Photographs from Venezuela trip

[Rafael]

I spent a week and a half in Venezuela at the end of last month. Here are a few of the photographs that I took at the campesito we stayed at in Los Llanos. (I apologise for the quality of the scans. For some reason, photographs that I upload to RFF never come out looking right)

[Rafael]

Here are three more.

[Rafael]

Here are three more (Apparently, I have to type something in order to post).

[Rafael]

Here are a few more.

[Rafael]

And here are more.

[Rafael]

More and more and more.

[Rafael]

Here is the last set.

[gavinlg]

Wow! fantastic work!, thanks for that, I enjoyed looking at them very much... What gear did you use for these and how did you like Venezuela?

[Rafael]

Thanks Gavin. I shot all of these with my M6 Classic 0.85x, a Zeiss ZM 50/2, and a Summicron 35/2 (III). I used a mix of HP5+, TRI-X, and FP4.

I loved Venezuela. It is really a fascinating country. I have never been to a more political country. Every person I met had strong political views. And virtually every conversation eventually turned to questions of politics, if it didn't start there.

[back alley]

nice shots marc...that 50 is incredibly sharp

joe

[madsolitaire]

Nice shots!

Tell us about yr experience there.

[bwillis]

is that a snake that one guy is holding?

[2planks]

These are really wonderful. I especially like the shots of the smiling girl at the table and the one with dominoes in the foreground.

I wonder what was the purpose of your trip.

[micromontenegro]

Hey! As the only Venezuelan RFF member, you should have called me! ;-)
Seriously, hope you enjoyed your visit here. Politics have been a unbearable fact of life for the last few years, as we are suffering heavy changes. Hopefully it will be a passing fade. BTW, wonderful pics!
bwillis , that is a small anaconda.

[Doctor Zero]

micromontenegro, Rafael -
I like them pictures! Brings back memories: I lived in Venezuela (Maracay!) as an AFS exchange student many years ago (1993-4). The New Year was spent at someone's finca, drinking too much the night before, eating fresh tamarind and panza (a soup with cow stomach) the next day to cure a hangover. It looked much like what's in your pictures: rustic, outdoors, dominoes. I only visited the Llanos (my host family's mother had a sister who lived in San Fernando de Apure). I'm still in touch with my host family and yes, the country has become very politically polarised. I find it interesting that while Venezuelans have very strong opinions on Chavez, the foreign press (at least, what I see in the UK) is more muted and unsure quite how to view him: Communist-in-waiting or benign dictator who finally stands up for the poorest of the poor. I'm not taking sides or wanting to start a huge discussion here!

But it's a great country. Beautiful, in terms of landscape, culture and people. Glorious beaches (Chuao was my favourite), great mountains, the desert, the jungle, the Orinoco, the plains... Stunning, simply stunning.

Doctor Zero

[Rafael]

Thank you for the comments.

Micromontenegro, I didn't know there were any Venezuelans on RFF! My wife's family lives in Venezuela. So visiting was the primary reason for our trip. But, after several days in Caracas, the two of us headed off to los Llanos.

Doctor Zero, after our stay in los Llanos we visited your old stomping grounds in Maracay and then headed over the mountains to Ocumare for a couple of days at the beach.

Bwillis, that is indeed a small anaconda. I kept asking myself why everyone was using the adjective "small" to describe this 9 foot snake. And then they showed me a photograph of a "big" one...

[Rafael]

Originally Posted by back alley

nice shots marc...that 50 is incredibly sharp

joe

I'm quite sure that much of its quality is attributable to its previous owner.