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Market Trader

By AlanBW
The lady pictured above is a trader at the massive weekend market at Chatuchak, although I have seen her swelling in other areas of Bangkok as well. She has a small plastic tray containing inexpensive goods such as packs of paper tissues, chewing gum, etc., and she sits on the ground wherever the mood takes her, offering her wares to passers-by.

I was on the prowl for photo opportunities and had observed her from a distance. I hoped to capture a shot because she has the most wonderful facial features, but the crowd was heavy and gaps were simply not appearing. With the camera still primed for action I moved closer and closer until I was just a few feet away. As there were now no people obstructing my view I 'cleared my throat' and she looked up at me. I was lucky enough to capture the image with full eye contact.

We exchanged smiles as I bought a couple of packs of chewing gum I did not need and that I later gave away to a couple of local children. My command of the Thai language is pretty limited, although I am trying to improve on that. I came out with a few words but probably got the toning completely wrong. I intended to say something like, 'Thankyou, have a good day', but very likely came out with something closer to, 'I'm sorry, but my elephant has just been sick in your umbrella'. However, she seemed pleased that I was trying to speak her language and she beamed at me.

I saw this lovely lady again on subsequent visits to Chatuchak Market and she always acknowledged me with a smile. I would try to greet her in Thai and she was probably smiling at my poor attempts. I'd love to see her again on our next visit - little bits of interaction like that make travel very special.

Tags: Woman Travel Market General Bangkok Candid Thailand Close-up and macro Trader Portraits and people Chatuchak

Voters: wyatturp, Barbaraj, JONTHELENS and 153 more

Readers' Choice Awards are given to photos that get over 30 votes

Uploaded:
28 Apr 2008 8:52AM
Camera:
Fujifilm FinePix S9500 Zoom
Lens:
28-300
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Comments


wyatturp 15 2 England
28 Apr 2008 8:54AM
Morning Alan good stare to the camera, and glad you got a smileSmile

Doug
Last modified by wyatturp on 28 Apr 2008 8:54AM
Barbaraj 14 450 England
28 Apr 2008 8:57AM
A face that says to me,.. now what is he after ?
JONTHELENS 13 34 United Kingdom
28 Apr 2008 8:58AM
nice capture Alan, i knew this was yours from the thumb nail.

jon
Badgerfred Plus
13 36 Wales
28 Apr 2008 9:07AM
Excellent close up/portrait Alan, great detail,
Fred.
susanbarton 13 11 1 United Kingdom
28 Apr 2008 9:07AM
morning Alan! I knew this was yours as soon as I saw it, anothe good capture of and interesting face

Susan
bolebrown 13 England
28 Apr 2008 9:09AM
Superb shot.
Haydn
AlanBW 15 20 England
28 Apr 2008 9:11AM
Many thanks Doug, Barbara, Jon, Fred, Susan and Haydn, very much appreciated - Alan
Richsr 13 91 223 England
28 Apr 2008 9:20AM
An interesting face - very well captured Alan.
Regards Richard.
Silverzone 13 2 England
28 Apr 2008 9:33AM
The eyes tell of life of hardship. Sylvia
jaktis Plus
17 84 Sweden
28 Apr 2008 10:00AM
A great capture with expression and an interesting information

Peter
Artois 14 405 1 United Kingdom
28 Apr 2008 10:14AM
good character portrait
gary_d 13 576 13 Wales
28 Apr 2008 10:28AM
Lovely portrait, well worth the wait great expression captured. best regards to you and Tricia. - gary
peterhookwilde 13 7 Northern Ireland
28 Apr 2008 10:38AM
nice portrait
challicew 13 1 1 South Africa
28 Apr 2008 10:44AM
You narrative is so amusing, I had such a good laugh! Your portrait amazing as always. I am interested in the fact that their age worn faces differ so much from the older folk here in Africa! Perhaps the sun is harsher here!
AlanBW 15 20 England
28 Apr 2008 10:51AM
Many thanks Richard, Sylvia, Peter, Stella, Gary, Peter and Challice, much appreciated as always - Alan
Val Prowse Plus
18 6 England
28 Apr 2008 10:57AM
I knew when I clicked on the thumbnail it would be yours Alan. A superb capture of a very interesting face. Like you narrative too.

Val
Rylands 13 1 2 United Kingdom
28 Apr 2008 11:39AM
Superb portrait
Ray
pascalg Plus
13 37 1 France
28 Apr 2008 12:03PM
excellent portrait !
AlanBW 15 20 England
28 Apr 2008 12:36PM
Many thanks Val, Ray and Pascal - Alan
Douglas_George 13 10
28 Apr 2008 12:45PM
Beautiful shot Alan, well done.

Dougie.
lonely_oryx 13 61 55 England
28 Apr 2008 1:04PM
Excellent capture
MickyMc 13 8 United Kingdom
28 Apr 2008 1:33PM
Super write up and a lovely portrait
Mavis
AlanBW 15 20 England
28 Apr 2008 2:32PM
Many thanks Dougie, John and Mavis - Alan
Last modified by AlanBW on 28 Apr 2008 2:35PM
JN_CHATELAIN_PHOTOGRAPHY 14 1.3k 8 United Kingdom
28 Apr 2008 2:33PM
Just in time to be #30 for this nice portrait. She must have been really pretty when young and she retains some of it still today. JNC
phototime 14 8 United Kingdom
28 Apr 2008 2:48PM
Excellent portrait Alan,nicely taken.

Mo
banehawi Plus
16 2.4k 4219 Canada
28 Apr 2008 2:48PM
Very good, and a nice story.

W
AlanBW 15 20 England
28 Apr 2008 2:59PM
Many thanks Jean Noel, Mo and Willie - Alan
whiteswan01 12 13 England
28 Apr 2008 3:00PM
Very good touching story though she does look stern wel shot
Dawn
Skye24Blue 14 Australia
28 Apr 2008 3:21PM
Excellent shot and narrative.
Mac
FeatherFriend 13 38 217 England
28 Apr 2008 3:30PM
A great character shot and a lovely write up.
Geoff.
SandraKay Plus
13 233 4 United Kingdom
28 Apr 2008 3:37PM
A superb candid once again with excellent skin tones and crop. I'm impressed that you know even a little of the Thai language.
Sandra
Last modified by SandraKay on 28 Apr 2008 3:38PM
GregorP 16 4 Slovenia
28 Apr 2008 3:44PM
Nice portrait shot and nice story, like always.

Rgds
Gregor
Rende 14 38 4 Netherlands
28 Apr 2008 3:53PM
Wonderful portrait with beautiful detail and expression. I enjoyed the story too.
Rende
piccy 14 8 Wales
28 Apr 2008 4:10PM
You probably brightened up her day. Lovely shot.
Freda
bayleaf 13 8 United Kingdom
28 Apr 2008 4:21PM
Super capture

John
daffydill56 17 190 United Kingdom
28 Apr 2008 4:36PM
I bet there are a lot of stories laying behinf those lovely kindly eyes.

Great wor as always Alan.

Fran
ChrisWallace 13 1 United Kingdom
28 Apr 2008 4:38PM
Great character shot, liked the details in the story
Rock 18 10 2 England
28 Apr 2008 4:41PM
Another great grab shot.

A fine story as well.

Rock
AlanBW 15 20 England
28 Apr 2008 4:49PM
Many thanks Dawn, Mac, Geoff, Sandra, Gregor, Rende, Freda, John, Fran, Chris and Rock, very much appreciated - Alan
GrahamBaines 13 39 United Kingdom
28 Apr 2008 5:12PM
Another super character and narrative Alan.

Graham
paulb20 Plus
14 12 United Kingdom
28 Apr 2008 6:02PM
Excellent character shot Alan.
Paul
luxaeternam 13 21 1
28 Apr 2008 6:12PM
A superb expression.
Smile Lucy
hebdens 15 5
28 Apr 2008 6:20PM
she has a lovely face, great to read your story, its good to try with the language even if it did make her smile.
Tracy
nickyv32 Plus
13 135 England
28 Apr 2008 6:52PM
Lovely lady, great face, super portrait.

Nicky
A Booth 18 11 4 United Kingdom
28 Apr 2008 7:00PM
wonderful character portrait with good detail and expression.
Nettles 13 England
28 Apr 2008 7:05PM
The poor dear looks rather worn out, excellent candid shot Alan.
Thanks for the laugh re the elephant translation, still chuckling.
Annette
photophantom 13 108 3 Philippines
28 Apr 2008 7:42PM
Thanks to the chewing gumsSmile this woman became smiley. excellent shot Alan.
Dennis
WillieH 15 2 Scotland
28 Apr 2008 7:43PM
Great detail Alan, another fine image you always seem to get the best out of your 9500. Great stuff.

Kind Regards Willie
Glostopcat 14 255 2 England
28 Apr 2008 7:57PM
An excellent portrait Alan, she looks a real character and this comes across in your photograph
glyndwr 13 74 10 Wales
28 Apr 2008 8:51PM
Great portrait Alan, such fabulous detail.

Robert
imagio 14 12 1 England
28 Apr 2008 9:17PM
You certainly get about Alan, one seriously excellent shot. Great features..

Bernie
Andree_Borrel 13 United Kingdom
28 Apr 2008 10:07PM
Top notch Alan
fentiger 19 920 24 England
28 Apr 2008 10:30PM
Quality work Alan. Very well done!

Albert
bunbeam 15 2 United Kingdom
28 Apr 2008 10:44PM
superb portrait.. well captured
bunSmile
pamelajean Plus
15 1.5k 2203 United Kingdom
28 Apr 2008 10:59PM
An excellent portrait for the price of some chewing gum, can't be bad, love your narrative.
AlistairJ 15 6 England
28 Apr 2008 11:08PM
Fantastic detail Alan and to be so spot on with a single shot. Fab.

Alistair
JimV 14 6 3 Canada
29 Apr 2008 4:35AM
What a lovely lady, what a lovely picture, what a lovely story, hope you do, when you return Alan.
Rgds., Jim
AlanBW 15 20 England
29 Apr 2008 6:59AM
Many thanks Graham, Paul, Lucy, Tracy, Nicky, Alan, Dennis, Willie, Ed, Robert, Bernie, Graham, Albert, Bun, Pamela, Alistair and Jim, very much appreciated - Alan
anpix 13 88 United Kingdom
29 Apr 2008 7:01AM
Great photo well done Alan
danbrann 16 640 17
29 Apr 2008 7:27AM
Like you I bet she has lots of stories to tell. The face loksas if it has had a hard life.
ChristineL 16 39 United Kingdom
29 Apr 2008 8:03AM
a lovely portrait with a priceless expression,
Chris.
ShedMan 15 3 2 South Africa
29 Apr 2008 8:20AM
Excellent candid shot - looks like the kind of face that could tell a thousand stories.

Ô¿Ô
AlanBW 15 20 England
29 Apr 2008 8:57AM
Many thanks Andrew, Dan, Chris and Graeme - Alan
TelStar 16 116 United Kingdom
29 Apr 2008 9:11AM
Smashing shot and lovely contextual information.

Tel*
bricurtis Plus
15 2.4k 51 England
29 Apr 2008 9:48AM
Great detail in the that well worn face Alan.Superb portrait.
Brian.
AlanBW 15 20 England
29 Apr 2008 10:29AM
Many thanks Tel and Brian - Alan
Bodiewil 13 46 Wales
29 Apr 2008 10:33AM
A stunning potrait Alan

Dave
dianah 14 24.5k 4 United Kingdom
29 Apr 2008 10:36AM
Another portrait full of character and detail You are the best at these Alan..wonderful.
Di
lostintime Plus
13 13 5 Germany
29 Apr 2008 10:59AM
Super portrait and a great story.
Alexandra
AlanBW 15 20 England
29 Apr 2008 11:13AM
Many thanks Dave, Di and Alexandra - Alan
ChiliMan 14 135 17 Singapore
29 Apr 2008 11:23AM
Excellent capture, Alan. She has the doleful look of someone in sympathy of someone else's elephant's outpouring into her umbrella...lol

A Wink
microchip 13 1 United Kingdom
29 Apr 2008 1:44PM
Excellent portrait lovely detail, captured well,
Alan
JudeC 14 6 3 England
29 Apr 2008 3:09PM
A face full of character - Jude.
willgriffiths 13 Wales
29 Apr 2008 4:10PM
Great portrait amazing detail.
Will
ketch 13 770 50 Turks And Caicos Islands
29 Apr 2008 4:22PM
Those eyes speak volumes and you have caught them perfectly - a magical picture.
AlanBW 15 20 England
29 Apr 2008 4:28PM
Many thanks Andrew, Alan, Jude, Will and Robert - Alan
oll1e 13 57 2 United Kingdom
29 Apr 2008 5:16PM
Hi Alan ,i think you have found your niche ,your images of these people is really outstanding ,and they all have a certain quality
well done
ollie
ps i love your informative threads
Frase 13 Scotland
29 Apr 2008 7:22PM
Super Image , great expression , well captured.
don
rmr 13 1 Wales
29 Apr 2008 7:23PM
super portrait alan
mark
foggytwo 17 36 1 Scotland
29 Apr 2008 7:34PM
That`s a brilliant expression you caught there Alan,like the skin texture.
Pete.
Hoffy 16 262 16 England
29 Apr 2008 7:48PM
Nice character shot
japa 14 3 United Kingdom
29 Apr 2008 7:57PM
excellent photo alan - love your portraits
DP_Imagery 16 24 6 Wales
29 Apr 2008 8:39PM
Superb study - wonderfully controlled exposure. Bruce
ChristineD 15
29 Apr 2008 9:36PM
Excellent portrait and info.

Christine
KingBee Plus
14 548 2 Scotland
29 Apr 2008 10:12PM
Great image, and great story, as always.

Bob (Tail-end Charlie!)
angelica_cab 13 England
29 Apr 2008 10:19PM
Lovely portrait
AlanBW 15 20 England
30 Apr 2008 7:52AM
Many thanks Oll1e, Don, Mark, Pete, Paul, Trish, Bruce, Christine, Bob and Carol, very much appreciated - Alan
trissie 14 United Kingdom
30 Apr 2008 10:11AM
A great close up Alan, excellent detail.

Trish x
mialewis 13 United Kingdom
30 Apr 2008 11:27AM
Love capture & lighting.
Mia
AlanBW 15 20 England
30 Apr 2008 2:33PM
Many thanks Trich and Mia - Alan
steve_r 13 England
30 Apr 2008 5:40PM
GOOD SHOT.Great capture with great detail,regards Steve.
Brilane 14 5 12 Wales
30 Apr 2008 8:13PM
The portrait shows great character.
Brian
brownsilent 14 7 2 United Kingdom
30 Apr 2008 10:41PM
Great portrait Alan, lovely skin tones and detail, but that look breaks one's heart!
Johanna
Last modified by brownsilent on 30 Apr 2008 10:41PM
Paree 16 616 3
30 Apr 2008 10:47PM
what a fantastic shot
you can see every hair on her head,
such wonderful camera work
pareen
aitchbrown Plus
15 248 United Kingdom
30 Apr 2008 11:25PM
This is so up close and personal Alan, yet it has the sympathetic eye that you always seem to capture in your subjects. The detail and the sadness in those eyes is priceless. helen x
jkennedy 15 4 1 Indonesia
1 May 2008 3:07AM
A great shot Alan and what wonderful features. I am sure she could tell some great life stories.

Well done. CLIK,
Joe
AlanBW 15 20 England
1 May 2008 7:22AM
Many thanks Steve, Brian, Johanna, Maureen, Helen and Joe, very much appreciated - Alan
iajacks 15 24 England
1 May 2008 1:14PM
a great range of tone in the skin and good detail with a very natural expresion on her face.

spot on ian
AlanBW 15 20 England
1 May 2008 1:44PM
Many thanks Ian, much appreciated - Alan
Pegon 15 78 1 England
1 May 2008 2:27PM
A superb capture Alan.
Pete.
clara_bow 14
1 May 2008 5:11PM
a beautiful picture and a lovely story.
AlanBW 15 20 England
1 May 2008 6:44PM
Many thanks Pete and Claire - Alan
norton 17 2 6 Jersey
1 May 2008 10:16PM
Brilliant portrait shot Alan,the detail and expression on her face are fantastic,well captured...........

Tony.
AlanBW 15 20 England
2 May 2008 6:49AM
Many thanks Tony - Alan
franfoto 13 2 32 England
2 May 2008 9:54PM
Brilliant expression, untrusting though. excellent capture.
Fran
myrab 14 United Kingdom
2 May 2008 11:10PM
Great portrait,,what a super expression,

Myra
VNelson 16 3 United States
3 May 2008 6:33AM
So many understated emotions flow over her face.
AlanBW 15 20 England
3 May 2008 10:31AM
Many thanks Fran, Myra and Verne - Alan
kinfatric 16 550 9 Scotland
3 May 2008 10:52AM
a wonderful image of this lady
Mavis 19 143 2 England
3 May 2008 12:20PM
Looks a lovely lady . Good eye contact . Write up made me smile . xx
Blinky 13 10 England
4 May 2008 10:54AM
Great portrait and a great story to go with it.
Ian
GlenD 14 United States
4 May 2008 3:11PM
Watcha Alan, still catching them amazing people and always with a great story.

It's good to get back on here for a little bit
Glen
daringdaphne 16 82 United Kingdom
4 May 2008 8:02PM
Lovely portrait, that speaks volumes Alan, thanks for the smile too, lovely story.


(*.*)D.
AlanBW 15 20 England
5 May 2008 10:17AM
Many thanks Kin, Mavis, Ian, Glen and Daphne - Alan
panda 16 5 1 England
5 May 2008 12:55PM
Hi Alan, another great character study !

Regards Phil
TommyStr 15 9 3 Norway
5 May 2008 6:42PM
Good tight crop, and a fine portrait it is. One of the best I've seen from you
Birte 14
5 May 2008 11:19PM
Excellent portrait,like the way you cropped it.
tigertimb 13 40 66 United Kingdom
6 May 2008 2:03PM
Excellent portrait, superb detail and loads of character
Tim
AlanBW 15 20 England
6 May 2008 2:44PM
Many thanks Phil, Tommy, Birte and Tim - Alan
CaroleA 14 5 3 England
6 May 2008 8:20PM
Well, after 138 votes there's not much I can add so it's just going to have to be "great shot" and hope it doesn't upset anyone! Wink
AlanBW 15 20 England
7 May 2008 7:43AM
Many thanks Carole - Alan
Ade1771 13 United Kingdom
7 May 2008 5:02PM
Wonderful portrait, beautifully done.

Ade
AlanBW 15 20 England
7 May 2008 5:17PM
Many thanks Ade - Alan
Hop-A-Long 14 52 1 England
7 May 2008 11:18PM
Great eye contact. Excellent image.
Andy
AlanBW 15 20 England
8 May 2008 7:36AM
Many thanks Andy - Alan
Bluke 16 303 1 United Kingdom
9 May 2008 5:17PM
love her expression.....nice catch...
Barb
AlanBW 15 20 England
9 May 2008 5:35PM
Many thanks Barb, much appreciated - Alan
BrillacFr 13
11 May 2008 1:25PM
A beautiful portrait and a lovely story
Charlotte
Possum 14 148 England
12 May 2008 4:20PM
Your portraits have their own kind of beauty in that they so brilliantly portray the life lived. I love this lady's face.
Allie
AlanBW 15 20 England
14 May 2008 6:40AM
Many thanks Charlotte and Allie - Alan
bliba Plus
15 2 Austria
22 May 2008 8:14PM
a fine close up portrait

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