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Sony Forums Challenges | all galleries >> Challenge 110: "Gimme half a sec..." (hosted by Gaurav Khanna and Sonny Asehan) >> Challenge 110: Exhibition > edit image
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19-OCT-2005 Helen Betts

Whirling Dervish
by Helen Betts

Istanbul, Turkey

Taken at a special Mevlana performance at Sirkeci Train Station. For another picture in color from this event, go to http://www.pbase.com/helenpb/image/51821430 . I had processed this in color, but my friend Fatih of this forum suggested I try it in B&W as he felt it was too noisy, and I liked the results.

Nikon D70 ,Nikkor 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S VR
0.60s f/13.0 at 58.0mm iso800, handheld, full exif

other sizes: small medium original auto
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Justin Miller 28-Jan-2006 06:57
Great shot, and nice treatment of it. The movement, the blurring, the B&W, the lack of face...all add up to a mystic, defining shot.
Awais Yaqub 25-Jan-2006 19:16
Raqa-e-darvesh alwyas work in long exposure ! and you did it this is best i loved it a lot
Guest 25-Jan-2006 06:06
hi Helen - i agree - the faceless appearance adds to the mytique of the dancers. I really like the picture. Is this a private performance? ~gaurav
Helen Betts23-Jan-2006 23:02
Hi Daniel, thank you for the comment. I, too, like the other image better, but unfortunately the shutter speed wasn't long enough for the challenge. I actually like the fact that his face isn't visible -- the dervishes are rather mystical anyway, so I felt it was rather fitting. Helen
ctfchallenge23-Jan-2006 17:38
Helen: Now I understand what you told me the other day about your photographic Dervish experience. Anyway, I do like the other picture (the one in colour) *much* better than this one, because here the Dervish has no face and the only (half-)faces we see have no real context. You deserve, though, a «special stfchallenge award» for a steady hand... Thanks—once more—for bringing those Istanbul remembrances back to me! — db.