African Photo Journey

Shopping in an African Market

2008-12-12T17:09:00.000-08:00

One of the joys of visiting Africa is the opportunity to shop in an African market. There is nothing quite like it. Often crowded, always colorful and interesting and filled with friendly folks who see the fun of bargaining as a vital part of the process of selling their products. It is a fantastic spot for taking pictures as well as buying gifts for your friends.

If you pay the first price they ask you'll surely be paying too much.

Here are some tips on shopping in an African market.

NEVER pay the first price. It's not that anyone is trying to rip you off, its just the tradition. I usually will respond to a first offer by jokingly saying that the craftsman is a robber. Be sure that he understands you are joking. If he looks at you in a puzzled way, he has not gotten the joke. Make sure you laugh and he will then understand.

ALWAYS assume that a supposedly valuable commodity is bogus (gold, gemstones, antiques, etc). Again, this is not necessarily because someone is trying to put one over on you, they may have been fooled by someone as well. If you are not an expert in distinguishing between real vs fake of whatever you are buying, either pay a price that would be acceptable if it turns out to be faux or find someone capable of distinguishing. I've come home with more than my share of beads I thought were gemstones only to find out they were fake.

Don't show too much interest. The more that you can take a disinterested posture, the more likely you will get a good price for it. The more interest you show, the less they are willing to bargain on the price.

Don't be afraid to walk away. Chances are they will follow you; if not right away, at some point, you'll turn around and they will be there with the item trying to get you to purchase it before leaving.

Have fun! Be loud, be silly, enjoy the experience and the vendors will enjoy it with you.

The Mask

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Fishing Shanties in Ghana

2008-11-20T11:41:00.000-08:00

The fishing shanties found along the road in Cape Coast Ghana lend themselves to all kinds of interesting images.

Among the most important commercial activities in Cape Coast, Ghana is its commercial fishing fleet. Providing support to those who ply the ocean currents are the folks who repair the nets, process the fish and perform other economic activities essential to the trade. This means that the opportunities for great images begins in the water and carries on throughout the city but especially in the areas directly adjacent to the water. These fishing shanties provide shelter for those working in these ancillary economic activities as well as storage for much of the gear.

Repairing the Nets in Ghana

2008-11-18T06:14:00.000-08:00

Photographed in Cape Coast Ghana this image shows a common daily activity. Repairing the nets from the hundreds of boats in the Cape Coast fishing fleet.

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Drummers in Ghana

2008-11-16T05:40:00.000-08:00

Several views of various drummers in Ghana

Djimba Boy

Drummers at the French Cultural Centre, Accra

Drummers at the International Conference Centre, Accra

Ghanain Drummer's Jeans

Kakum National Park Canopy Walk

2008-11-16T03:31:00.001-08:00

The Canopy Bridge walk high in the canopy of Kakum National Park in Ghana

The Mask #1

2008-11-16T00:53:00.000-08:00

Image captured at the Lekki Market in Lagos Nigeria
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Children at Port of Tema, Ghana

2008-11-16T00:29:00.000-08:00

While parents and grandparents fished or worked on the boats at the port of Tema, in Ghana, some youngsters played among the boats and goats.

Wash Day in Accra

2008-11-16T00:22:00.000-08:00

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At the Water's Edge

2008-11-15T19:13:00.000-08:00

Photographed in Lagos Nigeria just before Terry Cromwell and I hired the owner of the boat to take us for a boat ride.

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Calibar, Nigeria

2008-11-11T10:05:00.000-08:00

Often when one is visiting Lagos, which is a melting pot for the entire country, you will run across people from Calibar who speak fondly of the beauty and the warm and friendly people of this Nigerian City. They are right. Calibar is a beautiful City filled with very friendly people. These images are from our visit there.

Path through Rubber Plantation

Walking Through Rubber Trees

Rubber Tapping Demonstration

Carrying Fish

At the Market, Calibar

My Calibar Boys (and Girls)

Boys & Girls of Calibar

Combining Images to Tell a Story

2008-11-11T10:00:00.000-08:00

This is a snippet of a longer article about a technique for telling a story with images. To read the entire article, click here.

They (whoever "they" are!) say a picture is worth a thousand words and this is true. But two images combined together may just create a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts and form one image that is worth ten thousand words.

It may also simply tell the story you intend to tell more effectively or simply capture the imagination of the viewer in a more powerful way.

The picture at the right begins to tell a story, but the people standing in the background . . . well they don't really capture the human side of the story very well.

I was in the city of Calibar, Nigeria with Kip Bates and in our exploration we came upon a beautiful grove of rubber trees through which stretched a dirt path traveled by children fetching water for their families in the village nearby.

I was intrigued by the rubber tree taps and the colorful nature of the tree where it is slashed to allow the sap to drip into the bucket. I was equally intrigued by the sight of the children walking through the grove on their way home. I took quite a few images of both but found myself unsatisfied with all of them as "stand alone" images that told a story.

This is a snippet of a longer article about a technique for telling a story with images. To read the entire article, click here.

African Constellation

2008-11-10T12:08:00.000-08:00

This image was created from a photo of a dancer in Accra, Ghana.

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Clothes on a Grate, Ghana

2008-11-10T08:28:00.000-08:00

A stand alone image. Photographed in Accra, Ghana.

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Ibadan Dryer Mindscape

2008-11-06T11:12:00.000-08:00

Clothesline Photographed in Ibadan, Nigeria

The image above was captured in a courtyard in Ibadan, Nigeria. It was digitally manipulated to emphasize the most important elements of the image and de-emphasize those less important. I call these images "Mindscapes" as opposed to landscapes or cityscapes.

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Cape Coast Ghana

2008-11-03T08:19:00.000-08:00

Fishing Boats Mindscape #2

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Cape Coast Storm #3

The Cape Coast fishing fleet after returning

to land during a storm that swept the coast

in 2007. Photo by Wayne D. King

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