Yes!



Excited to share news of being selected a winner in the Latin America Fotografia 5 for these two image from Bahia in 2015. Loved seeing so many of my fellow travellers and friends in the list as well. Full winner list and slideshow - http://www.ai-ap.com/slideshow/LAF/5/  And in even more exciting news, my sweet kitten from Bahia was chosen to be printed in NatGeo Mag - the actual magazine! - and will be in this Septembers issue! I've known this was going to happen since May but not sure what issue. Held back my excitement as I was sure i'd jinx it if I told anyone. I know, ridiculous, but hey. I do wish the printing of the image in the magazine looked as good as my retouched version below, talk about disappointment... so it goes. Cheers! - g

New computer. New monitor. Newly broke. ;) Newly re-inspired after 2 days at Photoville. Digging through the folders to see if I missed anything.

Bahia 2015

It took some work but I've finally fixed and updated the site - Bahia 2015 is up! 

Enjoy, share, and send feedback if you will! - g

Good Morning!



After a few stressful days and an impromptu 11 hour drive... this was a wonderful email this morning!


GO VOTE! = http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/daily-dozen/2015-04-16/

Fading...



Memories are vivid but the feelings are fading. I remember exactly where I was and what was happening, I remember the air, the temperature and the smell of the engine failing as we floated along the river waiting for a tow... but I cannot feel the emotions anymore. The saddest part of time.

Valentines Day













We drove down so many dirt roads looking for this man I never thought we'd find him. We turned left when he was probably off to the right. Stopped and asked every person we passed if they knew him, most shook their heads no but still pointed us in another direction. We tried one road because a tree reminded Tammy of his hair, but he wasn't there either. I really don't remember how we found him, but we did, and there he was to greet us. Sort of. He moved from tree to tree quickly picking fruit off the ground and from the branches. Handing some to us to eat, others were dropped in a bag for us to take. From one side of his property to the other, over barbed wire fences and through bushes, I was sure the barbed wire was going to go straight through his worn flip flops but he managed. We followed him again as he moved swiftly back towards the cashew tree in the front. More fruit. Take them please, as he guided us back towards our cars and sent us on our way. We were dazed from his energy, confused at what just occurred, and back in the cars on our way to find our next adventure. I never even caught his name...

Santiago de Iguape

















This was, by far, my favorite Carnival celebration of our trip. Not much of anything compared to Salvador or Rio, or even Maragogipe, but I loved it. As we had a little siesta after lunch kids started converging into the community building next to our car. They arrived in shorts and flip flops carrying their costumes in their backpacks, secrecy of who is who is integral. Once ready, everyone emerged in costumes made of bed sheets, wearing rubber boots and masks... which pretty much looked like escaped laundry to me. ha! In 90+ degree heat, it had to have been torture but they were having so much fun running through the streets haunting away the evil spirits - I was sweating just keeping up with them. As we wandered back towards the car we notice a couple of costumes in a corner bar so we had to stop in... you know, for the costumes. I have to say, these are some of the most friendly people of anywhere I've traveled. Here we are, a pack of worn out photographers/tourists following kids through town photographing them and the first thing people do is offer us beer! So of course we had some... and some laughs and photographed some more. It's all so wonderful and it's hard to believe it's been a month already. How did that happen?

Here's the owner - at 80 years old - showing off his skillz!

Ternos das Almas









Ternos das Almas translates loosely to Suit or Group of Souls. From the top of the mountain, through the streets, ending at the Church of Saint Sebastion Igatu - women draped in white sheets sing songs of mourning during Lent. As an American, the symbol of white sheets has an entirely different meaning and I found it hard to see beyond that, but this is different. This is a traditional penance made ​​in honor of the suffering of Jesus and all those that are no longer with us. I found this video where you can hear the songs:




Even with a digital camera that can shoot at ISOs unknown to film, this was very hard to photograph. I struggled to focus, struggled to compose an image that was slightly interesting, and both nights wandered off because of it.







I probably should have pushed myself harder to get an image, but with little to no light it was really difficult. I haven't found a "great" image of this anywhere. My images aren't even good, but they remind me of those last few nights in Igatu and that's a blessing in it's own. Standing in the darkness, fighting off mosquitos, admiring the immensity of the stars that are never visible in NYC was incredible. The women were singing off to my right and I could hear someone talking in front of me but not sure where. It's as if he was right there but he was probably far up in the hill talking on a phone, or so I think. In the distance you can hear cheers from the football game on the opposite side of town. Igatu won. Friday night lights.

I'm still missing Bahia - the sunshine, the warmth, my friends... how I could I not. I've been listening to Edson Gomes while editing, which helps. As the weather man threatens snow on this first day of Spring, I recommend everyone listens - turn it up, close your eyes and enjoy! -g

Missing.



There was a lot of discussion around the word Saudade over the last few weeks. Wikipedia describes it as, "...a deep emotional state of nostalgic or profound melancholic longing for an absent something or someone that one loves. Moreover, it often carries a repressed knowledge that the object of longing may never return."

It can pretty much sum up how I have felt since the day I departed Brasil. Leaving behind friends and adventures that don't happen in daily life. I think all travelers feel this way but we, as a group, were together from sunup to sundown – photographing, editing, talking, laughing and experiencing life together so intimately, that when it's over this utter heaviness prevails. My sleep patterns are still a mess, I wake in a place that I don't recognize yet I've lived here for 10 years. There's also this sense that the last month didn't happen. It's blurry. I can remember moments but it's a fog of time. I've spent the last two days looking over, under and through all of my images from Brasil. From this trip, to my first in 2011 trying to hold onto the memories. I almost lost all of my work from this workshop, a stupid shelf and misguided belief that a shelf on a wall could hold a laptop for a minute... I just needed to get up.

The night before a woman read my Tarot Cards. We sat in a dark hall behind our closed hotel lobby door, with almost no light she read things to me that were so spot on. I don't know what I believe of Tarot, but the conversation and thoughts were enough to make me second guess that. What are the rules of Tarot, can I share this? Does it matter? The one that sticks with me most was choice. There was a card that read that I was at a crossroads, that it's up to me to choose a path - that no matter who is hurt or helped - I have to decide. That sometimes it's easier to not have a choice, for fate to prevail, but that was not an option for me. Choice.

So it was fate that my laptop fell, thankfully I didn't lose all of my images. That certainly wasn't my choice. It has been a lot of work going through files that are half corrupt, looking for any that are important at the moment, I know in the future I will miss others I'm overlooking now. So far just one from my final edit is missing - the image above. I have a small jpeg but the raw file is gone. It is from a day of driving and getting lost, filled with cerveja and sunshine. It was a Sunday. It was hot and everything was moving pretty slow. I wandered behind a woman's house and saw the tail of the cat hiding from the sun under the remains of a couch. Almost perfect. I took a few shots and wandered off. "It just needs a dog" says Romain. I laughed but when I found one I chased it to the front of the yard, kind of in jest but when I see the with and without, happy for the suggestion. Team work. ha! i'm surprised the dog didn't snap at me, but he was probably confused at this crazy woman with a camera speaking Spanortuguesish that he went along with it. Maybe there'd be a treat.

In Brazil, the day of Saudade is officially celebrated on January 30th. In NYC, it spans this entire week. I think it will be good to get back to a schedule soon. I don't want to lose this feeling but I can't live with this feeling forever.

Maria Vieira, Igatu.













Sylvia Plachy said recently, “I tried to understand what was going on without the language.” After visiting with Maria I returned with an image I took of her in 2011... at this moment, I desired more then anything to understand more of the language.




I understood enough to know this was her son, he adored his mother, and that the images I brought to her meant more then I could have known. She loved the photo of herself, thinking she turned out pretty good, so proud! But then I handed her two more images of a neighbor (photo). I was sure he had passed away, as the last time I was in Igatu was 2011 and he was not doing well then. She stared at the images, her son enticed her to remember who it was. Memory came quickly and when I looked up again tears were running down his face, a single tear on hers. He was obviously important to them. Her son began telling me the story, I handed them tissues, and nodded like I understood. I did not. We all shared this moment together but I still had no idea.

Thankfully I was with friends that did speak Portuguese. As we passed by again I introduced them to her son and he explained that it was his uncle, his mother's brother. If I remember correctly he was the man that collected the money at the mines when the diamonds came in. That not once did he steal or cheat any of the miners. But that part is cloudy as my mind was wrapped up in the love that Maria was sharing. A hug, a smile, tears.

Not every photograph makes the final edit, but all photographs are worth keeping. Once I knew we were returning to Igatu I gathered as many pictures as I could to share with those I had photographed in 2011. These photographs bring smiles, open hearts and memories worth every tear drop and hug that there is. Miss Gabriella (photo) that I had photographed had all but grown up. Shyer then she was in 2011, thanked me and ran off to her friends. Her mother loved the photograph.

It's these moments that really stay with me. Returning and sharing with new and old friends alike.

To live is to fly...



Did you hear that? That was me exhaling... I've only made it through 2 days of files, but looks like most of my images from Bahia with Ernesto were saved! There are many corrupted files, just hoping none were keepers. More to come soon.

http://www.unionstationmag.com/

So proud to be part of Union Station Magazine issue 08!!!!

My series on Bahia - Speaking with Light is presented amongst the words of Jack McCarthy, Danez Smith, Jason Carney, Renatta Laundry, t'ai Freedom ford, Scott Beal, Penn Stewart, Faith S. Holsaert, Victor D. Infante, Michael Mlekoday, Sarah Kay and Nate Mondeschein

Pica Pau, 2012

WOW!







Just found out my photograph of Christiane made Photo of the Day on National Geographic's website. Wow!

Somewhere near Cachoeira.

remembering laughter