About the picture:
The photograph was taken during my second trip to Nepal in October 2009. I was visiting Pashupatinath, which is one of the holiest sites for the Hindu culture and the main cremation site in Nepal. The place is definitely not as impressive as Varanasi but its special atmosphere added to the beautiful Newari architecture has its own charm. Sadly, the holy Bagmati river is over polluted and in this specific area, the level of the water is not very high (like in most of the Kathmandu valley during the dry season), making it easier for children or men to collect burned wood from the cremation out of the river. For a few rupee, they will then sell it to some brick factories to be use as charcoal.
The colourful scene of Nepalese women washing linen on the Bagmati river bank offered a refreshing contrast compared to the dark colour of the water of the Bagmati. I also liked the perspective made by the river and leading to the main part of Pashupatinath.
The composition is quite straight forward. From the left to the right of the image, we have in the first third, the ghat and then in the two others thirds, we mainly have the river. From the bottom to the top of the image, we have in the first third (and foreground), the women and then in the two other thirds, the environment in which they live. The river and the women are the main lines which lead us to the rest of the scene.