Burkina-Faso

Burkina-Faso is a landlocked country located in West Africa, surrounded by six countries. See the gallery.

Spiral Stairs

Most of my street shooting is done with the subject unaware. But I was staying at the private residence & I fell in love with the spiral staircase. I tried a couple of photographs that just did not give it the magic it deserved. We were returning after a long day & while unlocking the security door, several children walked by. It took me a minute but I yelled after them & arranged them around the structure. I gave them each a small amount of money & for the rest of the afternoon their mothers walked over & knocked on the gate to make sure it was honestly gained. Ouagadougo

Mannequins

Late at night we were driving back to our hotel & under a bridge I saw mannequins lined up against a wall. In the dark it was really eerie. Somehow I tracked back to the location the next day. Three, what I assumed brothers, we busy fabricating & repairing fiberglass fashion dummies. It was not hard to make a surrealistic image from their shop. Ouagadougou.

Masks

The country is world famous for its masks. This artisan is painting a typical one at Village Artisanal of Ouagadougou.

From now on shoot church...

On my first assignment overseas I was arrested in Romania. When the leather coat, hobnail boot wearing, skinhead Nazi interrogator headed me back my passport after hours of questioning he told me "from now on shoot church". So I guess I am following his advice here. This is the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Ouagadougou

The Leathersmith

In my book, "travel+PHOTOGRAPHY", I mention "if you change someone's perspective, you can change their point of view". It is evident in this overview of Rood Wooko Market. It is the central shopping area of the city and essential to its vibrancy. What at first looks like chaos is upon closer scrutiny where everyone is performing an important task. Ouagadougou

Burkina-Faso Gallery

Following is our gallery of Burkina-Faso images. Click any to see it larger; then use arrows to see next images. You may SAVE images for academic use simply by right-clicking the images. Contact us for access to full resolution images and terms for publishing.