Monk Procession - Luang Prabang, Laos

Worshipper preparing to give Alms to Monks in Luang Prabang, Northern Laos

The procession of Monks collecting Alms in Luang Prabang occurs every day in the Northern Laos.  This town has been UNESCO World Heritage Centre for it's fusion of colonial French Architecture and traditional Asian culture.  

Every morning at sunrise, rain, hail or shine, hundreds of monks silently walk the streets collecting Alms from those who wish to offer as a sign of pray and good fortune.

This photo was taken before the run had risen on rainy day.  Crowds and worshippers were minimal due to the weather.  For the most part wild dogs outnumbered participants.  This worshipper braved the rain to give to the monks (2 of which can be seen huddling under an umbrella in the top corner of the shot.)

This photo was taken on the Canon EOS 5D MKIII a truly remarkable camera for low-light photography.  ISO was 2000, and shutter speed was able to be reduced to 1/15 second thanks to the brilliant Image Stabilisation (IS) capabilities of the New 24-105 L series F4.0 lens.  Canon claim the IS can give you three stops, allowing for very slow shutter speeds.  

This image was processed using photoshop CS5 and additional NIK software filters to bring out some of the shadow areas such as the face of the lady and orange of the monks in the rear of the photo.