stairs of one of the few entrances to the central grounds of Angkor Wat. Photography notes: I waited Camera brand OLYMPUS OPTICAL CO.,LTD Camera model E-10 Exposure time 1/160 sec F-stop 2.8 ISO 80 Metering mode Spot Focal Length 36.0 mm for the man carrying water across the moat to get within a distance of the monk where I would be able to crop the photo to a panoramic shape. This adds interest and scale to the photograph, while also focusing the viewer on the subjects of the people and ancient building. As there was enough height in the trees to give space above the building, removing the sky didn't compress the photo. The element of the sky is still present in the water ripple reflections behind the man, drawing attention to one of the two main subjects. Lastly, as the subjects were all far away, I didn't need a large depth of field, and so was able to push up the shutter speed high enough to catch the form of the water without any blurring. Links: Monk pictures Trip: South East Asia

© 2004     Dana & Andy Dopleach    info@bylandwaterandair.com     Site Map