Back Story | The Caretaker of Wangdichholing

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

One of my favorite locations for photography in Bhutan is the Wangdichholing Palace in Jakar. No longer a palace, it's now virtually uninhabited save for the morning classes for Buddhist monks-in-training and novices from the nearby monastery, and a caretaker couple who live in a small room at ground level.

A still beautiful structure, with turquoise-colored wood panels and typical Bhutanese decoration, the palace was built in 1857, on the site of the battle camp of the Trongsa Penlop Jigme Namgyel, father of the first King of Bhutan. It was the first palace in Bhutan not designed as a fortress. Both the first and second king adopted it as their main summer residence.

The woman, who could between 60 and 100 years old, and as deaf as a post, was quite voluble and seemed curious as to why we were photographing so much in the courtyard of the palace. We were actually photographing a lot...gathering novice monks to pose as naturally as possible against the wobbly wooden staircases, and having them run on the rough cobblestones. One of us was even photographing novice monks using slave strobes, much to their delight.

She must've seen many others come before us to this popular spot, but we were perhaps some of the first to arrive with such an array of cameras, lenses and strobes that it attracted her curiosity.

Justin Mott | Travel

Photo © Justin Mott -All Rights Reserved

" I hate and love taking pictures of conical hats; it really depends on the day." -Justin Mott

I was challenged (well, sort of) by Justin Mott if I could tell the difference between the photographs he shot for Conde Nast Traveler and those for The New York Times. I think I could tell, but it's now up the readers of The Travel Photographer to take up the challenge. 

A hint: if it looks too perfect and not too documentary-looking, then it's probably Conde Nast. In any event, you'll be certain to enjoy Justin's work which mostly spans 45 photographs of South East Asia (Viet Nam, Myanmar, Cambodia, etc) as well as Tanzania.

Justin Mott grew up in Rhode Island, and studied photojournalism at San Francisco State University but a year before graduating traveled to Southeast Asia, and eventually settled in Vietnam since 2006. He's been photographing regularly for The New York Times, among many others.

He is living in Hanoi, Vietnam and working throughout Southeast Asia on personal projects and assignments since 2006. In 2008, his work on Agent Orange Orphans was recognized in the PDN Annual and was awarded in the Marty Forscher Fellowship for humanistic photography given out by the Parsons School of Design in NYC. Justin is a frequent contributor to The New York Times and various other international publications such as Time, Newsweek, Business Week, Geo, L’Express, GEO, Bloomberg News Service, The Independent, UNESCO, Medecins Sans Frontieres, and the Discovery Channel. He won The Marty Forscher Fellowship Humanistic Photography Award. 

The Frame | Holi |The Widows

Photo © AP / Manish Swarup-All Rights Reserved

Here's another installment of photographs from the Lathmar Holi and Holi festivals in Nandgaon and Vrindavan; the colors of which ought to sate anyone's color appetite for weeks to come. 

This time, these photographs are featured by the always impressive The Frame, the photo blog of The Sacramento Bee. It's quite an extensive gallery of photographs by Manish Swarup, Bikas Das, and Altaf Qadri.

Photo © AP/Manish Swarup-All Rights Reserved

I find the above photograph just hilarious! Even the woman's teeth have been colored by the dye and colored water, while the one next to her has preemptively and judiciously covered her face with a veil.

Photo © Vivek Prakash-All Rights Reserved

However, more important than color is the fact that this year for the first time, the festival of Holi was celebrated by the widows and other abandoned women living in Vrindavan. In a departure from an horrific tradition (in some parts of India) which deems Hindu widows as pariahs, hundreds of widows gathered to observe Holi and to cover each other with flower petals and colored powder.

More of the widows enjoying their first Holi can be seen in WSJ India.

For my own work on the plight of the Vrindavan widows, see White Shadows.

Holi | Altaf Qadri | LA Times

Photo © Altaf Qadri- All Rights Reserved

The colorful Holi festival is about to officially start in India on Wednesday, March 27 and I expect we'll be seeing more coverage from Indian and foreign photographers in the coming few days and weeks.

To kick off this event, I start with Altaf Qadri's photographs as they appeared in Framework, the photo blog of The Los Angeles Times yesterday. The photograph that appealed to me the most is the one of Hindu priests loading up their water pumps with colored water to spray the devotees.

Holi is known as the Hindu festival of colors, and is celebrated in Spring by people throwing colored powder and colored water at each other. The tradition is based on the legend of Radha and the Hindu God Krishna. The latter was envious of Radha's fair complexion and in a mischievous mood, he applied color to his beloved Radha's face.

In Vrindavan (which is the place to be during Holi), the festival is celebrated for 16 days in commemoration of the divine love of Radha for Krishna. Many of Altaf's photographs were made at Krishna's Bankey Bihari Temple in Vrindavan. It's the most popular Hindu temple of Krishna in the city.

Altaf Qadri is a photojournalist based in Kashmir, who has been covering the conflict in Kashmir for several years.. His photographs and stories from events in Kashmir have appeared all around the globe including Time, The Guardian, New York Times, International Herald Tribune, Washington Post and The Times among others. 

As I did last year, here's Jim Shannon's Guide To Photographing Holi for those of you who are considering photographing there this year. It's invaluable.

Dabbawala | The Perennial Plate

I would really love the opportunity of following one of these dabbawallas for a day, and documenting his journey with stills and audio!

The word "Dabbawala" in Marathi when literally translated, means "one who carries a box".  In Mumbai, 5000 dabbawallas deliver around 200,000 lunches every day from people's homes to offices, and are members of the officious-sounding Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers Association. They are said to follow the the Varkari sect of Hinduism, and whose doctrine is the eagerness to serve others.

The concept of the dabbawala started in Mumbai during the Raj as many of the British bureaucrats and officials did not like the local food, and a service was set up to bring lunch (boiled potatoes and roast?) to them in their workplace directly from their homes. 

When the dabbawallas first started, a complex coding system of coloured threads and cloths was used, then this evolved to coloured paint, and now it's an alphanumeric code (which you can see in a sequence of the movie). The delivery system is highly dependent on Mumbai's railway lines as well as on bicycles..

The dabbawallas have been conducting the service for the last 125 years and incredibly have an error margin of just one in six million!

The Atlantic has more information of the dabbawallas.

The Perennial Plate is an online weekly documentary series documenting socially responsible and adventurous eating. Daniel Klein and Mirra Fine travel the world exploring the wonders, complexities and stories behind the ever more connected global food system.

Back Story | The Kendang Player

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

Here's another digital "wet-plate" portrait which I've just added to my The Digital Wet Plates gallery. This is actually #73 of the 100 portraits I plan on having on the gallery.

The above portrait is of a kendang player in Denpasar, Bali. The kendang is a double-sided membrane drum used Southeast Asia and India. It has been used since ancient times as evidenced by being depicted in ancient temples in Indonesia, especially in Borobudur and Prambanan temples. The Balinese play it on either one or both sides using a combination of hands or sticks.  During Balinese dances, the kendang player must follow the movements of the dancer, and communicate these to the other miscians in the group.

This portrait was made in July 2005, during one of the my first trips to Bali. I was driven to a temple (used as a theater for musical groups), and asked the musicians to pose for me along with their instruments. At the end of the session, I expected to be asked for money...after all, they were performers...but all they asked for was a cigarette. A non-smoker, I had none on me but later on, bought them a couple of packs of Marlboros.  The Balinese fixer I was with later told me that they would eventually exchange these for local kreteks; the Indonesian cigarettes made of tobacco and cloves.

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

Sharon Johnson-Tennant | More Exhibitions

Sharon Johnson-Tennant, a multi-faceted award winning photographer in Los Angeles and a participant in my 2010 Tribes of Rajasthan & Gujarat and my 2012 Vietnam, North of the 16th Parallel Photo Expeditions-Workshops is certainly on a roll.

Her first exhibition is part of the MOPLA Group at the Robert Berman Gallery, in Santa Monica, Los Angeles. The exhibition will open for the public on April 6, 2013, and she will be showing a collection of her new color imagery from a trip to Morocco, called "Unconscious Places." 

Her other exhibition is to be held on Friday, March 29, 2013, and consists of a monochromatic body of her work  This is a group show supporting the Venice Family Clinic, with 20% of the proceeds going to the clinic. It will only be held for the night of March 29.

Maarten Boerma | Myanmar

Photo © Martin Boerma-All Rights Reserved

While viewing Maarten Boerma's galleries, I was reminded of wabi-sabi, the Japanese aesthetic concept that is centered on the acceptance of imperfection. It is sometimes described as one of beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete". Not because of his images, but because he's starts off his artist statement by saying "I love beautiful photos, but they should not be all beauty, a little bit of decay, error, rough edges should be part of it."

Maarten's galleries span the globe, and he photographed in Myanmar, Spain, Bangkok, France, New York City, Bhutan, Morocco and his native Netherlands where he works as an IBM Cloud Sales Leader.

I chose to feature his Myanmar gallery because of this wonderful atmospheric photograph, in which the carefully positioned red Burmese umbrella gives the right amount of color to the otherwise monochromatic scene. It's one of his best work, and 46 photographs ought to please anyone interested in Myanmar...street photography, balloons over Bagan, monks and novices...it's all there. Some are candid and impromptu, while others are not.

Most of his photographs are made with a Leica M8 or M9, with a variety of lenses.

Pind Daan In Baneshwar

An online conversation with photographer Cathy Scholl yesterday reminded me of one of my earlier audio-slideshows, which I had titled Pind Daan in Baneshwar.

I realized that it hadn't received the view number I had hoped it would; perhaps because it was on the final page of my Vimeo channel. So this is an attempt to goose it up a little.

The Baneshwar mela is popular tribal gathering held in the Dungarpur district in south Rajasthan. The gathering is followed by a fair held at a small delta formed by the river Soma and Mahi. It's a relatively modest event, without the hype and the attendance of the Kumbh Melas, but it's nevertheless a deeply religious gathering with simple and traditional rituals.

Bhil and Garasia tribals come from the neighboring states of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat to offer prayers to Lord Shiva, to perform pind daan, and to socialize.

Sanjay Das | Hola Mohalla

Photo © Sanjay Das. All Rights Reserved

I've been sitting on this post for a while now...mulling the right time to feature the wonderful photography of Sanjay Das, and today is the day.

There are a number of very interesting galleries on Sanjay's website; all of which will compete for your attentive visit, so give yourself the time to explore every one of them. Whether it's the color exoticism of his Theyyam images, the spirituality of the Bauls, the visual "clang" of Kolkata's trams, or the rarified air of Ladakh, you'll be amply rewarded.

I chose to feature Tales of Valour: Hola Mohalla for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it's a visual and cultural topic that I haven't explored myself during my many trips to India; secondly, it's in monochrome (very courageous for such any colorful religious-cultural event in India) and thirdly, because there are a number of images in that particular photo essay that are really really good. Lastly, this year's Hola Mohalla is scheduled on March 28.

Hola Mohalla is a Sikh festival based on a tradition established by Guru Gobind Singh (22 December 1666 - 7 October 1708), one of the ten Sikh gurus. The festival is an occasion for Sikhs to demonstrate their martial skills in simulated battles.

Sanjay Das is based in New Delhi, and started his career as an advertising professional, and is now a freelance photographer with a demonstrated interest and passion for his native country. He held numerous solo exhibitions and group shows and exhibitions of his photographs.

Alex Potter | Ashura

Photo © Alex Potter-All Rights Reserved

For a complete change of pace, I am featuring Ashura, a powerful photo essay by Alex Potter, a photojournalist from Minneapolis.

Ashura is the commemoration by Shi'a Muslims of the martyrdom of Hussein ibn Ali, the grandson of the prophet Muhammad at the Battle of Karbala on October 10, 680. It's observed on the 10th day of Muharram in the Islamic calendar, and marks the climax of the Mourning of Muharram.

It is of particular significance to Shi'a Muslims and Alawites, who consider Hussein (the grandson of Muhamad) to be his rightful successor.

Although self-harm or self mortification is largely prohibited by the religious leaders in Iran, some Shi'a males slash themselves with chains or swords to allow their blood to flow. Also included is a type of traditional flagellation using a sword or a chain with blades. These rituals are performed to show solidarity with Hussein and his family, with the flagellants mourning that they were resent during the battle to save their Imam.

Sunnis do not observe Ashura in that fashion at all. Some fast to follow the example of the prophet Muhammad, whilst others customarily eat a pudding (also known as Ashura) after dinner on the Day of Ashura. The wheat pudding is made with nuts, raisins, and rose water.

Alex Kay Potter is an emerging photojournalist with particular interest in people and nations in transition.  In 2011, Alex completed a Master Class with Ron Haviv, followed several Occupy movements, and later, set out for the Middle East. She ended up in Yemen just before the presidential elections and stayed to document the country’s transition for two months. She's also a 2013 Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar and was shortlisted for the Lucie Foundation Emerging Photographer Award. She hopes to return to Yemen and continue living and working in the Middle East.

Dal Lake | Panidhar Revanur

I'm pleased to feature Venice of Asia (Dal Lake); a lovely video by Panidhar Revanur of the famous Dal Lake in Srinagar. The post is timed to show the beauty of the lake to the participants in my forthcoming Sufi Saints of Rajasthan & Kashmir Photo Expedition-Workshop.

According to Wikipedia, ancient history records mention a village named Isabar to the east of Dal Lake as the residence of goddess Durga. During the Mughal period, the rulers of India designated Kashmir, and Srinagar in particular, as their summer resort. The area around Dal lake in Srinagar was developed with Mughal-type gardens and pavilions.

Interestingly, during the British Raj though the Maharaja of Kashmir restricted house building in the valley, the British circumvented this rule by commissioning lavish houseboats to be built on the Dal Lake. The houseboats are generally made from local cedar-wood and measure 24–38 metres (79–125 ft) in length and 3–6 metres (9.8–20 ft) in width, and are graded in a similar fashion to hotels according to level of comfort.

Panidhar Revanur is based in Bangalore, and used a Canon 5D Mark II with Magic Lantern 17-40mm,  24-105mm, a Glidecam HD 4000, and graduated filters.

I'm not sure why the opening soundtrack is an Arabic song, especially as there is wonderful Kashmiri music which would have furthered the authenticity of the piece.

Back Story | The Kathputli Puppeteer

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved
More of The Digital Wet Plates

Kathputli is both a string puppet theatre, and a colony in New Delhi where a large community of artists, ranging from puppeteers to magicians, decided to settle in the 1950s. 

The Kathputli puppeteering is native to Rajasthan, India, and is the most popular form of Indian puppetry. Being string marionettes, these are controlled by a single string that passes from the top of the puppets to the puppeteers' hands. The tribes of Rajasthan have been performing this art from the ancient times and it's an integral part of Rajasthani culture and tradition. 

As for the colony, it was started during the 1950s. Many of the itinerant artists ended their traveling and moved into vacant area in West Delhi, and called it Kathputli Colony. The colony is now a slum; home to some of India's best street magicians, acrobats, and puppeteers. But a few years ago, the government sold the Kathputli land to real estate developers, with plans to raze the slum and clearing it for high rises and other developments.

The traditional Kathputli artists’ exodus from the princely states of Rajasthan to New Delhi has been a long and arduous one. The end of the Raj in the late 1940s meant the end of the reign (and patronage) of the Maharajahs, and these artists were then forced to travel far and wide in search of work.

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

It was the traditional puppeteers from Rajasthan (the Kathputli) who first came and made this colony their new home. Over time, other street artists followed. Today, the slum houses magicians, musicians, qawwali singers, jugglers, acrobats, mime artistes, bear handlers, monkey trainers and snake charmers. 

About 1,200-traditional artists’ families live in Kathputli Colony, and are struggling to keep their forefathers’ artistic legacy alive. It won't be long before this is gone.

João Almeida | Myanmar

Photo © João Almeida -All Rights Reserved

João Almeida appeared on my radar screen when he and Ruben Vicente held their Myanmar photo exhibition in Lisbon in July last year.

And since Myanmar is hot these days for being a prime destination for travelers, I thought I'd feature João Almeida's work which includes people photography and landscapes made in Myanmar, as well as Vietnam, Portugal, Italy, Morocco, Thailand, England, Latvia and a dozen more.

João also authored a lovely ebook titled Minglaba! of no less than 89 photographs made in Myanmar, which is available for purchase for $9.00.

His work is broader than pure travel photography, and is considered as street, documentary, landscape and nature, depending on what the location offers. João is represented by the Alamy and age fotostock agencies, and he's also one of the founding members of the Light Travelers photo collective, a joint effort to explore travel photography in it's various forms and shapes.

Adnan Abidi | Widows Refuge

Photo © Adnan Abidi-Courtesy Reuters

Reuters' The Photographers Blog featured an article and and a photo slideshow of Adnan Abidi's images made in Vrindavan of windows.

It is here, in the sacred and holy city of Vrindavan, that a segment of impoverished Indian widows find refuge after the death of their husbands. Being destitute, these women are often cast out of their family homes by her children and in-laws, unable or unwilling to feed an extra mouth.

The widows earn a meager keep by chanting devotional chants on behalf of pious families, and congregate in various ashrams in the city. Hindu widows, mostly from West Bengal, are viewed as being inauspicious by a segment of India's society, and are disallowed from wearing saris other than white.

I don't normally piggyback my own work on that of a photographer I feature on this blog, but I thought I'd supplement Adnan's work with my own White Shadows; an early multimedia production, which feature stills made when I visited Vrindavan. The project was promoted by the Women's United Nations Report.

I also wrote this:

"I am not a polemicist, nor an activist nor am I sufficiently knowledgeable of Indian social issues and culture, but I sense that religious tradition (in this case, Hinduism) is used to justify the dreadful treatment of widows, and that it is really poverty that lies behind the decision to force them out from their families."

Helen Rimell | The Houseboats of Srinagar

Photo © Helen Rimell-All Rights Reserved

As my forthcoming photo expedition-workshop will include a few days in Srinagar, what better way to whet my appetite (and that of my fellow photographers who are joining me on this two week long adventure) than to feature a lovely photo essay on The Forgotten Houseboats of Kashmir by photographer Helen Rimell?

"The houseboats are the heritage of Kashmir, without heritage, what will the people come to see?"

The photo essay was produced a few years ago, at a time when the Indian Government was making it difficult for houseboat owners to obtain permits to repair or rebuild their boats. The houseboat industry in Srinagar at that time was suffering from a lack of tourists, and a general pessimism was prevalent amongst the houseboat owners.

Although the political climate has considerably improved, there has occurred some instances in the past months that made tourism-reliant activities in Kashmir quite nervous. So far, it appears tourists are returning to Kashmir...especially to escape the heat during the summer months.

Helen Rimell graduated from the University of Wales Newport in 2004 with a BA (Hons) Degree in Documentary Photography, and has worked on projects in a number of countries, including: India, Afghanistan, and the USA. Her work has been exhibited in galleries such as The Frontline Club in London, The Filmhouse Cafe in Edinburgh, and The Mustafa Hotel in Kabul.

Helen's work has been published in newspapers such as The Guardian, and The Observer; and she has undertaken assignments for Warchild and The Salvation Army amongst others. She's also an alum of the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop (Manali). 

NPR | Lisa Ross' Sufi Shrines in China

Photo © Lisa Ross-Courtesy NPR

Here's another Sufi-related blog post following the one of yesterday. It features the work of Lisa Ross, which recently appeared in NPR's The Picture Show. These photographs document the shrines created for and during pilgrimages by the Muslims of Western China, many of which have been maintained over several centuries.

Some of my readers will know that this is not a haphazard coincidence, but relates to my forthcoming Sufi Saints of Kashmir & Rajasthan Photo Expedition in May.

An important distinction to note is that orthodox Sunni Islam (as with Saudi Arabia's Wahabism) prohibits the worship or recognition of saints, and the erection of shrines or tombs for anyone is not allowed. This austere version of Islam forbids grave markers or tombs in burial sites and the building of any shrines. However, the burial practices (and the recognition of saints) varies from one Islamic country and sect to the other. Sufism, the more liberal of Islam's doctrines, does recognize saints, and sees no shirk (the sin of idolatry or polytheism) in such a practice.

I recall being in the Muslim area in Ahmedabad (Gujarat), and having been to Hindu temple a few days earlier, had around my wrist the red threads granted to those who make an offering or visit. A Muslim shopkeeper told me that wearing it was shirk. My facial expression in response was one of "get a life, buddy".

Sufi shrines are known as mazar, an Arabic word meaning ‘a place for visit’ or a ‘place of paying homage’. Its equivalent Persian word is ‘dargah’. In India and Pakistan, to name but two in South Asia, shrines are built on the graves of sufi saints.

Lisa Ross is one of the few foreign artists permitted access to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region since it fell under Chinese rule in 1949. Via Ross' relationships with an Uyghur anthropologist and a French historian studying Central Asian Islam, she was allowed to explore the province for the past eight years as it modernizes and transforms.

Pierre Monégier | Sufi Night

I've been holding back on a number of Sufi-related posts, but thought the time has come to feature a short video of a Qawwali performance at the shrine of Nizzam Uddin in Delhi.

The video is by Pierre Monégier; the South Asia Correspondent (based in Delhi) for the French national television France 2. The soundtrack is Allahu by the late legendary and irreplaceable Qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.

Qawwali is the devotional music of the Sufis; primarily those of Pakistan and India. Nusrat Ali Fateh Khan is viewed as one of the greatest singers of qawwali, who extended the 600-year old tradition of his family. He is credited with introducing the music to international audiences, and is popularly known as "Shahenshah-e-Qawwali".

Although it's wonderful to listen to Nusrat's exquisite singing, I'm unsure about using the Allahu soundtrack to accompany the comparatively pedestrian qawwali ensemble seen in the video. I've seen similar performances at the Nizzan Uddin shrine, and they're quite good...nothing compared to Nusrat's virtuosity, but they're authentic.

I would've preferred viewing the video with the real audio, as compared to what it is...but that's me.

In Focus | The Smithsonian 10th Annual Photo Contest

Photo © Teng Hin Khoo-All Rights Reserved

Despite my self-imposed one week hiatus from posting, I thought I'd have fun and play the role of a judge in the recently featured Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest. 

The editors of Smithsonian magazine announced the 50 finalists in their 10th annual photo contest, and The Atlantic's In Focus published photographs from each of the competition's five categories: The American Experience, The Natural World, People, Travel, and Altered Images.

After quite a lengthy deliberation (with myself) I chose three photographs that ought to win top place in the competition. These are (top image) by Teng Hin Khoo, of Shah Alam, Malaysia, and is of a river ferry in Xiao Donjiang, China. I have no way of knowing if the ferry boatsmen were set up or not but in either case, it's a fabulous photograph.

Photo © Alamsyah Rauf-All Right Reserved

The middle photo is of salt gatherers in Indonesia, and is by Alamsyah Rauf from Sulawesi-Selatan, Indonesia. I loved the low and wide angle chosen by the photographer, who was blessed with wonderful light and interesting cloud formations.

Photo © Daniel Nahabedian-All Rights Reserved

The lower photograph is by talented photographer (and Foundry Photojournalism Workshop -Chiang Mai- alum Daniel Nahabedian), and is of Buddhist monks releasing glowing lanterns into the night sky during the Loy Krathong Festival in Thailand. The ceremony symbolises the monks' release of negative thoughts through the flying lanterns and focus on the future. I loved the wide angle viewpoint, the beautiful colors and the reflection of the lanterns in the water.

In my view, these three deserve to win the contest. Now, it's only a matter of time...and we'll see if I am correct.

Short Hiatus

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy

I thought this image of a sleeping Buddhist monk near the entrance of the Chaukhtatgyi Pagoda in Yangon is appropriate to announce I'll be taking a week's break from posting on The Travel Photographer's blog.

With over 3000 posts under my belt so far, and infrequent breaks, I guess I deserve some time off.

This slide photograph was made with a Canon 1v during a photo trip to Burma in 2001, and I added some filters to it using Exposure 4 software.

POV | Whoa! Vimeo Goes "Instagramish"!

Is the whole visual world going Hipstamatic & Instagramish???

Vimeo, which in my view, is the best video-sharing website available at the moment, has just added a new feature called Looks in its video Enhancer which provides its users over 500 professional-looking (and some not so much) filters that can be applied to videos for instant and stylistic visual effects.

Vimeo film makers and users can now preview a filter on a single frame of their uploaded video and compare it with their original footage before choosing whether to apply it or not. The intensity of a filter can also be adjusted using a slider, potentially giving the ability of the user to avoid the over-done look of Instagram and Hipstamatic filters.

Looks is available for free to all Vimeo users over the next 90 days. It’s likely to become a paid feature for both Vimeo Plus and Vimeo PRO subscribers.

I've tested it with one of my favorite video...Cafe Dao, made in Hoi An. I chose the Old Black & White filter, and although I think it might be a little too dark, it adds a welcome visual feel to the story of the elderly couple. I haven't decreased the intensity of the filter, and left at it's maximum level. With filters, one has to remember that less is better.

A word of caution...it does take a while to enhance a 3-4 minute video. I don't know if it was because the feature was just announced thus generating a lot of traffic to Vimeo's site, but it took about an hour to enhance Cafe Dao video you see above. And then a little more to convert it to HD. 

The new Looks feature is being powered by Vivoom, a new cloud-based video enhancer that can be customized and integrated by its partners such as Vimeo.

From the comments I've read on the various websites that carried this news, the reactions are mixed. Retro filters are not universally liked by purists and others...but my feel is that many will reconsider, especially as the intensity of the filters can be adjusted.