The small city I grew up in...

[Otavio]

Hi. No birds, nor bugs, not even landscapes this time. Actually nothing great at all. Anyway, this is the small city I grew up in. It means a lot to me, as I had a great childhood there, playing (mainly footbal, of course!) freely with friends, without the violence and other major concerns of most big cities! This is the city of Rio Paranaíba, in Minas Gerais state (Brazil). I lived there from the age of 1 until I was 14. After almost 10 years from the last time I've been there, I had the chance to revisit it last Christmas. I just processed some images from this visit (yes, this was on my "to do list" since then...). Just wanted to share these with you, as I am sure many of you also recall (and probably miss) your childhood times!

Although I am not "alone in the darkness", I also share with you the lyrics of "Forever", by the Finnish band Stratovarius. The lyrics came to my mind while processing the images.

"I stand alone in the darkness
The winter of my life came so fast
Memories go back to childhood
To days I still recall

Oh how happy I was then
There was no sorrow there was no pain
Walking through the green fields
Sunshine in my eyes

I'm still there everywhere
I'm the dust in the wind
I'm the star in the northern sky

I never stayed anywhere
I'm the wind in the trees
Will you wait for me forever?"

Thanks for viewing!

#1


#2


#3


#4


#5


#6

[Digital]

Excellent photography, Ota'vio.


Bruce

[kaneohebud]

Otavio, meu amigo. Muito obrigado por fazer-me consciente do grupo "Stratovarius" e a canção "Forever." comprei no iTunes porque realmente preso casa para mim. Neste momento da minha vida, quase me fez chorar. Você tem um olho e a orelha para a beleza. I wanted to send this in Portuguese in honor of my great grandfather who came to America from the Azores.

[FootLoose]

I like the architectual images, Otavio, though I think the 2nd one could possibly stand a little perspective correction.

[John 2]

You quote "Photography is the Poetry of the eyes" and I think you just proved it. Very nice essay in pictures.

[Bobobird]

Excellent photography, Ota'vio.


Bruce

+1 to that.

[bedantabd]

+1 to that.

+2......

[Donald]

Wonderful light that you have made the very best use of. Great clarity in the pictures.

[Otavio]

Excellent photography, Ota'vio.


Bruce

Hi, Bruce. Thank you very much for viewing and commenting!

[Otavio]

Otavio, meu amigo. Muito obrigado por fazer-me consciente do grupo "Stratovarius" e a canção "Forever." comprei no iTunes porque realmente preso casa para mim. Neste momento da minha vida, quase me fez chorar. Você tem um olho e a orelha para a beleza. I wanted to send this in Portuguese in honor of my great grandfather who came to America from the Azores.

Bruce, thank you very much for the encouraging words! I really appreciate your feedback and I am glad you liked the images and the song! Also, congratulations for your excellent portuguese!

Muito obrigado, meu amigo!

[Otavio]

I like the architectual images, Otavio, though I think the 2nd one could possibly stand a little perspective correction.

Hi, Greg. Thanks for viewing and commenting. Yes, #2 certainly deserves a perspective correction. I will play a little more with it. Cheers!

[Otavio]

You quote "Photography is the Poetry of the eyes" and I think you just proved it. Very nice essay in pictures.

Hi, John. Thank you very much for your reply! Cheers.

[Otavio]

+1 to that.

Thank you very much, mate!

[Otavio]

+2......

Hi, Bedanta. Good hearing from you! And thanks for your reply. Regards,

[Otavio]

Wonderful light that you have made the very best use of. Great clarity in the pictures.

Donald, thank you so much for the encouraging feedback. I am really glad that you liked these simple images! Regards,

[Suzan J]

Hello Otavio: It was very nice to read your story and view these sentimental photos. I particularly like the images of the church buildings. I find that the older I get, the more comforting it is to re-visit those magical times of ones' youth. I'm in the midst of working on an "ancestry project" for my husband and I can definitely tell you now after months of research how important it is to pass on this type of story to your children. My husband's family history is so sparse and there is little we know of them. Even if a person is lucky enough to have old photos of their ancestors, it means little without the context that personal accounts such as this can bring to your history.

[Otavio]

Hello Otavio: It was very nice to read your story and view these sentimental photos. I particularly like the images of the church buildings. I find that the older I get, the more comforting it is to re-visit those magical times of ones' youth. I'm in the midst of working on an "ancestry project" for my husband and I can definitely tell you now after months of research how important it is to pass on this type of story to your children. My husband's family history is so sparse and there is little we know of them. Even if a person is lucky enough to have old photos of their ancestors, it means little without the context that personal accounts such as this can bring to your history.

Hello, Suzan. Thank you very much for viewing and commenting. I know what you mean. It is really difficult to gather these ancestry information. I wish you luck with your ancestry project!

[Plumcrak]

Otavio, very nice set of photos, well done. In #2, if the light pole and comm tower were not there I think would help a lot, although it is still a very nice capture.

[Otavio]

Otavio, very nice set of photos, well done. In #2, if the light pole and comm tower were not there I think would help a lot, although it is still a very nice capture.

Hi, Jon. Thank you very much for viewing and commenting. Will try some cloning on #2, to remove the pole/comm tower. Regards,

[FlyingSquirrel]

Otavio, thank you for sharing this part of your life with us! It was very nice to learn something about you and your history. I especially like photo #5.