Simple People

August 19, 2011

An elderly man sells wild flowers by the entrance to Jvari Monastery

Two women dig into beach for seashells

A lone fisherman by the Mtkvari River

Some things we find mundane can be somebody else’s pastime or source of livelihood. We frown on other people’s misfortunes and difficulties but, unknown to us, these people’s simple lives are probably better than the complicated lifestyles we live and the gargantuan troubles and worries we face every single day. In this blog I am posting 3 photos of individuals doing simple things to support their living. I thought that the photos look best in sepia. See what you think.

An elderly man sells wild flowers by the entrance to Jvari Monastery

“Flower Vendor” / Georgia 2011 [Jvari Monastery, Mtskheta] : He stood there under the rain by the narrow entrance to the monastery holding bunches of wild flowers in both hands. They were not classy bouquets, just short-stemmed blooms obviously picked from the fields around the monastery, but the flowers were beautiful anyway. I snapped this photo and wanted to make contact but my local companions frowned in disapproval and hustled me past him.

Two women dig under the beach rocks for seashells

“Seashell Gatherers” / Philippines 2011 [Santa Cruz, Davao del Sur] : The low tide exposed the rocky surface of the beach. From the vantage point at a seaside restaurant where I stood, these women looked like they just lost something under the rocks. Curious, I joined them on the beach and tried to start a conversation but they seemed oblivious to my presence so I just snapped a few photos then examined what they were collecting. Inside the pail were the few small shellfish that they have gathered and two bananas. Having understood what they were doing, I went back to the restaurant to have my lunch and when I glanced back, they were already having their meal as well – a banana each.

A lone fisherman by the Mtkvari River

“Fisherman” / Georgia 2011 [Mtkvari River, Tbilisi] : I purposely came out early one morning to take photos of the Mtkvari River as the sun was rising. Not too many people were on the river bank but I found this lone fisherman on a scenic spot. He was friendly and acknowledged my greeting but spoke no English. I had to wait until he became comfortable with my presence before I started taking pictures. The calm, glassy surface of the river gave excellent effects on this shot.