focus to infinity

Three minutes and eight seconds in my life

admin — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 15:30:06 +0000

The power went out. Again. Since most Americans don’t get the joy of experiencing the regular power outages that last anywhere from an hour to oh… I don’t know.. TWELVE hours… I thought you could experience three minutes and eight seconds of this most recent one.Brought to you by the music of Femi Kuti, Senelec, the Sahel winds and of course, Maitre Abdoulaye Wade.

Power Outage from Ricci Media on Vimeo.

Animal Kingdom

admin — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 15:51:35 +0000

Little lamb at the house of one Mr. Marc Gueye, whom I shot for an AP article. I’ll let you know when the story drops, but for now…. meet Mr. Gueye’s petite muton. Mignon!

Freedom!

admin — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 18:21:57 +0000

Khady (AKA Superwoman) caught the bird that flew into our house. She then cuddled it and let it go.

A Soldier a Day

admin — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 11:58:23 +0000

Last week I went to the office for retired soldiers to speak to WW II and Indo-Chine veterans - Senegalese men who fought for France back in colonial days. I loved hearing their stories. More on those later, but for today here’s Monsieur Ba.

Toeing the Line

admin — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:01:06 +0000

Back when the much-anticipated Monument to the African Renaissance had its grand ‘coming out party,’ in April there was a ceremony that included only the most appropriate celebrities to accompany the 164-foot bronze statue of a muscle-bound man holding up a pointing baby, whilst a scantily clad lady clings to him as if being blown away by the Atlantic Ocean winds.

Those in attendance for the opening ceremonies included Akon, Jesse Jackson and Robert Mugabe. Quite a photo opp. Course, a photographer usually needs to get in shooting distance for there to actually exist said photo-opp.

But with dozens of heads of states slated to attend the ceremony, security was tight. And by tight I mean lots of dudes in camo pushing all the journalists around. Cuz you know how dangerous journos are.This manhandling of photographers is how I was exposed to my first toeing of the line of photographers. At one point some photographer from some country I don’t remember said we ALL had to put down our cameras to protest the fact that the military dudes weren’t letting us get any shots of all those pretty heads of state (and AKON!). So, while I understood their gumption - most of these photogs had travelled thousands of miles for the ceremony and weren’t about to go home without a shot - this freelancer kept thinking, “But DUUUUDE.. I’m a freelancer. I can’t HURT my camera or there goes my paycheck…”

But alas, I joined the others, but not before I got this shot of cameras, army boots and PR heels.Oh, and here’s that Monument.

Five Languages in Five Seconds.

admin — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 14:54:47 +0000

One of the random reasons I enjoy Senegal so much is because of the diverse array of influences that come from all over the world. And nothing illustrates that better than the language, I think. I realized the other day that within a five second exchange, you can sometimes use five different languages.For example, a typical greeting exchange might go as you pass a casual friend…

“Salaam Maleekum. Ca Va? Mangui Cool…. OK, Ciao!”

“Peace be Upon You (Arabic). How’s it going? (French) I am (Wolof) Cool (English)… OK, Bye! (Italian)”

Today’s language lesson is accompanied by a photo I took at a school in Dakar back in May during a UNICEF event.

Senegal Book and Video

admin — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 20:45:01 +0000

Time to share the media wealth…One of my guardian angels, Leita Kaldi, has published her book on Senegal. Here’s a review by author (and fellow Sarasotan) Tony D’Souza. Leita is one of the biggest reasons I came to Senegal. You know those people who come into your life and, if you let them, completely change it? Yeah - Leita is one of those. When I met her and learned she had lived in Senegal, I told her I wanted to go, too. She clasped her hands together and exclaimed, “OH well then darling, you will, and you MUST!”I actually read her book back in 2007, when it was some looseleaf sheets of paper binded together. It tells all about her adventures and lessons as a Peace Corps volunteer here in Senegal.

One of the reasons it stands out is that unlike most Peace Corps peeps who come here in their 20s, Leita came to West Africa already in wizened and well into middle-age. But somehow she always strikes you as one of those people who looks at life through the eyes of a 12-year-old. Anyway, I read her stories, and I remember crying and laughing at the different people and interactions she described. She’s awesome, and so is her book.

And for a little musical pleasure, here’s a music video my husband was watching yesterday that I liked. From a photography point of view, it’s gorgeous. I love the attention to intimate details: the feet dancing, the hands, the fabrics. And anyone who knows me knows how I feel about backlighting. A little Wolof… one of the things they repeat is”Kham Sa Bopp” means literally “To Know Your Head…” or “Know Thyself”.. at least I think. Any Wolof speakers (Naomi?) feel free to correct me if I’m wrong..

I’m BACK!

admin — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 15:30:27 +0000

I’m back in Dakar (after almost two months in the States), and I’m back to blogging (after almost five months of neglect!)Here’s a photo from a trip I did back in late February when I went with UNICEF to cover a big announcement that the region in Southeastern Senegal has abandoned Female Genital Cutting (FGC). It is the first entire region to formally declare its legal intention to abandon the practice. I’ve done some sporadic coverage of this topic before, and in Senegal the practice has been significantly on the decline for many years. I always admire the courage of women and girls who can demand change.

On my desktop

admin — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 16:09:40 +0000

I am currently pretty in love with Malick Sidibe, a Malian photographer born in the mid-1930’s.I’ve had this photo on my desktop for the past two months…And I love that the dude is 70+ and recently had a great spread in The New York Times Magazine..

Smiles

admin — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:30:23 +0000

Was shooting an assignment in Thies, Senegal the other day, when the obligatory gaggle of children surrounded me and demanded ‘photo! photo!’ I tried to calm them down and explain I was busy for a moment, but the reporter was talking to some sources whom I wasn’t going to photograph. So after a minute I corralled them all, and one-by-one, took a close-up. They were quiet and everything. It was like a Christmas mirace.

Portraits from Ricci Media on Vimeo.