{"id":2332,"date":"2017-01-12T19:54:37","date_gmt":"2017-01-13T01:54:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/?p=2332"},"modified":"2019-07-29T13:24:02","modified_gmt":"2019-07-29T18:24:02","slug":"ya-gotta-run-what-ya-brung-working-with-a-small-camera","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/?p=2332","title":{"rendered":"“Ya gotta run what you brung…” Working with a small camera"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\u00a0\n

I first heard the phrase \u201cRun what you brung\u201d in southern auto and\u00a0 motorcycle racing.\u00a0 It usually signaled impatience when someone was complaining that the rights parts didn\u2019t arrive, the carburetor is a bit off, the tires are too soft (or hard, or bald), or other of the endless reasons racers have for losing.\u00a0 This was a reminder to stop complaining and get to work with what you have.<\/p>\n

The photos here are beachfront and research photos taken during January \u2013 April, 2016\u00a0with a small-sensor camera that fits into a pocket.\u00a0 It was already a couple of generations old when I used it, having been superceded by larger, and even \u201cfull-frame,\u201d pocket cameras.\u00a0 I found that it was a terrific carry-along (even in a pants pocket while bicycling at the beach),\u00a0 and I gradually came to understand that there were images that were not only usable, but had certain special characteristics that were worth a bit of attention.\u00a0 It is still not my camera of choice for something I go out with the intention to photograph, but it is very versatile and helpful when you are in a place Like S\u00e3o Lu\u00eds where it\u2019s always good to have a camera with you. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Beachfront and City images<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"IMG_1488-2\" — This egret (gar\u00e7a<\/em>) on the Calhau Beach<\/em> has appeared in an earlier post of my experiments with a small camera<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
The egret appeared in a January 2016 post on using a small camera (http:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/?m=201601 or scroll down to January).<\/p>\n
This first post was shortly after losing most of our first-choice camera and video camera equipment, and we were adjusting to using our back-up equipment.<\/p>\n
In these photographs the small camera was either the carry-along of choice because it slipped into my pants pocket, or it was all I had.\u00a0 The little camera often made it possible to find images that would have escaped me if I had needed to have a larger camera with me.\u00a0 Sometimes for reasons of convenience or security this is the kind of camera to have.\u00a0 Since this model of camera was made, many more with larger sensors and better image quality are available, but few are more \u201cpocketable.\u201d And as the old photographers\u2019 saying goes, \u201cThe best camera is the one you have with you.\u201d (That is, \u201crun what you brung\u2026\u201d)<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_3465\"$ <\/a>
Beachfront bar at the Ohlo d\u2019agua<\/em> beach in S\u00e3o Luis. The beach is known in local legends for enchanted beings that appear here, but I don\u2019t think they come to the \u201cBar S\u00e3o Sebasti\u00e3o.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_3698-1\"$ <\/a>
These are the heroes of the Calhau Beach. Dressed in heavy sun protection these workers appear every morning to clean up the beach. As the day wears on, debris from the sea and from beach goers assures their jobs for another day.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_3706\"$ <\/a>
This concrete slab bears a mosaic evoking Maranh\u00e3o popular culture, as the rainy season softens its grip and the skies are blue for more of the day.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_3483\"$ <\/a>
Spanish\/Portuguese-style steps leading from the upper to lower historical canter of S\u00e3o Lu\u00eds.\u00a0 This man is drying his laundry on what was once an elegant downtown city passage.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_3517\"$ <\/a>
Graffiti in S\u00e3o Lu\u00eds.\u00a0 The building behind this wall may be renovated one day, but this is still a run-down and picturesque part of the historical center.\u00a0 The plaza this wall faces appears to have been designed for speeches or small theater or dance productions, but it seems mostly abandoned now.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_3519\"$ <\/a>
Graffiti in S\u00e3o Lu\u00eds.\u00a0 This mural refers to an \u201curban quilombo<\/em>,\u201d a metaphorical version of the centuries-old form of rural community formed by escaped and freed slaves, sometimes with the support and participation of indigenous people and others.\u00a0 For centuries the quilombos <\/em>provided a haven of sorts for freed slaves and their supporters.the biggest of them historically, Palmares, was destroyed by government troops and adventurers in the mid-18th century.\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_3596\"$ <\/a>
Barracas, or beachside stands, Calhau Beach, S\u00e3o Lu\u00eds.\u00a0 In a couple of hours the vendors will show up, stock the huts with green coconuts, and spend the day selling \u201cagua de coco,\u201d coconut water.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
**Research on \u201ccultura popular\u201d Marenhense (popular culture in Maranh\u00e3o)<\/strong><\/p>\n**
Working with back-up equipment for photographing in our research project on popular culture, I often used the pocket camera.\u00a0 This women directs a Bumba-meu-boi <\/em>in one of Maranh\u00e3o\u2019s smaller cities.\u00a0 This is in the workshop where costumes and equipment are prepared.\u00a0 She is here reflected in a broken\u00a0 mirror among the props.\u00a0 She is a remarkably energetic performer and group leader, and helped he group, Bumba-meu-boi de Rama Santa be a very popular attraction in Sao Luis in the June festival.<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_2815\"$ <\/a>
Interviewee for our \u201cWomen in Popular Culture\u201d project in the interior of Maranhao .\u00a0 Here she is reflected in a broken mirror in the workshop of the group she leads, Bumba-meu-boi de Rama Santa<\/em> in Cururupu.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_2860\"$ <\/a>
This couple directs a Bumba-meu-boi<\/em> group in a town near Mirinzal.\u00a0 Far from the capital of S\u00e3o Lu\u00eds they practice this heritage celebration on a a virtually non-existent budget.\u00a0 In the older way of celebrating, most of the work is done by the participants, including the construction of their own costumes and, of course, the boi<\/em> itself (the 4-foot ox figure that is danced in the festival).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_2896\"$ <\/a>
\u201cCorro\u00e7a do Boi,\u201d (an oxcart) hauling bricks in Mirinzal.\u00a0 In this part of the interior the rural economy agriculture is a critical part of the life, and cattle serve in many ways.\u00a0 This is a real-life version of the emblematic animal whose name is carried in the Bumba-meu-boi<\/em> festival, Maranhao\u2019s most popular and widespread celebration.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_2936\"$ <\/a>
This woman was a leading celebrant of the Bumba-meu-boi<\/em> until she lost her sight.\u00a0 Here, in the city of Mirinzal.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_2949-1\"$ <\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0 I first heard the phrase \u201cRun what you brung\u201d in southern auto and\u00a0 motorcycle racing.\u00a0 It usually signaled impatience when someone was complaining that the rights parts didn\u2019t arrive, the carburetor is a bit off, the tires are too soft (or hard, or bald), or other of the endless reasons racers have for losing.\u00a0 … Continue reading “Ya gotta run what you brung…” Working with a small camera<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2332","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-images-of-sao-luis-and-maranhao"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2332","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2332"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2332\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2387,"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2332\/revisions\/2387"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2332"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2332"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2332"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

This egret (gar\u00e7a<\/em>) on the Calhau Beach<\/em> has appeared in an earlier post of my experiments with a small camera<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
The egret appeared in a January 2016 post on using a small camera (http:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/?m=201601 or scroll down to January).<\/p>\n
This first post was shortly after losing most of our first-choice camera and video camera equipment, and we were adjusting to using our back-up equipment.<\/p>\n
In these photographs the small camera was either the carry-along of choice because it slipped into my pants pocket, or it was all I had.\u00a0 The little camera often made it possible to find images that would have escaped me if I had needed to have a larger camera with me.\u00a0 Sometimes for reasons of convenience or security this is the kind of camera to have.\u00a0 Since this model of camera was made, many more with larger sensors and better image quality are available, but few are more \u201cpocketable.\u201d And as the old photographers\u2019 saying goes, \u201cThe best camera is the one you have with you.\u201d (That is, \u201crun what you brung\u2026\u201d)<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_3465\"$ <\/a>
Beachfront bar at the Ohlo d\u2019agua<\/em> beach in S\u00e3o Luis. The beach is known in local legends for enchanted beings that appear here, but I don\u2019t think they come to the \u201cBar S\u00e3o Sebasti\u00e3o.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_3698-1\"$ <\/a>
These are the heroes of the Calhau Beach. Dressed in heavy sun protection these workers appear every morning to clean up the beach. As the day wears on, debris from the sea and from beach goers assures their jobs for another day.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_3706\"$ <\/a>
This concrete slab bears a mosaic evoking Maranh\u00e3o popular culture, as the rainy season softens its grip and the skies are blue for more of the day.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_3483\"$ <\/a>
Spanish\/Portuguese-style steps leading from the upper to lower historical canter of S\u00e3o Lu\u00eds.\u00a0 This man is drying his laundry on what was once an elegant downtown city passage.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_3517\"$ <\/a>
Graffiti in S\u00e3o Lu\u00eds.\u00a0 The building behind this wall may be renovated one day, but this is still a run-down and picturesque part of the historical center.\u00a0 The plaza this wall faces appears to have been designed for speeches or small theater or dance productions, but it seems mostly abandoned now.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_3519\"$ <\/a>
Graffiti in S\u00e3o Lu\u00eds.\u00a0 This mural refers to an \u201curban quilombo<\/em>,\u201d a metaphorical version of the centuries-old form of rural community formed by escaped and freed slaves, sometimes with the support and participation of indigenous people and others.\u00a0 For centuries the quilombos <\/em>provided a haven of sorts for freed slaves and their supporters.the biggest of them historically, Palmares, was destroyed by government troops and adventurers in the mid-18th century.\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_3596\"$ <\/a>
Barracas, or beachside stands, Calhau Beach, S\u00e3o Lu\u00eds.\u00a0 In a couple of hours the vendors will show up, stock the huts with green coconuts, and spend the day selling \u201cagua de coco,\u201d coconut water.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
**Research on \u201ccultura popular\u201d Marenhense (popular culture in Maranh\u00e3o)<\/strong><\/p>\n**
Working with back-up equipment for photographing in our research project on popular culture, I often used the pocket camera.\u00a0 This women directs a Bumba-meu-boi <\/em>in one of Maranh\u00e3o\u2019s smaller cities.\u00a0 This is in the workshop where costumes and equipment are prepared.\u00a0 She is here reflected in a broken\u00a0 mirror among the props.\u00a0 She is a remarkably energetic performer and group leader, and helped he group, Bumba-meu-boi de Rama Santa be a very popular attraction in Sao Luis in the June festival.<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_2815\"$ <\/a>
Interviewee for our \u201cWomen in Popular Culture\u201d project in the interior of Maranhao .\u00a0 Here she is reflected in a broken mirror in the workshop of the group she leads, Bumba-meu-boi de Rama Santa<\/em> in Cururupu.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_2860\"$ <\/a>
This couple directs a Bumba-meu-boi<\/em> group in a town near Mirinzal.\u00a0 Far from the capital of S\u00e3o Lu\u00eds they practice this heritage celebration on a a virtually non-existent budget.\u00a0 In the older way of celebrating, most of the work is done by the participants, including the construction of their own costumes and, of course, the boi<\/em> itself (the 4-foot ox figure that is danced in the festival).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_2896\"$ <\/a>
\u201cCorro\u00e7a do Boi,\u201d (an oxcart) hauling bricks in Mirinzal.\u00a0 In this part of the interior the rural economy agriculture is a critical part of the life, and cattle serve in many ways.\u00a0 This is a real-life version of the emblematic animal whose name is carried in the Bumba-meu-boi<\/em> festival, Maranhao\u2019s most popular and widespread celebration.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_2936\"$ <\/a>
This woman was a leading celebrant of the Bumba-meu-boi<\/em> until she lost her sight.\u00a0 Here, in the city of Mirinzal.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_2949-1\"$ <\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0 I first heard the phrase \u201cRun what you brung\u201d in southern auto and\u00a0 motorcycle racing.\u00a0 It usually signaled impatience when someone was complaining that the rights parts didn\u2019t arrive, the carburetor is a bit off, the tires are too soft (or hard, or bald), or other of the endless reasons racers have for losing.\u00a0 … Continue reading “Ya gotta run what you brung…” Working with a small camera<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2332","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-images-of-sao-luis-and-maranhao"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2332","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2332"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2332\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2387,"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2332\/revisions\/2387"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2332"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2332"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2332"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}