Zanzibar - Night Market Magic

When I have a camera in my hands I have the ability to capture something and hold onto it and more importantly I can share what I have captured with people, people who mean a lot to me, people who I have never met before and anyone else who may be interested in taking a look.  When you couple those facts with travel you have the ability to capture and share some pretty special experiences.

2012 saw us travel to Zanzibar and it is a truly captivating island.  The main hub/capital of the island is Stone Town and is steeped in history being one of the last active slave trading posts.  There are sombre reminders of that dark time in the world's history like this memorial.

Slave Memorial, Stone Town - ISO 100, 18mm, f/10, 1/50sec

Thankfully though that is behind us now and Stone Town is an amazing and vibrant place to visit, with one of the best experiences in my opinion being the night market.

Zanzibar Night Market - ISO 1600, 18mm, f/5.6, 0.3sec

Every evening in the main square this market is set up and comes to life with some of the most fantastic food and sights.  The vibrancy of this place is amazing and a stark contrast to the past.  I love how the slow shutter speed of the shot above  has given a blur to some of the people, it really adds a snese of hustle and bustle to the picture.

Seafood galore - ISO 1600, 18mm, f/5.6, 1/40sec

This is the standard fare, local fisherman will display the days catch and you choose what you want which they then cook on an open coal fire and then you negotiate the price.  I love the photo above, I look at it and I am taken right back to that market.  A lovely balmy night, gas lamps hissing and tantalising smells all around you.

Donna and our chefs - ISO 1600, 18mm, f/8.0, 1/40sec

What I love about this picture is it shows how much has changed for the good in Zanzibar.  I believe that at heart we all want to interact with each other and share part of ourselves, be it in conversation or a simple exchange like over this fire place.  I enjoy having the ability to capture these interactions.  This night in Zanzibar will always be with me and having pictures to refer back to and loose myself in tugs at something inside me, it is a great feeling and I hope that sharing these pictures allows you to have a glimpse into that evening as well.

Thanks for dropping by.