Fri Jul 30, 2010 10:44 pm I just won the 165th contest, and apparently some people wonder about my picture. This is a short explanation.
The cloud is water released from the Hoa Binh dam in Northern VietNam. The guy is a professional photographer waiting for customers. I did not see him get a single one, a situation now reaching remote countrysides in developing countries. As a fellow (amateur) photographer, I felt sorry for him. If you look carefully, you will see he has a really old and basic camera.
The umbrella is of course for the sun, as Asian people do.
No wonder he is not afraid, he has seen this hundreds of times.
This picture might help to clarify things.
By the way, VietNam is a wonderful country with wonderful people and places. If you plan to travel there, I can give you some advice (not especially about pictures).
Take care, Jean Louis B.
