15 – 17 July 2010
S8 30.123 E158 00.957 – Chea Village, Marovo Island
Still in Chea Village, Marovo Lagoon, we concentrated in photographing people. The weather had not eased up on us and with the rains and occasional bursts of sunshine, we did mostly indoors stuff. And the Solomon Islander children were absolutely beautiful. Their mocha brown skins were shinny and healthy and their Melanesian features stunning. As we spent time photographing the carvings in the Community Hall, the entire village seemed to be peering from behind us, until we thought to put them in front of the black background. Instead of inanimate objects, we decided to concentrate in getting proper people portraits done. The giggles erupted and the younger kids eagerly waited for their turn. It was more the teenagers who were shy and almost resistant, but as the Star Trek Borg says it, “Resistance is futile” when Stella is around!
It started one morning when children passing by our house had flowers in their hair! How could we not photograph these faces? The studio portraits deep in the islands of Marovo Lagoon.
Cynthia Clifford with Samantha Namusu playing hairdresser 
Samantha Namusu again just because we can’t have enough of her joyful face 
Gege Boso, the shy teenage lass of Chea 
Nerol Ghele was less shy and she identified all the people in the pictures for me! 
Tanisa Ofai with her wild frizzy hair getting out of the fold 
Gino Namusu from the carving Namusu clan 
Rome Dickson had the most interesting profile 
Cynthia Clifford stared with a faraway look. I wonder what daydreams she had