On the River Bank

The Niger River is the life artery of the dry desert country of Mali.The villages around it are using its water for their personal life activitis and food.They are farmers in the villages and growing cattle . In the cities, they have small comercial business for tourists. There is a thin group of Elit that lives better and are more educated ( like doctors, dentists etc.)

 

Thanks for your thoughts. Pnina

Please read comment, thanks Pnina

This is a great panoramic view of the river. Did you shoot this from an elevated place? The water looks muddy ( maybe the color of the ground, yet it's transparent and show those tiny reflections. I like how the river is presented diagonally.

 

 

Look forward toseeing more of your trip-

Very nice w/ the boats.

Great color and depth. Every thing is up to the mark. Nothing to critique about.

Wonderful colors and hues, Pnina. I keep wishing there was a cloud in the sky, but perhaps that would upset the quietness. You got this from a nice angle, too.

 

Warmest Regards,

Barry

Thanks to all of you, it was not easy to photo there , because it is so hot during the days( 37C!! ) and we traveled many hours from place to place starting early morning and evening... the best time for shooting, so I have photographed even in midday, the worst time....

So I'm glad I have some good images as well.

 

Barry, it is unbelivable,but most days there is no clouds and hardly blue sky, it may be because of the hot weather. there were two days that clouds showed up and I told my friends to look at as it was rare...Pnina

Great color, great sense of life. Did you meet Ali Farka?

Hi Ransford, Thanks, No I did not meet him, but remembering your advice, I bought his CD, but did not hear it yet as I came in Monday evening after a very long way home, I'm still adjusting... will hear it at the week end and tell you what I think. Pnina

Pnina, that is an extremely peaceful picture that communicates the slow motion of daily life in 37? Celsius ! I like it very much. You cannot look at a picture of "pirogues" (boats) without thinking of the famous photo of Cartier-Bresson from the 30's although it was taken on the Ivory Coast. Your scene here has some of the same spell (but in colours) with a very strict geometrical setup of the boats and a person in the exact centre of the set scene. The composition is in my view admirable.

Anders

 

I pick this as my favorite at first glance at the thumbs! What a great place to photograph, Pnina! I'm glad you are home safely, adjusting well and will visit the others later tonite!

Pnina, we are used to 37 degree celsius in India. Even the temperature soars to 40 + Celsisus. I like the image for its golden hue and composition.

Pnina, I like the flat outgoing feeling here.thrifty boats and people.Very nice perspective,light and color. I feel a different world.

Anders, for your comment, very generouse of you, I'm glad you liked it. now is winter! there in the season they have 47 C degree....

 

Lee, I took about 1000 frames... that I'm sorting out. Because of the hot weather, we traveled in early morning and evenings and many days lost the good hours for shooting.I took photos whenever I could even in midday...It is the beautiful photos now, the harder ones to look at, will come later on.

 

Amal, 37 C was hot for us....thanks for your comment

 

Hi Alix, glad you liked them.

 

Pnina

Pnina, you show us a fascinating glimpse of a way of life so far from our own. I guess this is a scene that has not changed in hundreds of years. I find on trips one must take photos whenever possible and not worry about whether it is the best time as I will probably never be there again. The heat sounds exhausting! I hope you survived it OK :-)

The pictures you took in Mali and posted till now all breath the unmistakable sphere of Afrika; typical earthy colours under a clear blue sky. I love the panoramic view of this picture Pnina and like Colin says it looks as if time has stood still here. I'm glad you are returened home safely Pnina and I look forwards to the hundreds of other great shots you have made here. Ada:~)

Pnina, At first I thought their boats leaked badly, but then then it occured to me that they left them filled with water so that the wood would expand and not leak. There is one thing that I've come to realize is that people that live with nature as these people have to, is how smart they really are about what they need to do. Another thing I notice is these round places along the river's edge, looks as though artillery shells may have caused them in the not to distant past.....very informative....Jim

Pnina, At first I thought their boats leaked badly, but then then it occured to me that they left them filled with water so that the wood would expand and not leak. There is one thing that I've come to realize is that people that live with nature as these people have to, is how smart they really are about what they need to do. Another thing I notice is these round places along the river's edge, looks as though artillery shells may have caused them in the not to distant past.....very informative....Jim

Colin Ada and Jim,That one is really a pastoral landscape, but life are far from pastoral looking there. I will upload the other face as well. Thanjks for your comments, your thoughts are very importent for me. Pnina

A beautiful scene, this is, with its own charm. The people & the boats adds a activitiy element to a still landscape.

Hi Cherlyn, thanks for your nice comment. I likes a lot the atmospher it radiates. Pnina

Very interesting composition, the shape and color of the boats fits so perfectly into the scenery, shows how the people living there are living in harmony with nature. Ok, let me drop a little nit... I would rotate it a wee bit clockwise, if it were mine, and I would sacrifice a wee bit from the sky for a more panoramic format, since the sky does not add so much to the message here, IMO.

 

Cheers

Carsten

Carsten, Thanks, I have tried your nits... and liked it, so look again, it is not really panoramic, but I have used your suggestions, Pnina

This is great, works perfectly for me !

 

Cheers

Carsten

Pnina, for whatever reason, this one caught my attention and interest right off. I hope you enjoyed your voyage.