Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/02/06
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Nathan, I enjoyed the mini-trip to Greece. Your vignettes are just that, small, well-photographed snippits of life. Very nice. Well, except for that horrid cat picture. Why are people so insensitive to us cat haters? Allan On Wednesday, February 6, 2002, at 03:50 AM, Nathan Wajsman wrote: > Judging from the total lack of response to my week 4 posting, people are > a bit overwhelmed by the amount of PAW submissions on the list. > Nonetheless, I soldier on and submit my week 5 images for your viewing > pleasure and hopefully some critique. > > I attended a conference in Athens, a city which I have visited before > and which I do not find particularly attractive. It is polluted, large > parts of it are plain ugly, and most of all, it seems like everyone in > the central tourist area of Plaka is just out to get your money, from > the souvenir vendor who quotes a price five times as high as the real > price at which he is willing to sell the item, to the waiter in the > restaurant who gives you wrong change, clearly hoping that you will not > notice in the confusion over the new Euro coins. But outside Plaka > things get better and people are open and friendly. As a visitor to the > city, I noticed a few things. First, there are lots and lots of cats and > dogs seemingly living in the street, but also apparently cared for by > the locals, since most of them look in good shape, like this kitty > outside a souvenir shop: > > http://www.wajsman.com/2002_5.jpg > > I read recently that Greece has the highest rate of motorcycle > fatalities in Europe. Having observed both the driving habits of the car > drivers and the riding habits of the bikers, I am not surprised. I have > no idea if Greece has helmet laws, but in any event most Greek riders > seem to be more concerned about not messing up their hair than about > protecting their skull: > > http://www.wajsman.com/2002_5alt1.jpg > > These two shots were taken on Delta 3200 with an M3+50mm Summilux. The > next three are on Fuji Acros with an M6+35mm Summilux. > > There are many churches in Athens, big and small, and I went into this > small chapel to light a candle for my late mother (she belonged to the > Orthodox faith). I sat there for 10-15 minutes, and during that time > quite a few people, young and old, came in to say a prayer or light a > candle, like this woman: > > http://www.wajsman.com/2002_5alt2.jpg > > On Saturday morning I discovered to my delight that there was a large > street market in the streets around my hotel. Those who have looked at > my non-PAW site will know that when I lived in Belgium, the street > markets there provided me with a favourite source of pictures, so I > immediately began wandering among the vendors and buyers. Most of the > vendors were Russian, and the merchandise was for the most part cheap > junk. These two vendors were passing time playing chess; the gentleman > on the left had apparently just made a good move and was pretty pleased > with himself: > > http://www.wajsman.com/2002_5alt3.jpg > > Then he noticed that I was taking pictures, and immediately broke out in > a broad grin, showing off his many gold and silver teeth: > > http://www.wajsman.com/2002_5alt4.jpg > > His reaction was quite a refreshing change from what I often experienced > in Brussels, where the vendors who are also usually foreigners, > automatically assume that you are from the police or other authorities > if they see you taking pictures--and react accordingly. > > The complete PAW index is at: > > http://www.wajsman.com/indexpaw2002.htm > > and comments are always appreciated. > > Nathan > -- > Nathan Wajsman > Herrliberg (ZH), Switzerland > > e-mail: wajsman@webshuttle.ch > > Photo-A-Week: http://www.wajsman.com/indexpaw2002.htm > General photo site: http://www.wajsman.com/index.htm > > > -- > To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html > - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html