Djenne

Photographer's Note

I don't know who this man was, or why he was dressed this way. I find him a bit mysterious, and with the wall of the famous mosque in Djenn� as a backdrop I decided to use this as today's main photo.

Today I bring you three more photos taken an early morning in 1982 in Djenn�, a town in central Mali classified as a World Heritage by the UNESCO.

Djenn� is generally praised for its uniquely uniform architecture � buildings of mud and straw. The single building rising high above the rest, physically and culturally, is the Grand mosque.

Many years ago I posted this wider view of the mosque, built in 1906 on the same location where there had been mosques since the 13th century:

https://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Africa/Mali/South/Mopti//photo829919.htm

A slightly closer look at the mosque was offered by this photo:

https://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Africa/Mali/South/Mopti//photo831840.htm

Today's main photo brings you even closer. The WS photos show you the main sanctuary of Djenn� from other angles and distances. I hesitated a lot before deciding which one to use as the main upload. Probably some of you will prefer one of the others, so please have a look at them too. Like this one they were scanned from Kodachrome slides.

My next post will show some of the civilian architecture of Djenn�.

ikeharel, Fis2, pajaran, papagolf21, jhm, pierrefonds, Royaldevon, jean113, PiotrF, PaulVDV, ChrisJ, tyro, sacimar has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Fis2 (169731) 2020-07-15 0:42

Witaj Gert!
Another report from a very interesting place.
A great scene from everyday life.
The outfit is amazing, I love it.
Very well done.
Good morning.
Krzysztof

pajaran (114915) 2020-07-15 0:45

Greeting.
Interesting and beautiful architecture, well shown with beautiful photographs in the workshop.
Good contrast and sharpness, beautiful photos and memories.
I wish you all the best.
Paja.

papagolf21 (152605) 2020-07-15 1:47

Bonjour, cher Gert,
Trois prises de vue int駻essantes � tous les niveaux (architecture, peuplade, cabane pour le march� (suppos馥).
La marche � pied semblait de rigueur � cette p駻iode !
Amiti駸.
Philippe

jhm (211734) 2020-07-15 4:06

Hello Gert,

Minimalistic but nice reality, perfect dynamic image with the walker on 1/3 of your image.
Lovely architectural picture with the clay wall.
Very well done, TFS.

Best regards,
John

lousat (138609) 2020-07-15 4:08

Hi Gert,brave choice for the main pic,i approve! Not easy this choice,having 2 wonderful view of the gate and of the mosque,but this alone man dressed in this way is a very nice composition,i like it! Have a nice day and thanks,Luciano

pierrefonds (113590) 2020-07-15 4:37

Hi Gert,

You have capture well the stroll of the man. The point of view is showing the details of his clothings. There is a good contrast between the colours of the picture. Have a nice day.

Pierre

Silvio1953 (220605) 2020-07-15 5:50

Ciao Gert, simple and lovely composition with passing man, excellent clarity, splendid light, wonderful colors and fine details, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

Royaldevon (85606) 2020-07-15 6:03

Hello Gert,

This was a tough one!
Your main post evokes a scenario - a man on a mission, clothed in strange way, maybe to be recognised by his clothing! It is well composed and minimalistic.

On the other hand, the photograph of the hut, outside the mosque, is much more colourful and has interesting features but doesn't stir the curiosity in the same way!

The photograph of the gate set me wondering how often they repaired it and was it repaired by people who were not so skilled as the original builders!

All are interesting to me, having never been to Mali!

The mosque is one magnificent building, somehow surprising in such an area with minimal building materials!
I could not get the second link to load!

My warm regards,
Bev :-)

CMJC (5095) 2020-07-15 9:13

il y a une belle unit� de couleurs entre la tenue du gars et le mur; il semble bien pensif ce qui va aussi avec le lieu... composition simple qui est sympa!

jean113 (27637) 2020-07-15 9:27

Hello Gert, after reading your notes I went to the pages that show all your shots from Mali, an excellent and informative library.
Your main post today is fascinating, what is the man about? And the background of the mud walls invites us to discover more!
The mosque must be quite unique in its architecture? I have never seen another remotely similar.
Three excellent pictures.
Thanks for sharing, kind regards, Jean.

jmdias (114278) 2020-07-15 9:33

gert

amazing these three images. the main post is curious because only the blue hat was different in terms of colors. amazing the architecture of the area with its natural structure. I presume this architecture in clay and timber has the same source of those we can see in morocco, portugal, spain and colonial buildings in latin america

take care

jorge

Tue (91574) 2020-07-15 11:13

Hej Gert,
Han ser bestemt lidt mystisk ud, ikke kun p� grund af sit t, men ogs� m蘚en som han g蚌 der med nene rettet mod jorden. Du fangede ham meget godt foran den gamle v詒 og i billedets venstre side.
Lars
PS - Ja, jeg har Cicero-trilogien herhjemme, men har kun n蘰t at l誑e den fste del endnu, men jeg har ellers l誑t n誑ten alle andre Harris ber.

Miguel82 (47110) 2020-07-15 11:55

Gert, the three shots present that unique architectural style in mud, wood and straw typical of this region. I prefer the workshop 1 as a main photo. The characters are well included. The lonely man walking looks mysterious. Fine colors, excellent sharpness, regards.

GyurMaster (24668) 2020-07-15 12:56

Dear Gert,

All three photos are nice, but I understand your choice: first of all, the man is really mysterious, secondly its a clear and well-considered composition showing us only some details of the mosque.

Best Wishes,
Gy

PiotrF (54246) 2020-07-15 14:48

Hello Gert
A very nice simple composition from Djenne.
You have a lot of interesting photos from the archives of this country.I like good composition, nice colours and good quality.
Very well done, fine presentation
Regards
Piotr

ifege (46951) 2020-07-15 23:31

Hi Gert
Another good trio from Mali with the main one being a brilliantly simple photo of the lone person walking past the mud wall.
cheers
Ian

jemaflor (146280) 2020-07-16 0:00

Hi Gert,
Well framed this lonely man walking in this famous historic town, nice with these Bg and the wall in ground, tfs.

PaulVDV (62802) 2020-07-16 1:46

Hello Gert,
Your main picture shows the attractive mud architecture from close by and the passer-by who steps into the picture makes the view much more interesting.
However, I also know that I would never have thought of choosing this photo as the main upload. Certainly not with both fantastic pictures in the WS.
Apparently everything depends on what you want to see in a photo. I read in the comments that many others would make the same choice as you. Consequently, I feel a little weird in my idea about the pictures.
For me, the photo with this man is successful. But in the WS I find two gems of pictures about Djenn� :)
Best regards, Paul

ChrisJ (171222) 2020-07-16 6:47

Hello Gert,

The man at left is well placed on the vertical 1/3 axis, to enhance the composition. Good texture in the mud brick wall of the Grand Mosque. Excellent sharpness and diffused light. Tfs!

SteveH (8220) 2020-07-16 20:34

Hi Gert, great work! an interesting subject well placed in the frame and with a really interesting BG too. I'm envious. cheers, Steve

rychem (72187) 2020-07-17 0:30

There are two interesting elements in your photo: the original mud architecture and the clothes of the man, I dont know it is a coat or a kind of cape, but it looks like a warm blanket, well captured
regards Ryszard

emka (157280) 2020-07-18 4:22

Hello Gert,

The guy hare has quite a strange cap and kind of poncho in the colours of the mud architecture. Fantastic views of the mosque in Workshop. All pictures deserve being the main upload. hard decision what to choose.
Best regards MAlgo

kasianowak (17672) 2020-07-18 8:59

Hi Gert
Firstly, what a wonderful set of three photos form Djenne. I would say they are amazing examples of "nothing special" but it's a kind of contradiction in terms.
As for your choice of the main upload, it would have been mine as well for its minimalism and graphic qualities. I like the way the man is dressed and his position in the frame. Perfect.
But the one of the hut in the market place is a very close second.
As always, thank you for the link, even if I have already seen and critiqued one of them. They make the post even more complete.
Best wishes
Kasia

tyro (30513) 2020-07-23 15:06

Hello Gert,

Together with your excellent note these three images and your previously uploaded other two make a wonderful presentation.

And of all five images, I think your choice of main photograph was just perfect with this solitary figure, pacing determinedly across the frame with no other distraction than a glimpse of the walls of the mosque above the high wall behind him while he is an almost monochrome figure save for his blue hat. Superb!

Of course, the wider views of the mosque are all excellent including that of the ramshackle market stall built about a tree and also the mud-brick archway outside the mosque. All excellent photographs, very well taken and very expertly scanned and presented.

Wonderful!

Kind Regards,

John.

CLODO (45116) 2020-07-25 0:03

Hi Gert

I like the matching colors of the mosque, ground and cloth of the lonely walking man lost in his thoughts and the details of the mud wall.
Best regards
CLODO

sacimar (38173) 2020-08-07 7:15

Hello Gert,

this is an excellent photo, I like the composition with the lonely man walking in front of the mud building, the visual effect if beautiful, well done,

Have a good weekend,

Sergio