Mangos, a photo from Brava, Sotavento

Photographer's Note

Location: This is right above the village of Fajã d'Agua on the island of Brava, in Cape Verde. Cape Verde is an island nation off the west coast of Africa. Brava is the smallest inhabited island in Cape Verde with an area of only 67 km².

About the Photo: Since Brava is such a small island, it is possible to hike just about anywhere, so long as your accustomed to hiking. I shot this photo while on a hike from Vila Nova Sintra to Fajã d'Agua. Down in the trees we came across a house selling mangos for only 15 cents each. We ate a couple on the spot and then filled our Backpacks full. They were the best mangos I've ever tasted!

Luci: Before going on this hike we stopped in at the Shell gas station to buy some food and water. I told the girl working there that we were planning on hiking to Fajã d'Agua, and asked her what it was like. Most of the people on Brava rave about how beautiful it is there, but to my surprise she told me she had never been to Fajã d'Agua. This girl was 20 years old (my same age). She had lived on Brava all her life, and yet she had never been to the other side of her small island (only a few kilometers away). I felt sorry for her. Her name was Luci, and I dedicate this photo to her.

kebek, Mistral, luisafonso, Scharan, deud, Elaine_Blath, rui_seabra, xuaxo has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

kebek (5438) 2006-05-24 14:55

Serwus Ryan !
Well, 6 years passed, maybe Luci finally retrieved her mistake, 'cause it's obvious a place is worth visiting.

Your notes along excellent images are extraordinary and it is a great pleasure to wander through Your gallery.
Here, a good tight framing. Light is very well managed and the superb red rock contrasts perfectly with the blue and green. Very nice.
Thank You and be well,
Mat

leo61 (0) 2006-05-24 14:59

Hi Ryan!
It`s nice to meet somebody who visited these beautiful but unfortunately forgotten islands.Your note is nice,good,sad and true.Most people have to work hard to survive and have no eye on the nice landscapes.I like your composition with the mixture of sea ,vegetation and step rocks,which you can find on the other islands too.
In your composition I like the formation of the green vegetation,the brown tones of the rocks and the blue of the sea and sky.
Regards,Leo

Mistral (15402) 2006-05-24 15:32

Ciao Ryan,
nice image with well balanced light and composition.
I'm wondering if to go for a couple of weeks on these islands. I think people it's very friendly and maybe between the islands there are some different peculiar characters.
Your note, as usual, it's really interesting.
A smile
Luca

luisafonso (862) 2006-05-24 16:45

Your note is brave and the picture adds another dimension to it. It's impossible to imagine the photo without your words. It would make it a simple travel shot. Though very balanced, with good shadows and strong composition. Thanks for sharing.

deud (1920) 2006-05-25 6:00

wow! what an impressive shot! great colors of blue, green, and brown. very well composed. excellent pov. tfs

kensimage (8565) 2006-05-25 13:09

It's truly amazing that Luci has never been to the other side of the island. Some people just don't have an instinct to explore, I guess. On the other hand, a culture on a small island almost has to discourage too much exploratory thinking, as otherwise everyone would leave, I guess! Anyway, it's a beautifully composed shot here, Ryan, with equal balance between rock, trees and blue sea/sky. Regards, Ken.

Elaine_Blath (8509) 2006-05-26 4:22

Hi Ryan,

another excellent photo...I like the composition very much, when half of the picture is a rock, and half the open sea, it gives a good example of how the place looks like...and excellent colours and note, too...well done!

Have a nice day, Ivana

macondo (20413) 2006-07-03 7:44

Hi Ryan. Just had a read of your intro, and since I've been listening to Cabo Verde music quite a lot, I had to have a gander at these shots. It looks beautiful in this one, but surely that isn't the reason a 20yo girl had not left this part of the island. The viewpoint looking right down on the roof of the house, and the palms right under the dramatic cliff make this a very rich shot with great depth. The three elements of rock, trees and sea are really well composed. Thanks for the great notes, too. Oh, and I presume it's a scan - good one.
Regards,
Andrew

xuaxo (6854) 2007-01-30 14:34

Hi Ryan,
That's a great mix of browns, greens and blues in this shot. It seems that my father-in-law's island is indeed beautiful.

About your story of Luci, I'm not really surprised. Some (many) years ago I learned the story of people in the interior of Madeira Island that never have seen the sea.

Mantenha!
Francisco