Street Photography: Tamatave

On the way to Las Palmas, since we had to pass through areas of town, I took this time as an advantage and captured some street photography.

The road leaving the center, heading to town.

The road leaving the center, heading to town.

Boys playing ball down a sandy dirt road near one of the churches Victor and his team started

Boys playing ball down a sandy dirt road near one of the churches Victor and his team started

'He found himself understanding the wearisomeness of this life, where every part was an improvision and a considerable part of one’s waking life was spent watching one’s feet' - Lord of the Flies, William Golding

Get your motor oil!

Get your motor oil!

Rice, beans and other things.

Rice, beans and other things.

Along a dirt road.

Along a dirt road.

Sponges, rice, beans, brooms....

Sponges, rice, beans, brooms....

Wood, gravel and other building supplies.

Wood, gravel and other building supplies.

Mr. DJ, can you play my song?

I thought these photos deserved their own blog!!

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I had this idea for Jo, and of course he loved it!!

I let his personality totally come out in this session!!

This kid is seriously the funniest little 3 year old ever!!!

And he loves looking at his photos...he smiles and gives a little laugh. And whenever he sees my headphones that he sued in these photos...he tells me, those are the things I was listening to music with!!!

Beach life.

I have been to the beach a couple times now since I’ve been here. Most was just to bring the kids and play in the sand. 

The other evening though I went with my friend Douce and the kids to walk along the shore. It was about sunset, the weather was beautiful, the sun was about to set and I loved hearing the waves crash against the sand. This was the first time I took my camera along. Even though my battery died before We got back home, I still was able to get some great shots of the beach. I look forward to getting back soon and get some more shots.

I could go to the beach every day and not get tired of it. Being in Tennessee we don’t get to the beach as often as we would like, so to have it here so close, I try to go as often as I can. 

We had a bit of an adventure though at the end of our walk. I wish that my battery hadn’t died, so I could have gotten it on film (next time I need to check my battery life:).

As we were about to head back home, we noticed a couple of guys that had been walking their small herd of zebu, there on the beach. We weren’t super close to them, but one started getting upset, started jumping around and running away from the guy. As we weren’t sure which direction the zebu was headed, we ran the opposite direction, as fast as our feet could take us. 

Photo above: Jo, Ariel, Sharone and Douce

Some of us were laughing, some screaming and some were tripping and falling in the sand. We go far enough away from the zebu to be out of harms way, though we kept looking back every few seconds to make they weren’t coming back in our direction. 

We laughed about it all once we got home and were thankful that nobody was hurt.

Another day while I was at the beach, and this time there weren’t any zebu’s running wide this time, but I fell into a booby trap. It was literally a booby trap!!! I was walking in the sand and all of a sudden my right leg fell into a large hole in the sand. It was up past my knee. As I had help getting out of the hole, there were some small pieces of wood in the hole and pieces of plastic as well. Those things were covering the hole, so all you could see was the sand. As I pulled my leg out, my sandal had fallen off and we had to dig to find it. 

Fun times at the beach here in Tamatave!


Let your imagination run wild!

'Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are' -Mason Cooley

King Max, from Where the Wild Things are by Maurice Sendak

King Max, from Where the Wild Things are by Maurice Sendak

Ever since I was young, I loved reading. I remember the summer when I was introduced to the Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery, and read all eight of them. I couldn't put them down, and when the last one was finished, I wanted to read more of them. 

For me, when I read, it's like I jump into that book, wherever it may be, and it's like I'm right there. My imagination pretty much runs wild, and I can picture in my mind all the things happening in that book, whether I've seen a movie about it or not. 

Most of the time I usually read the books after the movie, but I always thoroughly enjoy them either way. It's like I'm on an adventure and can't wait to see what happens next. 

There was a time when I got older, that I didn't read as much. I think mainly because I was living overseas and I didn't have access to many good books, except only the few that i had brought with me. Now though, I have the chance to get my hands on pretty much any book. 

My favorite though, are definitely the classics, just like my taste in movies. I don't know why, but I have always enjoyed those more than any type of books that I have read in my life. Most of the time the classics are much longer, but that just meant that the adventures would keep going.

The Lost Boys from Peter Pan, by James Matthew Barrie

The Lost Boys from Peter Pan, by James Matthew Barrie

Like I mentioned earlier about Anne of Green Gables series, those are my top favorite by far. Others that I have enjoyed would be...the works of Mark Twain (Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer, etc. ), Swiss Family Robinson by Jonathan David Wyss, Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, the works of Jack London (The Call of the Wild, The Road, etc. ), the works of Robert Louis Stevenson (Treasure Island, Kidnapped, etc. ), Peter Pan by James Matthew Barrie, and one of my all time favorites, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. 

There are others that I can't remember, but these are ones that I can recall, and some are more of my recent reads. 

My most recent was The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. I don't know why I never read it before, since I love the movies. I actually just finished it as of last night. There have been times when I see the book on my desk, and I think, I need to read today and the day goes by and it doesn't happen. And than there are those days when I go pick up the book and read for a while, and I can't seem to put it down. Last night was the latter, I couldn't stop reading and ended up finishing it.

After I finished it though, I automatically wanted to start a new book, with new adventures, but it was too late and I was falling asleep. It would have to wait until the following day.

There are so many things you can learn from reading a good book. Your mind expands with knowledge as well as it let's your imagination go crazy wild!

Today I started reading the Hunger Games trilogy. I got into those movies kind of late. The second movie was already out by the time I started watching them, and I pretty much fell in love with them. They are full of excitement and suspense! So now is the time to read the books and go on a journey to the Hunger Games! I know it's not a classic book like I prefer, but with such a strong interest of mine, I know that I will enjoy them.

If you are reading this, and you never really took time to read a good book, or you keep putting it off. I want to encourage you, take the time to read! Take time to set aside the things that are going on around you and dig into a good book. You won't regret it! I say, start with a great classic, you can't go wrong there!

'Home is behind, the world ahead, and there are many paths to tread through shadows to the edge of night, until the stars are all alight'. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

Fantine, Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

Fantine, Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

'But in reading great literature I become a thousand men and yet remain myself.' C.S. Lewis, An Experiment in Criticism 

raise your flag up high.

Surround yourself with the dreamers and the doers, the believers and thinkers, but most of all, surround yourself with those who see greatness within you, even when you don’t see it yourself

I'm not sure what it is, but I have this strange love for flags....I love implementing them into my photography at times. I had this idea the other day, so found some scraps and made this flag seen in these photos. 

I saw this photo a while back, of a young man holding a large piece of material, standing in a field. I really thought the photo was cool, but I wanted to think of my own thing. I have a field across the street from my house, and what about using some type of flag!! I also had different ideas and shots I was looking for, with this specific session. 

With using an off camera flash as well and some natural light, I wanted to get a darker, moody effect as well, which I believe I accomplished in these shots, 

Of course I wanted to use my water sprayed plastic effect as well. This is the first time I've used it outdoors. I usually use this for more headshot but not full body shots. I wanted to experiment with using it outside and with the full subject as well. This was my favorite using the plastic!

Home is behind, the world ahead, and there are many paths to tread through shadows to the edge of night, until the stars are all alight. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

‘My meaning simply is, that whatever I have tried to do in life, I have tried with all my heart to do well; that whatever I have devoted myself to, I have devoted myself to completely; that in great aims and in small, I have always been thoroughly in earnest’ - Charles Dickens, David Copperfield

homesick.

Have you ever been to a place, a home, a city, anywhere? And once you left, you wish you could be there again? You wish you could just teleport yourself to that specific place? That's how I've been feeling lately. There are times when I miss a specific place, I miss the smells, I miss the views, I miss the people, I miss my friends...and lately, that place has been Madagascar. More specifically, Tamatave, at the place where I was last year for three months, with my friends Victor and Douce, and their three kids. 

Douce (far left) and Victor (far right with Jo) at a small market in one of the villages we visited.

Douce (far left) and Victor (far right with Jo) at a small market in one of the villages we visited.

I miss waking up in the morning, having breakfast with them, watching the kids get ready for school, and either getting ready myself for a day in a village, or just staying at the base, working on communication stuff for my friends. 

A little boy in one of the villages I visited.

A little boy in one of the villages I visited.

I love the days when I would play for hours outside with the kids around the base. I would teach them some games, and they taught me some as well. They would sing, dance, and they loved having their photos taken, and videos. Pretty much after every photo or video I took, they would run up to me, asking to look at themselves. And of course they loved it!

Sina, Petro, Sharone and Ariel jumping

Sina, Petro, Sharone and Ariel jumping

I remember little Jo, he loved playing with my phone and looking at his photos. Whenever I came into the room, he would ask 'Where's Jo' ('Aiza Jo')? I would sit with him on my lap and go through the videos or photos of him and he would love it! It would always bring a smile to my face. And if for some reason I put my phone away, he would continue asking 'Aiza Jo' until I brought out the phone again. 

Little Jo, posing for the camera. He's a natural!

Little Jo, posing for the camera. He's a natural!

When I was on my flight back to the states, after my time in Madagascar, last year, I wasn't sure if I was able to do it again. I wasn't sure if I could make that long flight again. My flight coming home was longer than normal, but I just wasn't sure if I could make it again like that. But you know what, at the beginning of the year, I couldn't help but think, 'when am I going back to Madagascar'. I don't think too much about the flying, yes, I wish I could teleport myself back there in an instance, but things doing work that way. But my love for this country, for the people, is stronger than my thoughts of having a to take a long travel back. I do plan to go back, and I hope soon. Though the travels may be long, those feelings soon dwindle away once I step onto the big red island and let the adventures begin!

Be ready Madagascar, I will be back!

Me and Petro

Me and Petro

'Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive' -H. Thurman

Crossing a bridge, going to a village in Tamatave.

Crossing a bridge, going to a village in Tamatave.