Apsara Dancer
I spent 4 days in Siem Reap. Two days were spent in the ruins of Angkor Wat, one day exploring life on the water at Tonle Lake and a bit of touring of the city itself. One night we had a special dinner that included these dancers as entertainment. The dance is ancient and there are many sculptures of dancing women on the temples at Angkor Wat
I was told to go to the balcony to photograph the dancers. I could see the stage clearly, but it was quite a distance from where I stood. We were the only photographers so we weren’t concerned about ruining anyone’s view. I tried to get my flash output correct, just enough to get a good photo and no noise. I tried several settings, lowering the output and raising it. I was hesitant to increase my flash output to it’s maximum capacity for fear of blowing out the highlights. My LCD screen showed what I thought was a good shot. When I got home, though, I saw that all of my shots needed more light. They can’t be saved.
I need to learn more about my flash. I only got one or two shots out of 50 or more. This is one. I wanted one where the lead dancer held the pose that is typical of these dancers…standing on one leg with the other bent behind her, her extemded foot bent in that graceful way typical of this dance. This woman is lovely and she does have her hands bent. If only her left hand were an inch or so lower, it could be seen better as her bright blouse would contrast with the hand. This is where studio photography has the advantage.
Our guide said that these were not professional dancers. They had day jobs. They looked beautiful to me. As they walked about the stage, they kept their toes pointed upward. Sometimes they relaxed their toes. This was the only time I could see that they weren’t expert.
I’ll be away for a week. I’m going to visit my daughter. I’m taking my camera, of course. I don’t know how much photography I will do, probably not much.
I hope you have a good week. See you soon!