Diademed Sifaka on Siesta
by Gary Paige    Gary and Myrna present a wonderful show of photographs they took on a trip to Madagascar.  They term this part of the world A World Apart and their photographs show the wild life and the people of this amazing county.  The trip took a great deal of planning, as it is not something that you show up at the airport and get bused to each location along with 40 of your closest friends! The Diademed Sifaka, or diademed simpona, is an endangered species of sifaka, one of the lemurs endemic to certain rain-forests in eastern Madagascar. This species is one of the world's largest living lemurs, with a total adult length of approximately 105 centimeters, half of which is its tail!  These contrast with some of the smaller primates who "modeled" for the Paige's.Great nature photographs are more than just documenting what the animal looks like, but creates an engrossing portrait, showing its character and having it look directly into your eyes develops a feeling of intimacy with the Sifaka.  Gary has captured the gestures of an animal which probably is most often seen from a distance, moving through the trees of Madagascar.  Thus. this allows the viewer to do what we always do with animal, anthropomorphize them, giving them "human" characteristics, if only in our minds.  This allows the viewer to feel an almost kinship with the lemur.The pose is one which seems so natural and relaxed, you might almost expect it to reach down and pick up a soft drink and a bag of chips. The colors of the photography play off well with each other...the strong bright lemur colors against the neutral underbrush green leaves.  Framing is centered but his head is in the upper left-hand quadrant, making for a very pleasing composition.   

Malagasy Rice Field by Myrna Paige As with many post-colonial countries, Madagascar has had its share of political and economic problems. It's an economically developing nation, with a major export has been captured very nicely by Myrna. The Malagasy Rice Field that she illustrates is only about 20% of the photo but grabs our eye immediately. It's lush green color contrasts sharply with the scrub land surrounding it. The rice field could be an image by itself, but Myrna decides to 'zoom' out to provide us with a better idea of the area within which this field resides. The concentric half circles beginning with the irrigation ditch in the lower left, guide the eye diagonally to the upper right of the image where one notices a small hut presumably the next stop for the woman carrying a bucket through the field. Her straight stature and determined walk speak to the intense labor needed for this type of agriculture. Her bright red/orange outfit stands out of the green colors of the vegetation and the earth tones of the hut, scrub brush and small cliffs at the edge of the field. Myrna has provided us with a positive image of creating something positive from a sparse land and the determination and hard work that the people of the land are willing to give.