25 April 2012

Kissing Batak Betelnut Women

The areca nut is the seed of the areca palm which grows in much of the tropical Pacific, South Asia and Southeast Asia. It is commonly referred to as betel nut, as it is often chewed wrapped in betel leaves (betel quid, paan, sirih). The habit has many harmful effects on health. Many Batak women chew regularly their betel quid which contains betel leaf, areca nut, local spices, slaked lime and tobacco. The areca nut contains the alkaloid arecoline, which promotes the distinctive red salivation, is itself a stimulant and powers the betel-nut stained kisses of the Batak market women from Lake Toba...

people, Batak woman, street portrait, Indonesia, Sumatra, Lake Toba, betel nut, betel quid, areca nut, sirih, paan, chewing tobacco, red coloured salivation

people, Batak woman, street portrait, Indonesia, Sumatra, Lake Toba, betel nut, betel quid, areca nut, sirih, paan, chewing tobacco, red coloured salivation, red stained teeth

people, Batak woman, street portrait, Indonesia, Sumatra, Lake Toba, betel nut, betel quid, areca nut, sirih, paan, chewing tobacco, red coloured salivation, red stained teeth

people, Batak woman, street portrait, Indonesia, Sumatra, Lake Toba, betel nut, betel quid, areca nut, sirih, paan, chewing tobacco, red coloured salivation, red stained teeth

people, Batak woman, street portrait, Indonesia, Sumatra, Lake Toba, betel nut, betel quid, areca nut, sirih, paan, chewing tobacco, red coloured salivation, red stained teeth

people, Batak woman, street portrait, Indonesia, Sumatra, Lake Toba, betel nut, betel quid, areca nut, sirih, paan, chewing tobacco, red coloured salivation, red stained teeth

people, Batak woman, street portrait, Indonesia, Sumatra, Lake Toba, betel nut, betel quid, areca nut, sirih, paan, chewing tobacco, red coloured salivation, red stained teeth

people, Batak woman, street portrait, Indonesia, Sumatra, Lake Toba, betel nut, betel quid, areca nut, sirih, paan, chewing tobacco, red coloured salivation, red stained teeth

people, Batak woman, street portrait, Indonesia, Sumatra, Lake Toba, betel nut, betel quid, areca nut, sirih, paan, chewing tobacco, red coloured salivation, red stained teeth

people, Batak woman, street portrait, Indonesia, Sumatra, Lake Toba, betel nut, betel quid, areca nut, sirih, paan, chewing tobacco, red coloured salivation

High-res portrait photographs with full exif data, geotags and technical details in Matt Hahnewald's

20 April 2012

Watching Agile Batak Dancers

The Toba people (also referred to as Batak Toba people or often simply Batak) are the most numerous of the Batak people of North Sumatra, Indonesia. They speak the Toba Batak language and are centred on Lake Toba and Samosir Island within the lake. Ritual cannibalism is well documented among Batak people, performed in order to strengthen the eater's tendi. In particular, the blood, heart, palms and soles of the feet were seen as rich in tendi. In 1890 the Dutch colonial government banned cannibalism in the regions under their control; rumours of Batak cannibalism survived into the 20th century.

people, portrait, street portrait, headshot, Indonesia, Sumatra, Lake Toba, Samosir Island, Batak women, folk dancer, traditional Batak dance, simanindo

people, portrait, street portrait, headshot, Indonesia, Sumatra, Lake Toba, Samosir Island, Batak women, folk dancer, traditional Batak dance, simanindo

people, portrait, street portrait, headshot, Indonesia, Sumatra, Lake Toba, Samosir Island, Batak women, folk dancer, traditional Batak dance, simanindo


Ulos is the traditional cloth of the Batak people of North Sumatra. Different kinds of ulos have different ceremonial significance. The ulos is normally worn draped over the shoulder or shoulders, or in weddings to ceremonially bind the bride and groom together. Ulos are traditionally hand woven and in the case of higher-quality examples are significant family heirlooms, to be worn at important events, such as funerals and weddings.

people, portrait, street portrait, headshot, Indonesia, Sumatra, Lake Toba, Samosir Island, Batak women, folk dancer, traditional Batak dance, simanindo

people, portrait, street portrait, headshot, Indonesia, Sumatra, Lake Toba, Samosir Island, Batak women, folk dancer, traditional Batak dance, simanindo


For sharp street portraits, remember the following "rule of thumb" for handheld shutter speeds:

Select a shutter speed with a denominator
that is larger than the focal length of the lens!

So, (i) if you have a prime lens that is 50 mm in length (e.g. the robust AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G fixed lens from Nikon) don’t shoot any slower than 1/60 sec, (ii) if you have a lens with a 85 mm focal length (e.g. the excellent AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.8G fixed lens from Nikon) shoot at 1/100 sec or faster, or (iii) if you are shooting with a lens of 200 mm (e.g. with the NIKKOR AF FX 80-200mm f/2.8D zoom lens from Nikon) shoot at 1/250 sec or faster. It's that simple.


High-res portrait photographs with full exif data, precise geotags and technical details in Matt Hahnewald's
Flickr Album 2015-11h Dancing with the Thai Chinese