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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Twenty One: The Marketplace -- crossroads of a community. > Counting Kip, Luang Prabang, Laos, 2005
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22-JAN-2005

Counting Kip, Luang Prabang, Laos, 2005

Lao currency is called Kip -- counted out in the marketplace by the tens of thousands. It's no wonder this lady appears uncertain. (I never could keep the exchange rate straight.) Whenever I am shooting in a marketplace, I am looking for the moment of transaction. Money changing hands often brings revealing reactions such as this one. There is incongruity in this situation as well. The woman accepting the money is wondering with one hand while receiving payment with the other. The customer doing the paying is nonchalantly shelling out what appears to be a small fortune.

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Phil Douglis13-Apr-2005 20:21
And that is why the marketplace is such a wonderful source of human values, Jen. Attitudes towards spending and making money are constantly on display, and travel photographers can use them as expressive story telling content. I am delighted that this pair of attitudes expressed such meaning to you, exactly as I intended them to. You put your finger on the key here -- it is the contrast of attitudes that really tells the story, as well as the large quantity of banknotes on display here.
Jennifer Zhou13-Apr-2005 08:39
I like the serious look on her face, even she just made a sell but have to be always careful about the money, because she might would lose if anything went wrong. But another woman appeared to be not that careful about the money. This subtle contrast of two women's attitudes(expression) toward the money makes the most interesting point here.

Jen
monique jansen28-Feb-2005 13:27
Yes, the marketplace is about money - it may be a place to meet friends and neighbors as well, to catch up with stories but foremost it is about buying and selling stuff.
Guest 27-Feb-2005 10:37
Hey, the expression of the girl at the left looked likes me when I try to calculate those foreign exchange rates while I was shopping… :)
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