As I mentioned in my previous post, this friend of mine is teaching me some basic photography and he lent me his camera for a while.

He gave one simple instruction: Whatever you feel must be captured, capture it!

So, this is what I did. It was a test of my eye for things. I try to see things beyond what they are on the surface; I try to capture its emotional beauty, if that is a thing.

I looked for the unusual angle, the atypical view. I was attracted by the intensity of the green against the decaying walls. There was green everywhere, even in the oxidation of the bell above.

All these pictures were taken around the Museu Histórico e Artístico at Sao Luis Maranhao.

A historical place like this produces mixed feelings. It is a witness of the past and it contains objects that keep that past alive, but at the same time it is a reminder that nothing lasts forever and that all things will pass and most likely be forgotten (unless they are kept in a museum, which can only hold so much).

According to what I was told, the museum is functioning in this old colonial house since the 1960s, but the house was built in the 1830s.

I will leave the interior for another post. For now, I just wanted to explore the outside.

There were so many shadows, despite the light.

And, still, even with the external light, the shadows remained. Add some street jazz and it can get very nostalgic.

Something curious about this azulejos; the Portuguese used them inside as decoration, but the Brazilians found a different use outside insulators.

And here's Noah, our little friend from the garden

All pictures taken by me with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera.

Thanks for your visit. Hope you enjoyed it.