Shooting the world, one country at a time
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Showing 9 posts tagged portraits
A hint as to the origins of the inhabitants of Buenos Aires lies in the collective name they have chosen to call themselves, Porteños, or People of the Port. The population is largely comprised of immigrants from Europe, primarily Italy and Spain who arrived by boat in the late 19th century and early 20th century when the Argentine government went so far as to subsidise boat journeys in order to populate the growing city in The New World. The difficult economic climate at the time in Europe fed the exodus. The dominant culture today remains distinctly European.
¡Dale! punctuates sentences between the rapid-fire exchange between 2 Porteños lamenting the price of bread or the inconsiderate neighbours with their noisy asado party the night before. Much like ‘OK’ in English, it is unique to Argentines, part of a rather large repertoire of lunfardo that characterises the Argentine version of Spanish, Castellano.
Apart from my daily diet of Açai na tigela (a sorbet of the Amazonian super berry with granola and banana), another favourite activity whilst in Rio was to people watch. Brazil is possibly one of the most racially diverse cultures in the world, and the most varied in my travels so far. People of all colours and heritage identify themselves as being Brazilian. A hodgepodge of immigration from around the globe, European (Portuguese, Spanish, German, Italian, some Russians and Swiss) with a liberal dose of African and a generous sprinkling of Asian guaranteed that to be called Brazilian is not a product of one’s skin colour but instead by one’s love of all things Brazilian and eternal loyalty to the national football team.
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View Part 1 of my Bali series, ‘Pray’ and Part 2, ‘Eat’.
LIFE
It is impossible to speak about Bali in the last few years without a more than passing association with Eat, Pray, Love - the literary phenomenon of lost, self discovery and ultimately, love from American author Elizabeth Gilbert. A tale of Elizabeth’s search for balance and self after a crushing divorce set her on a spiral of depression, her search takes her to Italy, which constitutes the culinary portion of the book title, India, where, holed up in an ashram in meditation, she discovers her inner spirituality, and finally, Bali, where she found love.
The book has been such a hit that ‘Eat Pray Love pilgrims’ have been visiting Bali, people coming from all over the world, drawn by the vivid descriptions painted by Gilbert, seeking their own versions of discovery. Not unlike the ‘Sound of Music tourist’ in Salzburg, skipping about in Mirabell Gardens and the famous gazebo, these Eat Pray Lovers roam about, clutching well-thumbed copies of the book, trying to identify places where the book (and later, film starring Julia Roberts) describes and to experience what Elizabeth Gilbert experienced during her time in Bali (primarily Ubud). And the local tourism infrastructure has cashed in, with drivers eager to point out places where iconic scenes were filmed, and where Julia Roberts stayed whilst in Bali (Four Seasons), and that Ketut the medicine man ‘is not the man he was since success came to him’.
The book and film paint a very romanticised picture of Bali, which to be honest, is not too far away from the truth. I worry about falling into the western trap of romanticising poverty and ‘a simpler way of life’ when evidently, those at the ‘unromantic’ end of the equation have understandable desires for a television or a new moped and the other little luxuries development brings. An incredibly laid-back, spiritual and idyllic place (assuming you avoid the mayhem that is Kuta), our week in Ubud, Bali allowed us a glimpse at life in the slow lane, and it is intoxicating.
Bucolic paddy fields and fruit trees growing wild, children catching fish with little nets by the stream, chickens scratching on the ground for worms in generations-old traditional family compounds, it certainly makes our addiction to smart phones and tight schedules seem a bit bewildering.
Eating in Italy, Praying in India and Loving in Bali? I think that Elizabeth Gilbert could possibly have saved herself some time (and money on airfares and attendant fuel surcharges) by finding all three in Bali.
View the rest of my Bali Series or check out the rest of my photography on Handcarry Only.
A collection of the portraits I made in Morocco, from the Berber people in the Atlas Mountains to city folk in Marrakech and Essaouira.
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(via In The Picture: Ewald Sadie In Zanzibar » TotallyCoolPix)
Set in the Indian Ocean, the very name of Zanzibar conjures up images of faraway lands and exotic spices. This series of photos by Ewald Sadie tell of a sun drench tropical paradise, with friendly locals and thriving wildlife.
The end of the civil war and the opening up of Sri Lanka is indeed having a palpable effect on the population tired of strife and instability. I could perceive an overwhelming sense of optimism and hope from the friendly and hospitable people wherever I went in the country. A people who have put their differences behind him and are looking ahead for a more positive future.
See photos and read about my journey in Sri Lanka, from Colombo to Trincomalee.
I staggered off the plane after 24 hours spent either in the air or transiting at airports to a crisp, mountain-fresh breath of air. I was in Nadi, the capital of Fiji, a collection of 333 islands in the tropical South Pacific. The first word I heard was ‘Bula!’ from the immigrations officer, not typically the friendliest of people.
A tropical paradise in every sense of the word, but Fiji’s greatest treasures lay not in the glorious beaches, the islands dotted about a never ending cobalt blue sea or the chilled out island life, but in the warmth of the many Fijians we met on the trip. Laid back, generous and hospitable, most Fijians are genuinely welcoming to outsiders, and I don’t remember ever seeing anyone stressed out.
Taking portraits in Fiji is almost too easy, despite a foreigner pointing his camera at their faces, most of my subjects are more than happy to oblige with a smile, the resulting photos are my tribute to the faces of Fiji.
Check out the aerial photos of Fiji and the rest of the Fiji series.
Outside of the main cities, the nomadic way of life still predominates, as it had for the past 3000 years. People tend to live very close to nature, in a relationship of dependance and interdependance. The climate on the steppes is harsh, with scorching summers and freezing winters, with temperatures dropping to -40˚C. Their livestock is a literal lifeline, providing milk, food, wool and labour, needless to say, a large portion of nomadic life is dedicated to caring for their livestock, horses, sheep, goat, cows or yaks and camels. Subsistence farming, whilst possibly a ‘romantic’ notion, is a harsh reality and the numbers of nomads are dropping, with the younger generation being lured by the bright lights and opportunities of the city.
See more photos and read my other posts on my Mongolia adventure here.
