Imaging Brazil 158: Souvenir Vendor at Gunga Beach, AL (2008)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

08. Souvenir vendor

JULY 2008: Souvenir vendor 

Gunga Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in the state of Alagoas. It is not easy to reach Gunga: either by a ferry boat from Barra de São Miguel or via a private secondary road that has an entry at the highway. In July 2008, when I was joining a group of students from Belo Horizonte for their annual meeting in Maceió, the state capital, our bus had to enter the private road. The dirt track contained many large holes and large stones, which made it hard for the bus driver to maneuver swiftly. Most of the students were too tired to walk along the beach and took their seats at the first barrack on the beach. I also felt very tired, but I still had some energy left to walk around and take some pictures of the paradisaical beach. White sand, green palm trees, crystalline water, a clear blue sky, on a warm and a sunny day. I really imagined myself in a paradise! I was accompanied by two friends, and we met one of the many beach vendors that try to sell their merchandise to the beach-goers. This vendor was gentile and very talkative. His merchandise consisted of small bottles that contain images of colored sand. We observed that his beard had a strange shaving pattern. He noticed us looking at his beard and explained us that it shows his name. He was about to shave it the following day.

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2008, 2015

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Imaging Brazil 157: Shallow Pool at Praia do Francês, AL (2008)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

157. Shallow pool 

JULY 2008: Shallow Pool

Praia do Francês is a popular beach near Maceió, capital of the state of Alagoas. The beach – literally translated as ‘The Frenchman’s Beach’ – is located at about thirty km south of the capital, near the city of Marechal Deodoro, named after the first president of Brazil. The wide beach attracts many Brazilian and foreign tourists. Numerous barracks host various restaurants and bars. In addition, ambulant vendors stroll along the beach, sometimes meandering between the people, in their hope to sell their merchandise, that range from cold drinks and seafood to sunburn cream and souvenirs. At the moment of this picture, two children were enjoying the shallow pools, left behind by the retreat of the Atlantic Ocean after high tide.

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2008, 2015

Imaging Brazil 156: Faithful dog at Canoa Quebrada Beach, CE (2008)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

156. Faithful dog 

JANUARY 2008: Faithful dog

Canoa Quebrada Beach is a very popular tourist spot in the state of Ceará. Canoa Quebrada – literally translated as ‘Broken Canoe’ – was a small fishery village, until the arrival of French movie makers and hippies in the sixties of the past century. Since then, the village has been transformed in a small town with many tourist facilities such as hostels, restaurants and bars. The beach is famous for the colorful sandstone cliffs (falésias) and nightlife in Broadway Street. In January 2008, I spent one day in Canoa Quebrada, when I was on the way from Belo Horizonte to Fortaleza, by bus. We arrived at the time of sunrise and left after midnight. At day we stayed in the beach, and many of my fellow travelers – most students – took a nap and many beers. I spent my time walking around, looking around, and I spotted this poor dog tied to a table. It obviously looked in the direction of the Atlantic Ocean and waited longingly for the return of its owner.

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2008, 2015

Imaging Brazil 155: Butterflies in Belo Horizonte, MG (2008)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

155. Butterflies

JULY 2008: Butterflies

Colorful butterflies are common in Brazil, they also may be found in urban parks and gardens. Various Brazilian zoos and parks host interesting butterfly gardens. The zoo in Belo Horizonte had such a butterfly resort. Long queues of visitors – including many children and teenagers – were waiting patiently for more than one hour for their encounter with the colorful flying creatures. The large space, surrounded by a black, fine-maze net, was full of large and smaller butterflies. In July 2008, I spent some time together with the butterflies and made several pictures of them. It was hard to obtain clear pictures of the fast moving butterflies. But a small plate with a banana served as my ideal location for picturing some butterflies. They were attracted by the sweet scent of the banana and took their time for their meal, while they spread their beautiful wings. The butterfly species on the picture have a pattern on the wings that resemble big eyes. The curved, mouth-like shape of the banana completes this composition, as if it were a funny face.

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2008, 2015

Imaging Brazil 154: Hare Krishna in Curitiba, PR (2008)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

154. Hare Krishna

MAY 2008: Hare Krishna

On Sundays, almost all streets in downtown Curitiba are occupied by hundreds of stands that exhibit local handicraft and food.  You will encounter a huge variety in bijouterie, bags, shoes, home decorations, clothes and toys. This fair is widely known and attracts large numbers of visitors. In May 2008, when I joined a large group of students at a student meeting in the capital of Paraná, I visited the fair and was amazed of what I saw around me. Colorful handicraft, very creative creations, and ingenuous vending techniques. That day, it was sunny but cold. Many people used coats and vests against the cold wind. But there were some exceptions, and one of them wore an orange robe characteristic for a Hare Krishna adept. Apparently, he was very concentrated in his mission to have people interested for his cause. The man was surrounded by tall girls, visibly looking very serious. But I have no idea whether they were seriously interested in Hare Krishna.

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2008, 2015

Imaging Brazil 153: Seagulls at Itaipu Beach, RJ (2008)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

153. Seagulls at sunset 

AUGUST 2008: Seagulls at sunset

Not only the city of Rio de Janeiro, but also the city of neighboring Niterói hosts some beautiful beaches. Like the more distant and more discrete beaches of Itacoatiara and Itaipu. From Rio, Niterói – across the Guanabara Bay – can be reached either by bus or car via the bridge, or by ferry. There is a bus service from the ferry station to the beaches of Itacoatiara and Itaipu. However, the bus doesn’t stop in front of the beaches, but at some distance.  After having passed the guarded entrances, you can reach the beaches on foot. In August 2008, I joined a small group of students for a day at Itaipu Beach. We stayed there until the evening, and witnessed a beautiful and colorful sunset. Many seabirds were circling around in their search for food. Seagulls crossed in front of my camera lens, thereby creating a sharp contrast with the sunset pastels, and providing some dynamics in this picture.

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2008, 2015

Imaging Brazil 152: Church Water Mirror in Belo Horizonte, MG (2008)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

152. Church water mirror

MAY 2008: Church water mirror

The tiny blue St. Francis Church at Lake Pampulha in Belo Horizonte is one of the favorite spots for tourists and photographers. The church, designed by architect Oscar Niemeyer, no longer serves as the location for regular masses, but merely as a small museum with religious art pieces of famous Brazilian artists. The curved shape of the church roof, the tiled wall telling the story of Saint Francis, and the separate tower provide a lot of inspiration for photographers. In my case, I was lucky to be there on a cloudless day with almost no wind. At the time of the picture, I stood at the other side of the lake, and zoomed in on the mirror image of the church, which was reflected in the water.

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2008, 2015