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Photo du Jour: Dirt Roads & Sunbrellas in the Laotian Countryside

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While having a traditional noodle soup lunch in the Laotian province of Xieng Khouang, these ladies strolled past us. Laotian ladies – like those we met in Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam –  go to great lengths to protect their skin from the sun’s vibrant rays.




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Photography & text © Tricia A. Mitchell. All Rights Reserved.

Tricia A. Mitchell Avatar

About the author

Hi! My name is Tricia Mitchell. I delight in telling stories about my slow travels through more than 65 countries. Some of my highlights have included sharing meals with locals in Armenia, Cambodia, and Tunisia; sipping sparkling wine with French cousins in Alsace; milking goats in a sleepy Bulgarian village; and training with a Japanese mine-clearance team in Laos. My husband, Shawn, and I are based in France’s Loire Valley.

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9 responses to “Photo du Jour: Dirt Roads & Sunbrellas in the Laotian Countryside”

  1. marinachetner Avatar

    so beautiful and even nostalgic! The first and parting images are my favourites. If only Australians could pick up this graceful habit of using an umbrella ;) Lovely images Tricia!

    1. Tricia A. Mitchell Avatar

      Marina, and the pretty parasols are so much better than the alternative products found on Southeast Asian shelves – skin whitening and bleaching creams! Surprised that they’re even marketed for the male consumer here…

    1. Tricia A. Mitchell Avatar

      Thanks, Sarah! Just think – you’ll be here very soon!

  2. Vijay Avatar
    Vijay

    Beautiful photos. They have a painterly quality to it.

    1. Tricia A. Mitchell Avatar

      Vijay, the ladies do look as though they are from another time and what a compliment about the pics having such a quality! Perhaps it’s the vintage look of their parasols and the antiquing function I processed them through.

      1. marinachetner Avatar

        Tricia – I wanted to ask you about the above comment. The antiquing function ~ is that on your camera? Does it alter the edges of the photos or colour too I like the photos so much above. They do look like paintings – I agree with Vijay.

      2. Tricia A. Mitchell Avatar

        Marina, when I uploaded the photos to iPhoto, I then used the ‘antique’ and the ‘edge blur’ effects. I like to snap the photos as is, and then from time to time, change the effects later (black & white, sepia, etc.) to create a more vintage look, etc. I’d love to delve more into the photo editing software that’s more sophisticated than iPhoto, but right now it’s more fun just capturing our adventures! I have Aperture as well but have yet to explore its features. Have you found any photo resources lately online that you’d recommend?

      3. marinachetner Avatar

        Tricia – beyond the camera’s retouch program, I am clueless. I haven’t used iPhoto or anything else. I guess we’re kind of thinking the same things – taking pics, adjusting a little here and there. Bare minimum. I do like the idea of not retouching my photos though sometimes a story really calls for it! Thanks for replying. Keep on documenting all that beauty!