Shooting Adesuwa

5 Sept '08: A normal afternoon in a Lagos office block, until Victor Ehikhamenor grabbed his camera and spirited this dark beauty, Adesuwa, to the construction site next door and started to shoot. She, it turned out, was a natural. And MW was on hand to catch the behind-the-camera images, and even lent a hand as pretend stylist.

Downtown Lagos

I've just exchanged office views of Victoria Street in London for that of downtown Lagos. This is the office window view as photographed by me yesterday afternoon. Forget the skyline in Dubai or Bangkok. Igbosere, Lagos, is where it's at right now!

Conversation with Victor

Was at the the last day of the Art Expo Nigeria, held at the National Museum, Onikan in Lagos on Sunday. It ran from 27th August to the 31st and featured over 700 pieces from about 30 art galleries (members of the Arts Galleries Association of Nigeria - AGAN).

Getting there, I touched an artist who had come ahead of me to the Expo and left his imprint. Victor Ehikhamenor wrote on the white Scrawl Wall on one end of the expo exhibition, to say he was here. So I followed suit, and left my own scribble next to Victor's. A conversation of sorts.

• Image taken by MW at Art Expo Nigeria 2008, Lagos, 31st August 2008
• Click on image for larger view.

Night into day

The sky as seen in Wembley at 10pm, today Wednesday 2nd July 2008.

• By MW
  

Music and lights

Wembley Arena, 8pm, today Wednesday 2nd July 2008

• By MW
  

Dancing by the waters

Wembley Stadium at 2.30pm today, Wednesday 2nd July 2008

• Images by MW
  
  

Chasing shadows

2.15pm in London, today Wednesday 2nd July 2008

House on London Corner

Here is the passage into the inner courtyard of a house on London Corner, Serekunda, The Gambia. We had gone into the workshop/showroom of Salam Batik, owned by Shiekh Tijan Secka, a famous batik designer who operates from an outside annex of this house. After we had each acquired one or more custom-designed pieces of batik, we were leaving. But this passageway beckoned to me.



I led the way into the inner courtyard, and as I advanced inwards, the first things I was were these feet resting on one of the many pillars of the house. The owner of the feet, a young lady, was reclining on the bonnet of an idle taxi in the shade. She became aware of the presence of visitors and readjusted herself, taking her feet off the pillar. "Please, as you were," I encouraged, indicating that my camera had recognised a picture moment. She laughed and obliged, though understandably, her pose this time was nowhere as natural as before.



One would have loved to get lost in the grace of this building. The more one saw of it the more fascination it held, the more it promised. We went no further than the courtyard. Here, Desiree chats with the some of the occupants. I particularly like the observing young girl's neck, whitened by mentholated powder, to combat heat rash.



A place of light and shadow, alcoves and elegant metal grilles and balustrades. Cars parked not in front or behind, but right in its middle. Washing hanging on shaded balconies, a carpet dries out and a pot balances in there too. The youngsters did not think (unlike Nigeria) that my camera would steal their souls for later use in malignant fetishes.

• House on London Corner, Serekunda, The Gambia - photographed by MW; 18 July 2007.

View from hotel balcony - Dakar, Senegal, 11 July 2007

Owo Eyo

• Buying cowrie shells in Serekunda Market, The Gambia - 18th July 2007 (Cowrie shells are known as 'Owo Eyo' or 'Odowo' in Yoruba).
• [Cowrie shells - 'owo eyo' or odowo in Yoruba]
• *Images by MW.
  
  

Sunset on the River Gambia

Sunset on the River Gambia

- pictures taken last month in Tendaba

- The Gambia.

- ©MW

Gorée

"We don't call Gorée an island," the unofficial tour guide said many times. "We call Gorée a continent - because people from all over West Africa passed through here, into slavery."

• Images of Gorée Island, Senegal, taken on 12 July 2007 - ©M.Wood
• Virtual tour of Gorée

Gorée Island

• Images taken on Goree Island, Senegal - 12 July 2007 ©M.Wood.