Black Hat Cham Dancer - Thangbi Mani Festival - Bumthang, Bhutan

[Manfred M]

This is a shot of a black hat Cham dancer; a religious dance performed by monks. The black hat dancers chase away any demons that are around.

This shot was taken at the Thangbi Mani Festival, that took place in early October 2014 in Bumthang, in central Bhutan. The costumed monks whirl and jump away to live music in the monastery courtyard.

[Shadowman]

Nicely captured.

[Marie Hass]

Hello, Manfred!!!!

Your pictures of your travels are windows into other cultures.

This image is so dynamic - that - I almost wonder if a bit of motion blur would have been tolerable to convey that wonderful movement? Regardless, I keep coming back for a study.

'Rie

[rpcrowe]

Nice capture under what I expect was difficult shooting conditions...

[Manfred M]

Hello, Manfred!!!!

Your pictures of your travels are windows into other cultures.

This image is so dynamic - that - I almost wonder if a bit of motion blur would have been tolerable to convey that wonderful movement? Regardless, I keep coming back for a study.

'Rie

Thanks Marie - I played around with that but the results were not good. These shots were taken in a really difficult shooting environment; lots and lots of people around and a 100% stationary place to shoot from. I feel I was lucky to get some usable shots.

[Manfred M]

Nice capture under what I expect was difficult shooting conditions...

That would be an understatement.

We had planned to go to this festival because it was smaller and more intimate that the big one we visited in Thimpu. When we did our research, we were told that very few tourists went to this event because it was in a fairly remote part of Bhutan.

We got there early to try to position ourselves to get ourselves good shooting positions (we checked to make sure we were okay with the locals, based on what happened in the past). Hordes of other tourists showed up after us and firmly plunked themselves in our line of sight, so we had to reposition a number of times. The place was so tightly packed it was virtually impossible to move. There were a number of novice photographers and videographers in front of us that would just stick up their cameras and leave them there for long periods of time. Nice shooting opportunities were ruined by people with their iPads held out at arms length covering a considerable part of the frame. You get the idea.

Add to that less than ideal lighting (clear sunny day) and a camera (mirrorless) that uses contrast detection for autofocus (not ideal for moving subjects) where the view screen blanks out after two shots have been taken and the buffer is being written to the memory card...

We almost left before things got started and headed out just before noon (as even more folks showed up). The tourists outnumbered the locals, and this was a local festival. I certainly won't be heading back in a hurry...

[John 2]

Still a very nice shot despite the difficulties Manfred. Given the ground you have covered, my only other thought is when do you stop for a rest? You must be exhausted.

[Manfred M]

Still a very nice shot despite the difficulties Manfred. Given the ground you have covered, my only other thought is when do you stop for a rest? You must be exhausted.

Very good point. We scheduled in a few "down" days with minimal activities. In retrospect, we should have built a few more in.

Fortunately for us, Bhutan was near the beginning of our trip, so we were not all that tired after we got over the jetlag.

The problem with traveling in Bhutan is that is that travel is tightly controlled and you are not left to your own devices. The only way most people can visit the country is through a tour (nicely said, it's the easiest way to get a visa to enter Bhutan). The downside is that you must have a guide and driver and follow a fixed itinerary. Another downside is that you must prepay the trip BEFORE they issue you a visa and airline tickets.

[Mike Buckley]

I realize this ordeal doesn't leave you with the best memories but it sure does make for fascinating information for all of us vicariously experiencing that part of your travel.