Weekly photo challenge: fall

For this week’s photo challenge and theme of ‘fall’, I thought that this image was very fitting. It’s a double entendre, as not only was the photo taken in the Fall (Autumn), but I was amazed how these three managed to balance on the donkey without falling!

I was pleased with the photo as all three of the family are looking at the camera, and I like the way the youngest is just peeping over her father’s arm.

This was a good example of the advantage of always having a camera ready; not just by having it in your hand or around your neck rather than tucked deep in a bag, but also by having it ready with the best settings. I normally prefer to shoot using as many manual settings as possible but I am not proficient enough to be able to take successfully a quick shot of the unexpected. So, I normally leave the camera on the ‘idiot’ or full automatic mode just in case I need to fire off a quick shot without thinking of all the settings I might need.

Deep in the walnut-fruit forests of Kyrgyzstan, miles from the nearest track passable by a 4×4, I was climbing a narrow path when the family group suddenly appeared around a corner. I asked quickly (with gestures only as I don’t speak Kyrgyz) whether I could take a photo, and after Dad’s nodding approval I managed to take just two frames as they carried on past.

See more of my Weekly Photo Challenges

Gabriel Hemery