We were invited into a private home in Luang Prabang for a Buddhist Baci ceremony performed in our honor. This ceremony wished us good fortune and welcomed us to the most beautiful city in Laos. I photographed our hosts in prayer. Their intense sincerity, religious devotion, and kindness toward us, was obvious.

A color version of this image can be seen in the travel article I put together on my Laos trip, posted on worldisround.com. It’s at: http://www.worldisround.com/articles/139137/photo34.html . The reality of the experience is expressed in that image. Its colors are primarily skin tones, which make the people seem more lifelike. An appropriate choice for a travel image designed to make an experience seem as real as possible.

This black and white version simply eliminates those skin tones. It is not longer a matter of replicating reality. Instead, we are symbolizing a particular aspect of the trip, in this case, the spirituality of the Laotian people. I made this image in a room illuminated only by candles, using a quarter of a second hand held exposure. There a slight bit of camera shake softening the image, which in this case is an asset, particularly in the highly symbolic, less realistic, abstract black and white image. The softening effect makes the prayer seem that much more intense.