Field of Sisal Photo

Photographer’s Note

A short series of pictures taken on a quick visit to Mombasa in Kenya in March 1984.

All pictures were taken on slide film and have been converted to digital using Photoshop and NeatImage.

A view over a field of sisal growing outside Mombasa.

The following is extracted from an article about sisal found on Wikipedea:

Sisal or sisal hemp is an agave (Agave sisalana) that yields a stiff fibre used in making rope. It is not really a variety of hemp, but named so because hemp was for centuries a major source for fibre and so other fibres were sometimes named after it.

Sisal plants consist of a rosette of sword-shaped leaves about 1.5 to 2 meters tall. Young leaves may have a few minute teeth along their margins, but lose them as they mature. Sisals are sterile hybrids of uncertain origin.

Although shipped from the port of Sisal in the state of Yucatán in Mexico, hence the name, they do not actually grow in Yucatán. The plantations there cultivate henequen (Agave fourcroydes) instead. Evidence of an indigenous cottage industry in Chiapas, another state in Mexico, suggests it as the original location, possibly as a cross of Agave angustifolia and Agave kewensis.

In the 19th century, sisal cultivation was spread worldwide, from Florida to the Caribbean islands and Brazil, as well as to countries in Africa, notably Tanzania and Kenya, and Asia. Among flax, hemp, abaca, sunn hemp and other agro-based fibre species, annual sisal production is the second largest worldwide, after cotton.

mikolaj_kawa, besnard, PixelTerror, jlbrthnn, asajernigan, Gerrit, Budapestman, Muse, dareco, Cricri, papagolf21, amaryllis, gunbud, kermit350, saxo042, fanni, macondo, gracious, Charo, jmcl, Pitoncle has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

mikolaj_kawa (30269) 2008-11-21 0:44

Hello Stephen! Amazing perspective. Very interesting field. Nice sky and clouds. Very nice picture. Good colours. Well done!

besnard (30732) 2008-11-21 0:48

Bonjour Stephen
On a été inspirés par le même sujet - toi par la flore et moi par la faune. Un joli cliché avec ces plantes bien alignées sous un ciel nuageux.
Merci pour le partage et bonne journée.
Nicole

PixelTerror (86192) 2008-11-21 1:49

Hi Stephen,
A good perspective image under this stormy weather, thanks to the light there is some glow from the ground level that looks very nice in complementing the perspective.
Have a nice day JY

Royaldevon (5934) 2008-11-21 2:40

hello Stephen,

The sisal looks like green fans and their rows lead in wonderfully to create a good sense of perspective.
The billowing clouds, of dark and light, make a dramatic and interesting backcloth.

Kind regards,
Bev :-)

jlbrthnn (38101) 2008-11-21 3:19

Bonjour Stephen,
Merci de m'en apprendre plus sur le sisal. La photo est de qualité par son cadrage et ses couleurs. C'est une excellente image, parmi tes images d'archive, qui me semblent fort nombreuses. Bravo.
Bonne journée et bon week-end
Amicalement
Joël

asajernigan (14170) 2008-11-21 3:53

Stephen,
This is a great shot taken from a nice POV. The low perspective is nice here. The row lead the eye through the shot nicely creating a nice sense of direction. The lighting and colors are great with excellent sharpness and detail.
TFS,
Asa

Gerrit (35793) 2008-11-21 5:21

Hi Stephen,
goof low POV to focus on the remarkable crop- unmistaken an agave -.
fijn layering and great sky.
Regards, Gerrit

Budapestman (42056) 2008-11-21 6:24

Hi Stephen,
Superb photo from this gloomy sisal plantation with a spectacular composition and perspective. The colours are beautiful, the note interesting.Congratulations.
Have a nice day!
George

Muse (31011) 2008-11-21 6:29

Hello stephen,
I like this one very much. Beautiful sky and mervelous colors. The pov gives great dept.
Beautiful light.
A very good compo!
Best regards
Denise

dareco (17104) 2008-11-21 6:36

Very interesting! I'm quite sure I've never seen a 'sisal' crop before. Very nice lead in lines and very good color and detail. Lovely scenery! TFS

gildasjan (23809) 2008-11-21 7:59

Bonjour Stephen
Ce ciel chargé de nuages nuancés accompagne bien la perspective de ces plantes que je ne connaissais pas.
Bonne journée
Amicalement
Gildas

Cricri (43132) 2008-11-21 10:18

Hi Stephen
Belle perspective de ces plantes pointues sous une belle lumiére qui filtre ce gros nuages blanc, bonne et intéressante note
Have a nice evening for you
cricri

papagolf21 (56451) 2008-11-21 11:44

Bonsoir, cher Stephen,
Etrange image, l'on dirait des palmiers enterrés ! L'image ne manque ni de beauté ni d'intérêt.
Je crois que le sisal (la fibre) est utilisé pour la fabrication des hamacs ou les cloches de sisal pour fabriquer des chapeaux.
J'aime l'ambiance générale de cette composition. Très intéressante note d'accompagnement.
Amitiés.
Philippe

Fis2 (45889) 2008-11-21 11:51

Witaj Stephen!
A good perspective image under this stormy weather.
Very interesting colours. Photo has climate.
Regards
Krzysztof

TGULUMSER (12514) 2008-11-21 12:32

Hello Stephen,
Very nice landscape with these plants. The sky looks gorgeous, too,
Best regards,
Tulay

cagla (2202) 2008-11-21 13:56

Hi Stephen, beautiful landscape, with the wonderful view of the clouds in the sky, and is accompanied by a good note. It seems it didn't lose anything from its quality during scanning. Thanks for sharing. Regards,
Cagla.

mauro61 (15690) 2008-11-22 0:07

ciao Stephen,
perfetta divisione fra cielo e terra e composizione molto bella.
Grande profondità di campo e inquadratura bassa che contribuisce alla riuscita dello scatto
buona giornata
maurizio

amaryllis (17549) 2008-11-22 0:35

Bonjour Stephen
une superbe photo de ce champ avec des belles rangées alignées, de verdure et sous un ciel nuageux agréable à l'oeil
une belle nature de cette region
bon week end
juliette

rodgerg (24203) 2008-11-22 0:52

Hello Stpehen,

Un très bon scan d'une slide. Ces champs sont très impressionnants dans leur régularité. Une très belle profondfeur de champ sous un ciel riche en diversité et bien capté.
Amitiés,
Roger

gunbud (27933) 2008-11-22 6:22

Hi Stephen,
Wonderful lines and textures to this lush green hemp crop sitting below the stormy sky that look like it will soon water the crop.
Fine job of scanning this old tropical beauty.
Regards, Tom

kermit350 (8988) 2008-11-22 7:18

Hello Stephen, the choice of framing or the plant is very present releases l' space that you knew to return by this framing tightened on the sisalana d' sisal plant the vastness of the plate of sisal, a particular tonality bathes this place which appears out of time, the green tone are dominating in this image, and this cloud cover seems oppressive and takes it also a quite particular tonality, these plant of Yucatán seems proliferated here, sincerely ..................Bonjour Stephen, le choix du cadrage ou le végétal est très présent libère l'espace que tu as su rendre par ce cadrage serré sur le sisalana d'agave l’immensité du plateau de sisal,
une tonalité particulière baigne cet endroit qui paraît hors du temps, les ton vert sont dominant dans cette image, et cette couverture nuageuse semble oppressante et prend-elle aussi une tonalité bien particulière, ces plante du Yucatán semble proliféré ici, bien amicalement

saxo042 (15736) 2008-11-22 8:00

Hi Stephen,
I really like these strong and deep colours in all your "old" slides. The lines of the plants converging along the field are excellent and of course the clouds! They are a very important part of the picture.
Regards
Gunnar

Nicou (44945) 2008-11-22 12:17

Hello,

Quelle perspective sur ces cultures, fantastique avec un mangigiqeu ciel, de beaux contrastes, splendidie vue.

Bravo et amitié

Nicou

fanni (8737) 2008-11-22 17:12

Hello Stephen,
interesting view of what I have never seen and, most probably, will never see with my own eyes! Good photo; very good, interesting perspective with the beautiful cloudy sky!
best regards,
Elena

macondo (13127) 2008-11-23 3:55

Hi Stephen.
An impressive shot, with strong perspective lines. I would never have given sisal plants a thought were it not for your photo! The sky is strong and the sharply pointed leaves of the plants make a good subject. I think you've done a good scanning job of this old slide, although I might have boosted the contrast a little. Very interesting note.
Regards,
Andrew

gracious (20017) 2008-11-23 9:28

Hello Stephen,
Very good pov on this beautiful Sisal field with great depth, the awesome clouds formation is well included in the shot!
good clarity with natural colour and details
also a good notes
many thanks
Tony

jurek1951 (26002) 2008-11-23 9:33

Hi Stephen,
Truly amazing landscape.ery well composed and captured photo. Great color, details and light.Very well done
Georg

gneufeld (15173) 2008-11-24 17:03

Hi Stephen,
This is a very creative image with the foreground being expressed in great detail and initiating the view of parallel lines of the terrain. Great depth and details. Well done and TFS. later...Gerald

Charo (31671) 2008-11-24 17:23

Bonsoir Stephen,
Superbe perspective cette plantation de palmiers avec une grande profondeur et un très beau ciel. Excellent lumières et de contrastes.
Amitiés,
Charo

testmaniac (12190) 2008-11-24 21:07

Hello Stephen,very good composed photo with nice POV. Only the sharpness can be much more for my taste.

TFS

Phil

danyy (68887) 2008-11-27 14:12

Salut Stephen,
tu t'es bien servi de la végétation pour créer des lignes de fuites efficaces pour augmenter l'impression de profondeur. Une photo aux teintes naturelles et avec un ciel vraiment splendide.
Regards.
Daniel.

carper (64948) 2008-11-28 6:52

it's a very nice one Stephen,
good perspective and a very good landscape shot with a fine sky, good photojob here, have a nice day.
regard jaap

jmcl (13899) 2008-12-02 17:21

Hi Stephen,

thoughtful shot .. great scan .. nice use of perspective .. I really like the tonality. take care, John

georgechu (0) 2008-12-06 0:39

own a very sharp scence to grab beautiful sign.and also you design it mixed with your specisal understand to the Nature.touches my heart greatly!!!
Thanks!

devimeuxbe (55867) 2008-12-07 1:10

Bonjour Stephen
superbe image avec un ciel chargé interessant et une belle lumière dans le champ. La gestion de ce contraste est très bien faite
Amicalement
Bertrand

Pitoncle (3743) 2009-01-13 7:06

Bonjour Stephen,
Très belle publication avec cette image bien composée, profonde et bien éclairée dans laquelle le regard se promène avec plaisir.
A bientôt sur TE pour de nouvelles aventures.
Gérard