Day 9 – 365 Days of Photography

1-9-2014

Coconut….coconut water, jelly, nut, nut.....

The call of the local coconut vendor as he wipes the blade of his pouyant (unsure of spelling, word of Trini patois origin, pronounced “poo yah”), also known as a cutlass or machete, and sharpens it against a stone or file.  

People driving by may signal, gesticulating with their hands and arms and yelling out in local dialect “how much for ah bottle dey boi?”  The seller with little emotion and sullen eyes responds softly “35”.  The drivers swings in without caution, “leh meh geh one nah” and the vendor runs to start chopping away at the younger nuts.  He looks up and with a smile says “you know wha d young nut good for?” no response from his patrons, “that is whey u get your vitah-lity, d natchral nutrients does make yuh feel good, yuh see when yuh see ah old man shakin’ an shiverin’, if he get ah young nut all dat stop”, he responds smirking.  “That is why I giving YOU the young nuts, yuh wha ah next bottle?”

What a sales pitch. The natural gift for gab of the local vendors never cease, to amuse me. They can “sweet” talk or “mamaguy” anyone.

All jokes aside the coconut water provided by this vendor is sweet and nice, we are repeat customers.

This is Palmiste Trinidad, local vendor featured has the top of the nut flying, with one swipe of his blade.  Small shrapnel of coconut, litter his shirt and the air around.

Email contact: upborel@gmail.com

© 2013, Odette M. Lawrence and NorDean Canvas. All rights reserved. The use and/or duplication of this material without the express and written permission of this blog’s author and/or owner are unauthorized and strictly prohibited. 

Day 8 – 365 Days of Photography

1-8-2014

The vibrancy of color, the sweetness of taste, the appeal of nourishment, all can be found in our tropical fruit.   As I drove around San Fernando, I thought it fitting to bring you pictures from my local fruit vendor.  They’re located on Scott Street and get quite the clientele.

I took multiple shots but decided on one that really depicts the vibrancy of color and the atmosphere of the busy street.

Here you can see the majority of the fruits on display and a few of the ground provisions and vegetables.   Of primary note are Portugals (type of tangerine), Mangoes, Oranges, Paw Paws (papaya), Sorrel, Pineapples, Grapes, Apples, Grapefruits, Bananas, Bags of Corn, Onions, Cassavas (yucca), Sweet Bell Peppers, Tomatoes, Cabbages, Cauliflowers, Plantains and many others not in view.

Today - Tropical Fruit

Runner Up Shots: 

I toyed with a black and white version of the fruit / vegetable stand, but settled on the color (depicted above) to show the vibrancy.  Below you can see the black and white version, it’s an entirely different shot that I took.

In addition, I took a close up of the starch mangoes and that of the grapes.  

Email contact: upborel@gmail.com

© 2013, Odette M. Lawrence and NorDean Canvas. All rights reserved. The use and/or duplication of this material without the express and written permission of this blog’s author and/or owner are unauthorized and strictly prohibited. 

Day 7 – 365 Days of Photography

1-7-2014

I wanted to give you my view of San Fernando, from the area that I currently reside in.  I drove to the highest point in the neighborhood and tried to capture the vast sea of color looking towards downtown San Fernando.  I will also like to capture this same image at evening approaching sunset and at night.   We will see.   The view is obscured by telephone and electrical lines, but it adds character.

Image captured at morning time, after dropping my kids to school.  The sun is up and shining in all it's glory at approximately eight (8) am.

This is Union Hall, San Fernando, looking towards San Fernando Hill.

Email contact: upborel@gmail.com

© 2013, Odette M. Lawrence and NorDean Canvas. All rights reserved. The use and/or duplication of this material without the express and written permission of this blog’s author and/or owner are unauthorized and strictly prohibited. 

Day 6 – 365 Days of Photography

1-6-2014

Today is the first day of the new school term, here in Trinidad and Tobago.  After a three (3) week hiatus, my kids would have preferred to be at home, they’re lazy to go back.  I set off on my journey to take them to school and saw an old school mate of mine walking. I stopped and offered her a ride to work, after dropping my kids to school, thinking all the while of what image I should capture.  Along the way, I drove through picturesque terrain, and I looked at the possibility of shooting many a beautiful scenery.  After dropping her off, I made my way back down to San Fernando and decided to pass on an alternate route around my neighborhood.   As I came around the corner, I was approached by four Dominican Fowls (name used by my mother).

These are known as guinea fowl

 

guinea fowl

guinea fowl (gĬn´ē), common name for any of the seven species of gallinaceous birds of the family Numididae, native to Africa and Madagascar. The helmeted guinea fowl, Numida meleagris, from which the domesticated strains are descended, is typical of the family, with its bare head and neck, sleek body, smooth dark feathers dotted with white, and short tail. It is named for its bony casque. Guinea fowls are raised, mainly for their gamey flesh, in many parts of the world. Of the three domestic varieties (the pearl, the white, and the lavender), the purplish-gray colored pearl is the most common. The largest member of the family is the 24-in. (60-cm) vulturine guinea fowl, Acryllium vulturinum, found in tropical E Africa. Guinea fowls are extremely good runners and use this method, rather than flying, to escape predators. Guinea fowls are known to have been domesticated by the ancient Greeks and Romans. They are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Aves, order Galliformes, family Numididae.

Excerpt taken from: http://www.questia.com/read/1E1-guineafo/guinea-fowl

I had my 55-250mm lens mounted on the camera and didn’t get the opportunity to change it, so the shot is up close and personal.  Unlike their description, they neither ran nor made noise as my car approached.  I slowed and fired off a series of shots, this one I think best depicts the nature / attitude of the fowls I saw.

Email contact: upborel@gmail.com

© 2013, Odette M. Lawrence and NorDean Canvas. All rights reserved. The use and/or duplication of this material without the express and written permission of this blog’s author and/or owner are unauthorized and strictly prohibited. 

Day 5 – 365 Days of Photography

1-5-2014

Vision, foresight, planning, mission, goals, reality, all within reach, within scope, and within sight.

Look through my eyes, as I attempt to show you what I see.

What is sight?

-    The power or faculty of seeing; perception of objects by use of the eyes; vision

-    An act, fact, or instance of seeing

-    One’s range of vision on some specific occasion

-    A view; a glimpse

-    Mental perception or regard; judgment

By token of description, what I photograph and how I depict it is just a capture of my sight, my perception, my vision, my eye. 

This is what separates each photographer / human being, because we all perceive differently, therefore our images are portrayed differently.   As you travel life’s byways and converse with your fellow man, often times you may notice or observe something in the immediate neighborhood of your conversation and when mentioned, the other didn’t see the same thing.  A mere example of how we each see differently.  Even when you do see the same things, your attention to detail differs, one may see all colors, one may see actions, or composites.  We learn to appreciate the differences in each other and embrace the vision.

Today I bring you my vision.

p.s. Image captured using macro lens in reverse 10x + 4x, top lit and front lit, self capture,

Email contact: upborel@gmail.com

© 2013, Odette M. Lawrence and NorDean Canvas. All rights reserved. The use and/or duplication of this material without the express and written permission of this blog’s author and/or owner are unauthorized and strictly prohibited.