Men of Olvera

We drove up the steep hill into Olvera, one of the ‘white towns‘ or pueblos blancos of Andalucia; parked, climbed higher, to the monumental bulk of the Iglesia de la Encarnacion from where we could look across to the Moorish Keep on a rocky outcrop opposite; looked out over the roofs into the streets below and the olive-clad hills in the distance, and then descended once more into the town, where we came across this group of men, retired one guessed, gossiping in the shade.

The Cathedral and the Keep tomorrow or Sunday; but here is my tableaux of old men, today.

A group of men, Olvera

Our favourite tapas bar in Sevilla

We came across this tapas bar near the City Hall in Sevilla one evening, liked what we saw, went inside, and liked it so much we came back the next evening. It must have been someone’s birthday – there was a celebratory group of people, laughing, drinking, singing, clapping, and the whole scene, the ambience, the joyousness, was quite lovely and quite mesmerising.

Sea Washing

On the north side of the quay, just across the way from the Cape Grace Hotel, is the Victoria Basin, and a dry-dock where Taiwanese trawlers come to have their paintwork and their bodywork done – like elderly ladies at a beauty parlour. It is a study in contrasts.

A contrast I like even more, is this image of seaman’s washing, hanging on the rigging of one of the trawlers to dry, with the Zeitz-MOCAA – the Museum of Contemporary African Art – in the background.

Think of it as an outdoor installation. I call it, if you’ll go with the play on words, ‘Sea Washing.’

Sea washing, before the Zeitz-MOCAA

Maboneng Precinct – Street Sculpture

From birds in the wild, to iron sculpture in the urban jungle: after spending Easter Friday in the Marievale Bird Sanctuary, your intrepid photographer ventured recently to the Maboneng Precinct in down-town Johannesburg – a bit of urban renewal in a still edgy area – and stumbled upon these marvellous iron sculptures in a narrow alley.

With trusty Leica in hand, he stole these images….