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A few more from Vesak Day at the weekend. All images taken with 24-120VR. More images from this day are HERE.

Vesak Day celebrates the birth of the baby buddah and as part of the ceremony people wash the baby buddha as a symbol of purifying themselves.

For a larger version, click a pic.

I'd be interested in reactions to my heavy use of a vignette blur in this first one.





This was a problematic image since the area behind the Most Venerable's head was completely blown.
I used a brightness/contrast layer in PSCS to tone it down a touch. Hard part was feathering the layer around the head.





Edit: Slightly updated versions of images 1 & 3

#2 is my favourite here, the girls, umbrella's and balance between form and colour just play nicely together.

#3 is a pretty good recovery

#4 seems crooked ?

#1 Not sure I like the soft focus PP but regardless I get the story of the shot.

Stubbsy, I like the treatment you've done to the first pic but I think a bit of gaussian blur needs to be added to the outline of her head as the outline for the rest of her body is also blurred to match the background. Certainly gives a very peaceful feel to the pic.

At the other Vesak day celebration I photographed with Alex, it wasn't as extravagant as this...then again the weather was pretty bad too

2nd is my favourite also.

the girls with umbrellas form leading lines into the shot and serve to highlight the main guy also.

Steve

Craig, Wayne, Steve

Thanks for your comments. I might revisit #1, take your suggestion Wayne re: blur and darken the vignette a touch

I actually find the vignette in the first interesting, but wonder whether it just needs some slight darkening maybe... Then again I tend generally to like the effect from a vignette...

The second image does seem to have a nice symmetrical balance and tends to make the central subject stand out more I think...

In the third one, the burning(?) seems to be getting into his right (our left) hand, was wondering what it was until I read the part about the highlight/shadow work...

Like the last one too, the majestic statue seems to impart a sense of overall power or reverence or something...

Thanks Andrew

I agree with you - I'll darken the vignetting on #1 and unburn the most venerables ear on #3

Peter
I'm suprise at the quality you can wring out of that lens! Is it underrated or what?

Carefully composed and colourful images Peter. I agree with the darkening comments on #1. I like it though . Certainly an ethereal, dare i say it, mystical quality to it
#2 lovely sense of balance and ceremony to this one however the discolouration in the foreground path is a little distracting and I think I would have tried to crop in a little tighter or clone out that yellow streak across path.
#3 I also like the tight crop on the priest and the water caught in mid air nice touch. I do think however that the pasty backgound around the head shoulders and arms of the subject a little distracting, a little like a cardboard cut out of the priest.
#4 Once again lovely sense of balance in the image, marred only, IMO, by the gentleman in the left foreground. Perhaps pulling away a little to include his feet as well may have created a better sense of balance and sense of completion to the image despite the fact you would then create more empty space in the right foreground. Not sure however if it would work
cheers
marco

Matt

The 24-120 VR is both maligned and underrated, yet I fear it's softness may become more evident on the D2x hence my musings on replacing it with the significantly more weighty & pricey 28-70 f/2.8.

I've also just replaced images #1 & #3 with a slightly updated version of each taking critique here into account.

Marco. Re: your comment on #4 - I actually chopped his feet off in PP since he dominated and unbalanced the image too much IMHO. Here's the minimally processed original without the crop: