Nicaragua Streets and People

**Robert Watcher** · 01-09-2013, 04:45 PM

My extended 5 month stay this year in Nicaragua, is proving to be wonderful for making connections with the locals and having much freedom to photograph the people in the communities in and around the north-west coast of Nicaragua.

This year I have been primarily shooting with the Micro 4/3 system cameras and lenses - and enjoying the compact and small size immensely. The image quality does not suffer in any way either. My image management and editing tool of choice has switched from Photoshop/Bridge - to Lightroom 4 - including dodging and burning.

A couple of recent shots taken on skilled tradesmen on the streets on Leon Nicaragua

Ivan fixing a television circuitboard

Juan repairing a shoe alongside the Market

**anniehun** · 01-10-2013, 05:21 PM

Wonderful shots from a wonderful country! The image quality is amazing, what camera is this? I also love the intimacy of these shots. The fact that they are don't feel "obligated to pose" says to me that they know you, and/or they know that you are not just some random tourist finding their tools an interesting subject. TFS!

**Robert Watcher** · 01-10-2013, 06:16 PM

Originally Posted by anniehun

Wonderful shots from a wonderful country! The image quality is amazing, what camera is this? I also love the intimacy of these shots. The fact that they are don't feel "obligated to pose" says to me that they know you, and/or they know that you are not just some random tourist finding their tools an interesting subject. TFS!

Thank you so much for your comments.

My cameras are the newer Olympus mirrorless cameras and kit lenses. They are amazing in that they are ultra compact and lightweight and provide amazing image quality. In fact I have started a Google plus Community just on travel and street photography with light weight cameras. The link is in my signature if you'd like to follow it.

In fact I have never met these men before. I was passing by and asked in Spanish if I could take a photo of them at work. They agreed and after I got the shot I wanted, I asked them to look at me for a nice portrait - I always return to the same location with a 4"x6" print to give to them.

I too am always amazed that people in the photos I take look so natural and sometimes unaware. Part of the success is certainly the people of these countries. Also though, I figure that I must have a way of approaching them that disarms them so that they feel comfortable even though they don't know me. I have made many local friends and contacts from taking back the photos and giving them to them - and it has opened opportunities to photograph others in that same area. But for the most part, I am just walking around and come across people and take the photographs quickly and move on.

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**Jim Bryant** · 01-11-2013, 12:34 AM

Nice environmental working portraits. Especially, the last one.

**Robert Watcher** · 01-11-2013, 04:01 AM

Originally Posted by Jim Bryant

Nice environmental working portraits. Especially, the last one.

Thank you Jim

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**Robert Watcher** · 01-12-2013, 07:50 PM

A Wonderful Email This Morning

I mean I am used to friends and photographers following our Travel Virgins Journal at www.asifweknow.com and am used to getting emails from them . . .

. . . but what is happening more and more is that locals and people just interested in Nicaragua in general, are finding our Journal and the emails I get from them sometimes really touch me.

Such is the case this morning where I received this message through our Contact Us webpage:

I'm from Nicaragua and i really enjoy this even my grandma is on one of the
pictures........God bless You because even though we're poor You guys admire our culture
and how we live in Nicaragua ......thank You

Of course I was curious as to who her grandma was and if she lived in Nicaragua as well. On getting home just now, I got her response:

Yes she is on slide 198 she sales fish and Noo i don't live in Nicaragua i live in los angeles California but i was born in Nicaragua

Here is the woman's grandma in the photo she was referring to

This year I changed the copyright notice that I make on the bottom right front of the prints I deliver - from ©2012 w w w . robertwatcher . com - - - to ©2012 w w w . asifweknow . com. This has been a smart move as people are finding the site and photos of people they know and family. I am loving the positive response and the pride they are feeling by being a part of our online Travel Virgins Journal. I am also so proud that people are finding the way that we are presenting them - to be a favourable thing.

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**Robert Watcher** · 01-22-2013, 03:59 AM

TWO YEARS LATER

Anne and I revisited the city of Granada this past weekend and surprised many of the locals that we had made friends with and photographed around the city. It was wonderful to see everyone again - and have them remember me and the photos that I had given them when we lived in that city back in February and March 2011.

Here are 3 of the children that I rephotographed and a link to the images I took of them 2 years ago.
Photos taken with Olympus E-PL3 : 14-42mm lens (small lightweight mirrorless system)

Robert Watcher: Nicaragua #125

2 years ago : Travel Virgins : Travel Adventure Stories of Rob and Anne Watcher

Robert Watcher: Nicaragua #126

2 years ago : Travel Virgins : Travel Adventure Stories of Rob and Anne Watcher

Robert Watcher: Nicaragua #127

2 years ago : Travel Virgins : Travel Adventure Stories of Rob and Anne Watcher

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