Portrait of a young woman - San Angel Market, Mexico City

A young woman mans a fruit stand in the market of San Angel. At one time it was a small town outside
of Mexico City, San Angel has now been absorbed by the staggering sprawl of the capital city Mexico.

 Portrait of a young woman - San Angel Market, Mexico City

The market in San Angel, though indoors, has a good quality of light for photography and an excellent variety goods for purchase. It has everything from windows of fish packed in ice to hanging rows of freshly butchered chickens. There dozens of kinds fruit and vegetables.  There are peanuts, piñatas and pumpkins, fabric and flowers, shrimp and spices, and coconuts, crabs and cactus inside the two block market. There are many places to grab a bite to eat.  It is a lively place to spend time and a great place to make photographs.  

I had to coax a smile out of this young woman at the San Angel market.  I mimed that I wanted to take a photo of her but at first she did not respond.  I looked into the camera to set up my shot and expected her expression to indicate whether I had her permission, but she was deadpan. I took one shot of her with a flat, stolid expression. I peeked around the camera and smiled at her. She smiled back and after one more exposure I knew I had my shot.  

I had lined up the composition to include the stack of oranges at the front of the stand to contrast with a background of bright yellow bananas. Light from an exterior doorway was coming from behind me.  I was shooting with a 180mm f 2.8 lens so I knew the minimal depth of field would isolate my subject. All I needed was a smile, a moment, to create a photograph.

Do you like to photograph people or would you rather photograph subjects that don't talk back?  How do you handle photographing people in public environments?  Do you ask before you shoot or beg forgiveness if the subject objects? Share you methods in the comments below.


Contact me at @JeromeShaw  or Facebook 

copyright Jerome Shaw 2007 / www.jeromeshaw.com

"Papayas" Bairro Peixoto Market, Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Standing sentry, the two shards of papayas glow with freshness in the market at
Bairro Peixoto in Copacabana.

"Papayas"

One of my favorite things to do was to go to the open air markets that were held in Copacabana not far from our apartment each Sunday and Wednesday. The market at Bairro Peixoto, held on Wednesday, was by far my favorite. Even in only the month that I was in Brazil, I began to know some of the market vendors. Or more precisely, I think it is fair to say, they began to know me, at least by sight. I always went to the market with my cameras. I stuck out like a sore thumb even without the tangle of photo gear twisted around my neck, but being towed around the market by Maisa I became even more noticeable.

I was forever being offered samples of papaya, mango, jackafruit, banana, and other fruits I often did not recognize. By the time I had circled the square I had a nice snack. It was not just a friendly gesture, as they were vying to curry favor with me for their products. They did this even knowing that it was not I but Maisa that was doing most of the shopping.

A trip to this market was a great treat for the taste buds and for the eyes. Many of my favorite photos from my time in Rio de Janeiro came from these forays to the open air markets. I did develop my favorite vendors and began to discern between the better and the best of them.

Now that I am back in Colorado I can barely tolerate the bananas we have here and I long for freshly made mango juice and a cold slice of papaya with my coco bread for breakfast.

Condensed Caption
"Papayas"

Standing sentry the two shards of papayas glow with freshness in the market at Bairro Peixoto in the Copacabana section of Rio de Janeiro, just blocks way from the famous beach.

These images are copyrighted and may not be used, re-posted or reproduced without direct written permission.

Contact me @JeromeShaw or Facebook


copyright Jerome Shaw 2006 / www.jeromeshaw.com

"Red Fish Grey Skies" - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

"Red Fish ...Grey Skies"

Open-air market in Bairro Peixoto, Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

A market provides a endless supply of subjects. The people, the colors, the fruit, and well .... the fish. The subdued light of a heavy overcast enhances the colorless background and makes the red in the fish standout from the drab surroundings. The stark composition of this photo is enhanced by a limited color palette.

The photo was taken with a Nikon F100 film camera using a 180 mmmm f 2.8 Nikkor lens. The film used for this image is FujiPress 800. The approximate exposure is f 5.6 @ 1/250th second.

This image was featured in my recent shows as a 13" x 19" / 33cm x 48cm digital print. Prints available for purchase.

These images are copyrighted and may not be used, re-posted or reproduced without direct written permission.

Contact me at @JeromeShaw  or Facebook 

copyright Jerome Shaw 2006 / www.jeromeshaw.com

"Lost Pepper" - Bairro Peixoto Market in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

One pepper crosses over to the other side in the market Bairro Peixoto in Copacabana district of Rio de Janeiro Brazil

"A Stranger in a Strange Land"

Pepper display in the open market in Bairro Peixoto in Copacabana.

The open-air market in Bairro Peixoto in Copacabana quickly became one of my favorite haunts
& a great place to buy food as well. The food and the people provide endless subject matter for photos. I am sure people wondered why I take so many photos in the market but many of my favorites from Brazil came from trips to various markets.

Make sure you try the tapioca with coconut and condensed milk when you visit this market.

The photo was taken with a Nikon F100 film camera using a 28-200mm f 4.5 Tamaron lens. The film used for this image is FujiPress 800. The approximate exposure is f 8 @ 1/250th second.

This image was featured in my recent shows as a 13" x 19" / 33cm x 48cm digital print. Prints available for purchase.

These images are copyrighted and may not be used, re-posted or reproduced without direct written permission.

Contact me at @JeromeShaw  or Facebook 

copyright Jerome Shaw 2005 / www.jeromeshaw.com

Cashews: A Nutty Fruit - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Cashew fruits / cashew apples in the market in Bairro Peixtoto Photo by Jerome Shaw http://www.JeromeShaw.com

"Caju Anyone?"

Cashew fruits / cashew apples in the market in Bairro Peixtoto

The colorful fruits captured my attention instantly, I wish I'd taken a bit more time creating a a more interesting image of them.  Next time!

We bought a few of these cashews for home. While we did not eat what we in the US consider the nut (which obviously it is not) we did make a juice from the appendage that is attached to the cashew fruit (which is the part we American's call the nut).. Confused? Well I know that all of my friends from Brazil are laughing now, at least the ones that can read English.

The Cashew Apple- as it is called- is very juicy. It is a bit hard to work with though, as the meat of this pseudo fruit or false fruit is very fibrous and high in acid and tannin. In some parts of the world it is used to make wines or fermented into a liquor. In Brazil it is generally used to make a fresh juice drink or processed for jams. The actual fruit of the cashew tree is a distended kidney shaped bean or seed-like pod that sits atop the bright yellow to red waxy peduncle or, more technically, the receptacle. The shell of the fruit (read nut or seed here) is highly toxic and considered quite dangerous.

Maisa made nice cold icy drinks using Cachaça and the juice of the Caju that we enjoyed later that evening. The fruits or nuts were not used. It seemed a bit more trouble than it was worth to roast four cashews. I was not about to die of cashew poisoning this early in my time in Brazil.

The photo was taken with a Olympus D590 digital camera on automatic exposure with fill flash.

These images are copyrighted and may not be used, reposted, or reproduced without direct written permission.

Contact me at @JeromeShaw  or  Facebook

Fotolog- Postcards from Brazil / Jerome Shaw
Fotolog- Travels Along the Timeline/ Jerome Shaw
www.jeromeshaw.com


Condensed caption:

"Caju Anyone?"
Cashew fruits / cashew apples in the market in Bairro Peixtoto
The colorful fruits captured my attention instantly because of the vibrant colors and the odd but familiarly shaped little bean nestled on top

Subject : Caju Anyone? - Copacabana - Rio de Janeiro - Brazil

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Posted Date: : Oct 28, 2006 9:46 AM