- Bloody Mary Chews Beetle Nut
I took this photo in 2007 in northern Thailand. This woman lived in a village near Chiang Rai. She was doing some chores in her home but was happy to let me photograph her. I don’t remember having to pay her. My guide had the impression that I was a VIP so maybe she told her it was her patriotic duty to pose for me.
I’ve tried to photoshop this picture many times, but despite her smiling, cute little face, I was never happy with the results. Yesterday, I realized why. It is the red teeth and lips from her habit of chewing beetle nut. To my western sensitivities, it just did not enhance her appearance. I finally got the idea to make the photo look like an old photograph and voila! I’m happy.
I did this by changing the color photo to b/w and then reducing the density of that layer. Then I added a sepia layer. I like this look. In fact, when I was in Cambodia recently, I bought two sets of old postcards,(reproductions) and I used them as a guide when I worked on this photo.
I love those old photos that show life as it was a hundred or more years ago.