Through The Window

Posted by Kheoh Yee Wei (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) on 4 January 2007 in People & Portrait.

This kid from Bali follows his father who makes a living by selling newspapers to people in cars when they are stopping for traffic light.This kid walks to every car begging people to buy a newspaper while knocking our car window for our attention.Well,people in Bali are actually very absorbed in their own daily struggles despite Bali is a highly commercialized tourist spot in Indonesia =(

I post here now.

Buy my overpriced book.

Comments (20)

zahra from United States

The image holds a very deep meaning I believe...What strikes out most is the divide between the rich and the poor...Each being on either side of the car window...These are harsh realities of life which these people face everyday...It reminds me of all the difficulties that people have to go through and makes me realize how fortunate I am...

4 Jan 2007 7:11am

benjamin from Singapore

this does have a alot of meaning in it. thnx zahra, thats probably just about wad i wanted say. this is very special. thnx too, yee wei

4 Jan 2007 10:32am

Still from Valence, France

A great shot testifying of great difficulties of a lot of people to earn their life. Strong one!

4 Jan 2007 11:57am

Stu from Kyoto, Japan

nice capture. i love shots of everyday people just doing their thing.

i came back from Bali recently and remember these guys selling papers and other things at traffic lights. i didnt manage to capture any of them myself though so nice work.

4 Jan 2007 11:58am

badala from Leiria, Portugal

Wonderful portrait of not only people but a way of life.

4 Jan 2007 12:09pm

Kerstin from Paris, France

I agree with all guys above me.
We can be very grateful to be on the other side of the lense...

4 Jan 2007 12:47pm

Jason Kravitz from Brussels, Belgium

a nice slice of life portrait - bit of a different childhood experience than I had but I guess we all start from somewhere and become the people we become - its all learning

4 Jan 2007 1:53pm

Darren from Japan

Nice portrait there mate. You can see the need in this young guys eyes. Nice capture.

4 Jan 2007 2:20pm

shutterfirefly from Singapore

poignant and meaningful...you've actually captured the essence of the boy's searching eyes which can tell so many stories...good stuff!

4 Jan 2007 4:41pm

Zach Siebert from Bologna, Italy

wonderful. nice to have a camera handy at all times. did you buy a paper?

4 Jan 2007 7:24pm

Greg from Auckland, New Zealand

A lot of patronising comments here about the young boy. Who is the poor one here? The boy looking in, or the occupant trapped inside? All these comments about 'needy' and 'searching' eyes. What nonsense. He could very well have a far happier and well adjusted life than the rest of us. Great photo. Very poor interpretations.

4 Jan 2007 10:35pm

Angad from Chandigarh, India

I partly agree with Greg. Not to sound insensitive or anything, but he is perfectly capable, i.e. no handicapped and should look for work other than selling newspapers.
Nice portrait.

5 Jan 2007 1:01am

Eduardo from Santaigo, Chile

Conmovedroa imagen....qué es lo que realmente mira este chico? QUé es lo que realmente busca....?
En sus ojos, veo mucha necesidad de cariño...de amor....gran imagen y punto de vista....esa ventana que marca una separación....felicidades.

5 Jan 2007 3:36am

Damon Schreiber from Toronto, Canada

I'll attempt to translate Eduardo's comment above in case you don't speak Spanish:
"Moving image... What is this boy really looking at? What is he really searching for? In his eyes, I see much need for care...for love... great image and point of view... this window that marks a separation... cheers."

For my own part, I also like the image a lot, and agree that it can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. I wonder what the boy or his father would think about it. Whether there's pity or contempt, I agree that the glass is a powerful marker here.

5 Jan 2007 4:09am