13-SEP-2011
Protecting the bananas, Cuenca, Ecuador, 2011
In some markets, merchants cover their fresh fruit under plastic covers, keeping them cool and preventing spoilage. I found the cover on these bananas to be a powerful abstracting tool. It seems as if the fruit within it is embedded in ice.
18-SEP-2011
Baskets for sale, Paute, Ecuador, 2011
Small mountains of baskets are being sold to shoppers and merchants alike in this regional Sunday market. I move behind the pile, instead of standing in front of it. I waited for a shopper to stop and bargain for a basket with another basket already in hand. When this one obliged, I was able to make this wideangle image. Her basket seems to extend the pile of baskets on sale in the foreground into the background as well.
22-SEP-2011
Roasted pig, Sayausi, Ecuador, 2011
This image is all about color. The flesh of the pig on the spit has turned from flesh color to yellow and then red. Those brilliant colors work in turn with two other spots of primary colors in the image – the blue and yellow panels on the stove at left. The bright green grass adds it own signature to the picture as well. The pig will soon feed a lot of hungry people in the village of Sayausi.
13-SEP-2011
Slow business, Cuenca, Ecuador, 2011
The merchants in this Cuenca market spend a lot of time waiting, particularly after the early morning rush. This man seems to be even more alone -- he is surrounded by more than 30 large bags of rice, beans, and grains. Even the background is stacked with packages awaiting potential customers. He is ready to sell all of it, yet nobody has come to buy. Yet.
01-SEP-2011
Wonderment, Mercado Feria Libre, Cuenca, Ecuador, 2011
I loved the vivid colors, shapes, and textures of her vegetables, but it was her expression, and the play of light on her face, that made this picture work for me. She presses her hand to her mouth, and stares at me silently – I can almost hear the wheels turning in her mind. “Why is he photographing me,” she must be thinking. Yet her expression never changed. She never acknowledged the moment. And I will never forget this image.
08-SEP-2011
Overview, Mercado 9 Octobre, Cuenca, Ecuador, 2011
I seldom photograph overviews. More often then not, they may describe, but do not define, the nature of a place. However, in this case, an overview works as an expression of an idea. A food market is place of great diversity. It holds an amazing array of natural products. In this case, the shapes as well as the colors of nature are on display from an overhead vantage point. Two people are working amidst the array of colors, which range from purple and deep red to orange, green, yellow and brown. There are even touches of blue, coming from the women’s clothing and some of the packaging.
14-SEP-2011
The angel, Santo Domingo church, Cuenca, Ecuador, 2011
An angel is often regarded as a mythological guardian, protector, or good luck charm. Just inside the entrance to this church, a huge angel stands in the shadows. It is large enough in scale to dominate the scene, but since it hides in a dark corner, one must look for it in order to find it. This man is stepping into a pool of light as he enters the church to pray. He holds his hat, and does not seem to notice the angel watching over him. Yet his body seems to unconsciously acknowledge its presence– the position of his arm, brilliantly illuminated in rim light, echoes the sharp angle of the angel’s wings. His thoughts may be elsewhere at this moment, but his position and body language are in protective custody.
10-SEP-2011
Big swing on broken bridge, Cuenca, Ecuador, 2011
I found this woman swinging from the remnants of Cuenca’s famous “broken bridge.” Called the Puente Roto, it is the remaining third of an old stone bridge that once spanned the Tomebamba River. This woman looped a very long purple band of fabric around the old stones, and has made a huge swing out of it. As she turned upside down over the cobblestones far below her, she threw her head back and appeared almost as if she was in trance. I framed the image so that the purple bands enter diagonally from the upper right hand corner, while the old ruined bridge curves diagonally away from it. The cobblestones follow the thrust of the bridge, as does the outthrust leg of the woman. It is a very musical image, full of whimsy, and a hint of danger.
19-SEP-2011
Contrasting emotions, Cuenca, Ecuador, 201
I found this couple talking on a bench in Cuenca’s central square. I noticed that the man was extremely animated, while the woman masked her emotions quite well. It was a promising opportunity to make an image rich in incongruous contrast, and that was how it turned out. After photographing them from a distance for several minutes, the man suddenly threw back his head and grabbed it with his hand. His mouth flew open as he completed the gesture. Meanwhile, the woman did not even look at him, staring resolutely into the distance. It was a wonderful contrast in emotional response, and I was fortunate to be able to catch such contrasting human values here.
16-SEP-2011
Everyman, Cuenca, Ecuador, 2011
This groundskeeper, working on the paths among the ancient Inca ruins that are part of a museum in the center of Cuenca, offered a silhouette that symbolically represents all who work at manual labor in this South American city. I photographed him with a long lens from a spot along a hillside far below. Earlier I had photographed the same man with a wideangle lens, framing him within the rectangle formed by ancient Inca walls. ( See
http://www.pbase.com/image/138696383 ) In this image, my long lens features him, rather than his environment. The ruins behind him echo the diagonal angle of his broom, while the thrusts of his arms and hands pick up the thrusts of the tree beyond. I converted this image to black and white to reinforce the stark, simple form of the content.
03-SEP-2011
Concert, Cuenca, Ecuador, 2011
I zoomed in on the brass section of this neighborhood Cuenca band in concert at a church bazaar. I can almost hear the music playing as I look at this image. The first two players are softly focused. The horn of the third player, who is out of view here, seems to be playing in a lower key, as it dominates the lower half of the image. Meanwhile, the horn of the final player – the man wearing sunglasses – seems to be playing the loudest, its brass bowl neatly filling the upper right hand corner of the frame. The fellow in the sunglasses is the only person clearly visible here. He seems to be putting in the most effort, as well.
04-SEP-2011
Red, white, and blue, Cuenca, Ecuador, 2011
This stern portrait of a Cuenca woman wearing traditional Andean clothing was made with a long telephoto lens from across the street. She was standing motionless next to a cross that was part of the San Angelo church. The diagonal sweep of her blue poncho echoes the pair of diagonals in the triangle around the cross behind her. I liked the way the wall changes from gray to brown on the left hand side of the picture -- the line between the two colors joins the base of the triangle holding the cross, and also joins the spot where her bright red skirt meets the blue poncho. The white Panama fedora, meanwhile, echoes the nearly white cross next to it. The figure and the background seem to be a perfect fit for each other.