My husband and I were exploring old fortresses in the village of Ilisu, Azerbaijan, and these old gentlemen gathered near our car. I stopped to talk to them for a while and they allowed me to take their picture.
I have the great fortune of being a Foreign Service Officer with the State Department, so we have tremendous opportunities to live in places for 2 or 3 years at a time. We spent 2 wonderful years in Azerbaijan. I highly recommend Azerbaijan for adventure travel. People are very friendly, crime is very low, and accomodations in the rural areas are affordable and comfortable. The food is very good. Azerbaijanis are warm, friendly, and hospitable. There's a wonderful guide book to Azerbaijan by Mark Elliott, probably one of the best guide books written about any country in the world.
We're in Uzbekistan now, and I am still learning the culture, history, and the lay of the land. I look forward to doing more people photography during the next few years, but the historic places are fascinating. I'm just trying to figure out how to creatively capture these images.
I have lots of images of Russia and Ukraine that I haven't posted yet -- another rainy day project.
Nice expressions from these old men.. They look proud to be photoed asswell.. nice! Love the composition and light. Thanks for your fine remark on my photo!
Splendid documentary shot. There's some real character showing in their faces. It's a pity about the harsh light, causing them to squint so.
The photo seems to have been resized vertically, without a corresponding decrease in width - it looks a bit squashed. Maybe you could take the original and resize and upload it again?
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{K:24381} 8/6/2003