Comment from /Jim
AS a street photographer, I enjoyed viewing this shot. It carries a story, which we can only imagine.
The shot well framed and its an obvious subject, with no distractions.
The exposure to me is a bit on the over side, I would have given up the background to get her exposure better.
DOF is to deep. Let it blur out, so there is zero need to look into it at all.

Good shot.
Jim

 Comment Written 02-Sep-2014

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reply by the author on 02-Sep-2014

manythanks

Comment from WendyG
What a fabulous photo Fred, such a great capture of this Burmese lady having a smoke and not making a mess!lol! A terrific culture shot, love her coconut ashtray. She will probably live to be 100! Excellent exposure, sharp focus, composition and framing. Good luck in the contest!;)

 Comment Written 31-Aug-2014

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reply by the author on 31-Aug-2014

thanks somuch Wendy for your lovely comments and top rating;

Comment from websterjames
hmmm did she offer you a toke ? She would be a hit here in Houston standing outside the smoke free restaurants. Great
contest entry. good luck

 Comment Written 30-Aug-2014

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reply by the author on 30-Aug-2014

many thanks

Comment from Mollie213
I really thought I had commented on this before, but guess it was just similar. I remember reading about the coconut ashtray and it being too dry to take a chance of fire spilling on the ground. Very interesting to see the espression on her face, and find it amazing that she had very few wrinkles. But then she may not be as old as she appears.
Such a good work for journalism.
Great job.

 Comment Written 30-Aug-2014

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reply by the author on 30-Aug-2014

similar, never the same; many thanks again

Comment from FBI GUY
She is careful of the environment. The lady seems to be an old hand at this operation. The detail of her face is very well captured and the soft colors give us a great look clothing. The head scarf or towel is probably a cultural thing with the ladies or it is just hot out. The capture is great. I love to tour the world with you and see what you have seen.

 Comment Written 30-Aug-2014

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reply by the author on 30-Aug-2014

thanks a lot for your nice coments

Comment from snowblaze
Well, she certainly is not wasting any energy! What an interesting shot!! (My guess is that whatever she is smoking burns fairly rapidly.)

I like the bit of "fringe" at the top of this well-focused work... to frame the woman.

 Comment Written 30-Aug-2014

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reply by the author on 30-Aug-2014

thanks a lot

Comment from pmdc2952
Nice take. I love the placement/crop. The clarity and focus are spot on. The lighting here is very good.

 Comment Written 30-Aug-2014

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reply by the author on 30-Aug-2014

thanks so much

Comment from Sange
Now that is a Cigar! Nice capture Fred! Like the expressive face and how she is holding to both cigar and coconut ashtray.
A few minor hot spots, but you did fine shooting in the bright sun.
Nice capture!👏👏😉

 Comment Written 30-Aug-2014

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reply by the author on 30-Aug-2014

thanks a lot again Sandra
if you want something funny, look at my other pic of the day

Comment from janvan723
Love this photo. Although she's a smoker, she's at least considerate. Funny that she's carrying an ashtray. Wonderful native dress. Nice catch.

 Comment Written 29-Aug-2014

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reply by the author on 29-Aug-2014

thanks a lot

Comment from suenethery
Holy crap, that's a big cigar!
Great shot.
Excellent initial impact. I like the natural setting.
Thanks for sharing.

 Comment Written 29-Aug-2014

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reply by the author on 29-Aug-2014

many thanks my dear