Market Day, a photo from Central, South

Photographer's Note

When browsing a box of relatively old film negatives I did find some pictures from Fiji taken on a Kodak disposable camera some 5 years ago. As Fiji was not yet in the list of visited countries I decided to scan some shots and share with you a bit of a Pacific paradise. Although the picture quality is not that good the memories are really great.

The blue tint in all three pictures is the result of the tarpaulins used as shades in this open air market. It protects people and goods from the intense sun and from the common rain.

On a personal note, I can assure that the Fijian mangoes were the best and the tastier I have ever had!

The Republic of the Fiji Islands, is an archipelago of 322 islands and 522 islets located in the South Pacific Ocean, approximately three hours flight east of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Only 106 islands are permanently inhabited and the two major islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu account for 87% of the population.

The population of Fiji is mostly made up of native Fijians (the two standing customer ladies in the picture), who are Melanesians, although a few also have Polynesian ancestry, and Indo-Fijians (the two ladies squatting and selling the vegetables), descendants of Indian contract laborers brought to the islands by the British in the nineteenth century to work in sugar cane industry.

Relationships between ethnic Fijians and Indo-Fijians have often been strained, and the tension between the two communities has dominated politics in the islands for the past generation.

The Dutch explorer Abel Tasman visited Fiji in 1643 while looking for the Great Southern Continent and the British ruled the territory as a colony from 1874 to the independence in 1970. The after independence, the history of Fiji became quite politically complex and, if interested, you can read about it in here.

The two WS’s show different kind of vegetables on offer.

ManuMay, carper, papagolf21, Photo65Net, AiresSantos, brevbrev14, lucasgalodoido, stego, rginer, plimrn, Scharan, hispic, gracious, Docarmo, Clementi, ChrisJ, paura, belido, ktanska, tempocativo, wgreis, chrisnet, Charo, mafegan, parbo, alftrek, Flavia, robertosalguero, emjleclercq, josepmarin, ruisc_pt, gunbud, BWJ, bakes888, Jardim, PaulVDV, saxo042, nivaldo, Vato_Law, bucanas, blagov58, patdeph, xuaxo has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

ManuMay (36447) 2009-03-09 23:56

Hello Antonio!!

Your image it is enough to make my stomach works!! ;)

We can see, even if scanned, that this should be one of this wonderful markets, full of amazing fruits and vegetables, full of coloours and smells!! I really like very much to have walk through this stands and this "totum revolutum" ofe any thing imaginable, people, fruits, animals...!!!

Thanks for sharing this paradisian view!!

Have a nice day.

Best Regards

Manuel

carper (96) 2009-03-10 0:17

very nice photo Antonio
the point of view is nice and I like the good details and the way you handled the light, very good photo. have a nice day.
regard jaap

vincz (19113) 2009-03-10 1:54

`Never went there, I have to do that someday. Interesting blue light under these blue covers. It gives strange tones all over.

papagolf21 (152605) 2009-03-10 3:05

Bonjour, cher ami Antonio,
C'est vraiment trиs agrйable de pouvoir se transporter en l'espace d'une fraction de seconde dans une autre partie du monde !
J'apprйcie beaucoup ces photographies, nous sommes au coeur du marchй.
De belles images proposйes de la vie quotidienne.
Un grand merci.
Amitiйs.
Philippe

Photo65Net (43144) 2009-03-10 4:41

Hello Antonio,
Nice market image.
I think it is the first Fiji picture I comment on TE... Thanks for that too !
Have a nice day,
JB.

AiresSantos (56155) 2009-03-10 5:02

Ola Amigo Antonio
As fotos dos mercados sao sempre muito interessantes. Gosto desta vista em diagonal e os tons de azul. Bom manuseamento da luz
Um abraco
Aires

brevbrev14 (140) 2009-03-10 7:51

Hi ANtonio, what a beautiful market on the road, i like to see the typical products
good colours too
ciao!
valeria

lucasgalodoido (27698) 2009-03-10 8:37

Olб Antфnio,
acho bem interessantes essa fotos dos mercados populares, e nesse, mesmo sendo bastante longe do Brasil, se mostrar bem familiar com os daqui, seja pela organizaзгo quanto com a variedade de frutas, todas nossas conhecidas. Gostei desse tom azulado causado pela lona. Belo trabalho.
Parabйns e Abraзo

stego (24132) 2009-03-10 10:40

Olб Antуnio,
Nada mal para mбquina descartбvel! Enfim, uma Hasselblad faria melhor, mas estб уptima como reportagem. E vejo que atй com tais mбquinas й possнvel fazer bons enquadramentos, tanto nesta como nos WS', embora esta seja realmente a mais bem conseguida.
Um abraзo, Josй.

rginer (881) 2009-03-10 10:57

Hola Antonio,
Well done and thanks to share it with us. Memories are important, not only the excellent quality of one photographs. This is a fantastic daily life moment in Fiji. YOufr notes, as usual, brilliants.
Un abrazo,
Roser

plimrn (21344) 2009-03-10 11:31

Bom Dia Antonio,
Those mangos and pineapples sure look delicious.
I really like the way your diagonal framing emphasizes the graphic patterns of the displays.

The WS adds nice detail.
SAA, Pat

zeca (19762) 2009-03-10 14:28

Olб Antфnio!
Cб estamos nуs dois a publicar fotos de Fiji, certamente com a mesma saudade daquelas ilhas maravilhosas. Nгo tive a chance de conhecer muito Nadi, senгo por uma rбpida caminhada no final da viagem. Andei um pouco pelo centro, quase que correndo, bem na hora em que o comйrcio se fechava. Um mercado como este й sempre um ponto de interesse quando visitamos qualquer paнs, pois a produзгo de sua terra й algo bastante tнpico e й ali tambйm que vemos as figuras populares mais originais. O enquadramento ficou bom, com as frutas em destaque. Uma pena a luz azul gerada pela lona, que distorce um pouco as matizes da pele das pessoas e atй dos frutos e legumes ao seu redor. Mas nada atrapalha o sucesso do registro e da recordaзгo.
Bula!
Zeca

Scharan (14144) 2009-03-10 14:30

Olб Antonio

Uma bonita e interessante fotografia pelas suas cores influenciadas pela cor azul da cobertura...gostei tambйm da composiзгo na diagonal. Mas, ainda gosto mais do primeiro plano que estб mais visнvel, mais claro e com maior nitidez do restante da foto.
Parabйns!
GA
Vera

Polonaise (5802) 2009-03-10 15:01 [Comment]

Show Comment +

hispic (9658) 2009-03-10 19:49

Hello Antonio,
The scene of attractive market has been rendered in a decorous square format with an excellent balance. A lady in vertical-striped clothes on the left of the image is very impressive. I like this blue tint that you dared not to correct it.
Regards, Hisashi

gracious (20025) 2009-03-10 20:11

Ola Antonio,
Yummy, yummy! loved those pineapples and mangoes, my favorite!
perfect pov with view what they really sells in the Nadi market place!
good lights as well
many thanks for the wonderful sharing
sincere regards
Tony

tober (8797) 2009-03-10 20:34

Hi Sr Antonio, since my childhood I've always considered Fiji as the "extreme corner of the world" in my mind :) It's nice to see lovely and colourful daily life shots -like this one- from this less photographed geography. But your recent shots are much much better in quality though.

Kind regards, Tolga

Docarmo (9767) 2009-03-10 22:12

Olб Antуnio,
Muito bom aprender sobre o mundo atravйs da fotografia... e com a excelente nota com que nos brindas aqui.
Interessante o tom azulado provocado pelo toldo, deu а imagem uma singularidade, que й real. E que identifica o momento e o lugar.
Thanks for sharing,
MCV

delpeoples (60342) 2009-03-11 1:09

Hi Antonio, this is a great result from a scan. It must have been difficult with the light affacted by the blue tarpualin but looks sharp and very colourful. I really like your square framing lately, it makes the photo look so "finished". TFs, Lisa.

Clementi (52514) 2009-03-11 2:21

Ciao Antonio,
very beautiful the colors of the market, beautiful also the tonality of the color given by the light that it passes through the curtains.
beautiful scene
Giorgio

jmdias (114384) 2009-03-11 2:25

antфnio

as diagonais desta foto de belнssimo enquadramento estгo perfeitas, muito bonito estes detalhes todos, as mulheres bem colocadas e a luz interessante. й, a qualidade da imagem estб um tanto prejudicada pelo scan mas podemos ver toda a beleza do lugar e desta composiзгo bem feita

abraзos

jorge

ChrisJ (171366) 2009-03-11 4:38

Hi Antonio

Not quite the same as Woolworths or Aldis, eh? A superb daily life scene of the fruit market, with the shoppers adding scale & context. Good colour & sharpness. Tfs!

siamesa (28231) 2009-03-11 5:08

Olб Antonio

Uma mistura deliciosa de cores , frutas e legumes.Gosto muito de fotos de feiras livres pelo mundo, com o sabor de descobrir algumas bem diferentes.
Abraзos
Maria

marietom (34611) 2009-03-11 14:16

hello Antonio,

Jolie scиne de vie quotidienne, dont le traitement des couleurs est un peu bizarre (mais avec les fortes zones d'ombres et de lumiиres, ce ne devait pas кtre facile а retravailler).
Ces йtalages de fruits font rкver.
Bonne soirйe
Marie

aadilj (18102) 2009-03-12 2:32

Hi Antonio, I like the hues and the way you have captured this lovely place with the ambient blue tones

paura (25802) 2009-03-12 3:48

Antуnio,
Й uma luz difнcil mas penso que vocк conseguiu domб-la a contento. A imagerm й das mais interessantes, mostrando o ambiente peculiar e indumentбria pouco comum. Belo trabalho.

Abraзo

Paulo

belido (19934) 2009-03-12 4:20

Olб Antуnio,

a princнpio pensei que a foto estava muito azulada, mas logo vi que й a luz filtrada pelo toldo azul. Gostei da composiзгo. A linha em diagonal e o colorido das frutas, assim como as senhoras conversando. Bela imagem do cotidiano!
Abraзo,
Carlos

ktanska (44492) 2009-03-12 6:25

Hi Antonio,
There's a strong blue hue on this, but that's quite acceptable as the reason is also well visible. Great to see all those vegetables and fruits. Wide blue diagonals make strong graphic appearance.
Kari

tempocativo (476) 2009-03-12 7:55

Olб Antуnio, realmente as fotos dos mercados, ou feiras, sгo sempre muito interessantes. Realmente й pena a cor azulada, mas como explicaste nas notas, e muito bem, deve-se aos toldos que tкm para a protecзгo das pessoas e frutas. Realmente as mangas parecem apetitosas.

wgreis (8267) 2009-03-12 12:01

Ola Antonio,
a lona azul deixou a foto com uma coloraзгo azul que simulou algum filtro e valorizou a foto.
Uma bonita mostra de vida diбria.
Sua nota tambйm estб уtima.
Parabйns e abraзos,
Wagner.

chrisnet (23062) 2009-03-12 12:59

Hello Antonio,
Good shot of the daily life in the market, good light and framing, well seen.
Regards
Christian

Charo (51290) 2009-03-13 12:20

Olб Antonio,
Excelente capturar esse mercado diagonal. Um bom punhado de legumes e frutas que sгo inundaзхes em frescura e cor da rua.
Bom trabalho amigo.
Um abraзo,
Charo

mafegan (8626) 2009-03-13 17:07

Hello Antonio
Memories are important - they keep us going. A scene full of daily life and great notes. Tfs, Marlene

parbo (11092) 2009-03-13 18:28

Olб Antonio,

Amazing scenes you captured with complementary posts Antonio. I like their way laying the goods to the ground level and leaving space for shoppers. Their messy goods are creates fantastic textures with seller and visitors. You are right about tents all over markets, seems this is common problem because many government and local managements are changing authentic style of weekly markets. Have a nice weekend.

Parabйns e Abraзo!

Ertugrul

alftrek (3270) 2009-03-13 19:16

Hello Antonio,

A very familiar scene as we have this weekend market in Malaysia. But the difference is how you have seen and capture it so well with the blue tone. I like your composition with the blue tarpaulins taking up the top right corner. Well done

Cheers
Alfred

Flavia (10352) 2009-03-13 21:53

Ola Antonio,

Usei muito destas cameras descartaveis uma epoca em que nao tinha camera, com uma luminosidade normal ate que elas dao um bom resultado, mas aqui voce tinha condicoes de luz mais dificeis. Uma otima nota informativa e elementos interessantes na foto.

Abracos,

Flavia

robertosalguero (292) 2009-03-13 23:16

Ola Antonio,

The blue canvas truly make this image interesting. Perhaps because of the blue tinge throughout the image. I like this colourful scene. It remind of the old country a lot. Thanks Antonio :-)

Roberto

emjleclercq (15778) 2009-03-14 0:09

As you mention, a blue dominent due to the plastic cover, but it gives a different atmosphere. An I like the fact that the alley goes diagonally in the image.

All the best,

Emmanuel

Giorgio (11279) 2009-03-14 0:56

- Nice image of daily life Antonio but the bonus is the superb blue light, congratulation for the scan, you see, it is necessary to keep old pictures and to take out again them from time to time.
Have a nice weekend.
giorgio

josepmarin (59385) 2009-03-14 6:29

Olб Antуnio,
gracias por tu trabajo que nos permite conocer muchos rincones del mundo, como en este caso una escena cotidiana de una antigua foto en Fiji.
El ambiente del mercado estб bien captado, y los tonos azules que dominan la imagen son muy atractivos.
Estos mangos que vemos parecen deliciosos....
Bonito trabajo, amigo.
Un abrazo,
Josep

pablominto (53746) 2009-03-14 8:13

Hello Antonio,

Exotic fruit- and vegetables market!
I like the composition with the diagonal arrangement, the two talking ladies are nicely located in the frame...
Maybe the colours are a bit too much on the blue side, nut probably influenced by the blue fabric filtering the light!

Greetings,
Pablo -

ruisc_pt (11584) 2009-03-14 8:23

Parece-me azulada demais..
й natural ou houve algum PP.
Ab
Rui

gunbud (34066) 2009-03-14 9:26

Hi Antonio,
Beautiful explosion of vivid colors in this beautiful market scene from these farm away islands.
Excellent note about the rich history of these isolated islands.
Now I have to because you have made me hungry.
Regards, Tom

BWJ (3094) 2009-03-14 18:09

Hello Antonio,
This is a very fine, detailed photo. The lighting is well managed under difficult conditions caused by the tarpaulins. You made good use of a diagonal in the composition. The accompanying note is excellent.
Kind regards,
Betty

bakes888 (18499) 2009-03-14 21:28

Hi Antonio. This brings back memories from back in the mists of time when I spent a week there as a youth. Nice daily life photo. Well composed and presented. Thanks for sharing.
Have a good week, Paul.

Jardim (3243) 2009-03-15 6:08

Sem dъvida que uma foto nos traz um mar de recordaзхes, umas boas outras mбs mas vale sempre a pena.
Esta foto regista o dia a dia destas pessoas, como se vestem, o que comem e eu gosto disso. O toldo azul como que funcionou como um filtro que deu um tom azul б foto, por vezes tambйm podemos tirar partido destes filtros naturais.

JJ

Silvio1953 (220759) 2009-03-15 9:55

Ciao Antonio, fantastic composition full of life and colors, splendid perspective, bravo, very well done, ciao Silvio

PaulVDV (62810) 2009-03-15 15:09

Hello Antonio,
I like the composition with the diagonal lines of the tarpaulin and the path between the fruit and the vegetables. The different colours and shapes of the food and the beautiful dresses of the women make this a very beautiful market scene.
Best regards, Paul

batalay (41261) 2009-03-15 20:05

Hello Antonio,

For a disposable camera, this is an exceptionally good shot. Fiji is one island-nation that I have never visited, and indeed rarely do photographs get posted of the place. Accordingly, I am happy to see this image, rich in color, and well composed.

Warm regards,

Bulent

saxo042 (38078) 2009-03-15 23:09

Hi Antonio,
The opposing triangles make a very good framing of the motive here. The diagonal blue flooring leading up to the two ladies is another important part of your composition. And furthermore, many beautiful details and colours!
Kind regards
Gunnar

anducina (8407) 2009-03-16 6:25

Hi Antonio,
Picturesque and full of color, a true oriental scene. Those strange fruit must be delicious...

TFS,
Andreea

jemaflor (146412) 2009-03-16 12:02

Hi Antonio,
Well framed this colourful market, interesting blue atmosphere, a scene well captured.

Greg1949 (9011) 2009-03-16 13:56

Antonio, well I am glad you told us where this is, I would never have guessed properly. This gives some depth to Fiji since never having been there I would not know what to expect. Nice color and detail despite the disposable camera negative.

Greg

mauro61 (53411) 2009-03-17 2:02

ciao Antonio,
una bella cattura questa del mercato.
Buono il dosaggio delle zone in ombra con quelle in luce e ottima inquadratura
un saluto
maurizio

anto95 (1840) 2009-03-18 1:20

Hi Antonio,
Wonderful light and colours, great contrast picture.
Sharpness and presentation are superb. TFS.
Antonello

bona (15057) 2009-03-18 12:47

Bonita foto dessa feira-livre (como chamamos aqui), mas as nossas os alimnetos ficam sobre bancadas, bem longe do chгo e essa que mostra parece ser mais asseada tambйm. Vou tentar fazer umas fotos de feiras aqui pelo Rio, sгo bem coloridas e cheias de gente.
Abraзo
Andre

nivaldo (15417) 2009-03-19 3:16

Pernambuco, no outro lado do mundo!
Vejo as nossas frutas e legumes. Vejo as nossas cфres. Mudam as pessoas e a geografia...
Gostei dessa imagem , Antonio.
Um abraзo,
Nivaldo

Vato_Law (12732) 2009-03-22 13:28

Olб Antуnio.
o momento no mercado com toda esta panуplia de frutos e vegetais й bastante interessante, especialmente porque as pessoas estгo todas envolvidas nas suas actividades e pouco se importando com a tua presenзa o que confere um tгo natural e de real quotidiano.
Quanto а qualidade tenho se ser sincero, nгo tгo radical como o nosso amigo polaco, mas de facto hб para aqui um tom azulado, talvez resultante das lonas que cobrem o mercado, mas que cria uma dominante de azul que nгo deveria aparecer.
Tentei um WS, devo confessar que tambй nгo grande espingarda a tentar remover estes problemas. Diz-me o que achas, se quiseres :)
Um abraзo.
Paulo

[workshop] [compare] +

bucanas (2218) 2009-03-22 14:35

Ola Antonio,
Bonita e diferente luz,gosto de foto.
Abracos,
Ralf

COSTANTINO (115645) 2009-03-22 21:49

Hello Antonio
Good idea to share with us this excellent colourful photo from an open market...
It looks so different from the usual,
it is so interesting with people,fruits,details
animals,everything in this work complete your scene wonderfully
have a nice new week
Costantino

Glint (6171) 2009-05-10 12:30

hello Antonio,
I like the blue tones here and the diagonal composition made by the path through the vegetables. So many shapes, colours and textures of vegetables! and lots of interesting details to peruse.
regards,
Bev

blagov58 (331) 2009-05-16 12:44 [Comment]

Show Comment

edgarsousa (10) 2009-06-01 11:33 [Comment]

Show Comment +

patdeph (35750) 2009-06-10 23:15

hello Antonio
I love the touchof colors given by the diagonals of mango and pineapples in the bluish tones of the market,and I love the atmosphere!Splendid!
Regards
Pascale

xuaxo (6854) 2009-06-19 11:06

Olб Antуnio,
Gosto do "triвngulo" de mangas e ananazes. Й pena й o tom azulado, mas li porquк.
Quem me dera umas mangas dessas aqui agora!
Cumprimentos,
Francisco

raszid62 (18457) 2009-06-24 10:33

Hello
I like fhotos trades, there is really life. Splendid colours, a lot of blue.
The fruits on first plane is very good.
Best Regards
Joseph

Juzo (2151) 2012-03-24 21:45

Ola Antonio,
I like these local market scenes, and Fiji, with it's setting and cultural mix, must be interesting for food and produce. You present the scene well, although the blue form the tarp is overpowering, maybe a tad less blue in the colour balance .
Cheers
Justin