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Thanks for all the great comments. This did better than I expected.
This woman is from a small Vietnam fishing village and has obviously chewed a lot of betel nut. After returning home I did some research to find out some decades ago women would chew and stain their teeth on purpose to enhance their beauty. Thankfully there is still some culture in the world, and not everyone feels they need to be "normal"
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Not Too Attractive!! but I guess if you like the high it's worth it! Different cultures, different ways. She still had a nice smile for you and I love that it's not centered. Good one.
Visiting other cultures we see different things of beauty and sometimes the poor conditions in which people live. I have come back to look at this image twice before gathering up my reactions to it. At times I cringe looking at the state of her teeth but overall I cannot help but notice her smile. That smile is not only from her mouth, but it is reflected in her face and her eyes. Regardless of her conditions she seems truly happy and has a sunny disposition. Once you see that one cannot help but have a slow smile spread across ones face in a answering smile back. This is a great human interest photo - one that would run well next to a story about the region and the interesting people that live there - everyone has a story.
Betel nuts as false teeth...really? WOW! I didn't now that. Besides giving me a lesson here LOL...the shot is really a great shot and even the crop off the side works well.
Bloody Mary!! Remember the lyrics from that song from South Pacific? If you aren't familiar, look them up. They speak of chewing betel nuts. This is fabulous. I can see it in a National Geographic expose. :)
Great composition, I love the off-center approach. The light is wonderful, with enough reflected light to show the detail in areas that would normally be obscured in shadow. The face is great, the teeth scary. 9
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