Helene Cyr Photography » Travel

Yelapa, Jalisco, Mexico

Helene — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 22:42:10 +0000

It’s remarkable how time stands still when there’s no cars, but donkeys, mules, horses and the odd ATV. Literally, Yelapa has no cars and the significance of it’s name (according to what I heard) means the meeting of elements where ocean, river, waterfall, mountains and jungle meet. It’s a visual treat riddled with textures, laughter, kindness and tasty tacos. No one but the indigenous families of the area can own the land. Snowbirds north of the border who migrate there for convenient short periods of time can only lease the land from an agreeable family and for a set time. When the period of the lease agreement is over, you are to revisit the negotiation process with the family land owner’s. This keeps most of the houses, palapas and huts to a reasonable size. No big developer of the Puerto Vallarta type dare venture here which is why this place is magic amongst many other countless reasons! Gracias Miguel for showing me this gem.

West Coast moments

Helene — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 15:51:50 +0000

Félix and the environs are simply a joy to capture.

s. Caicos, spr 2011

Helene — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 20:22:03 +0000

With a 2nd visit under my belt to the friendly, intriguing and at times defeated s. Caicos Island, I continue my visual search.

It’s truly a fascinating island where people are at times defeated by political corruption, witness relentless hurricanes, feel the financial despair, uncertain fish stock and few resources if any, where countless religions runs ramped, a myriad of homes with no running water, where fried chicken is cheap and imported vegetables are off the chart expensive yet for the most part they hold their heads high.

I don’t think it’s wise to assume I know the Island after 2 short visits.. but what I do know, is how the people are often welcoming despite their predicament. This alone both fascinates me and humbles me.

You can hear their laughter and much heated discussions from early sunrise to sunset. A passionate crowd I would add. Some play dominoes so hard that the chips hitting the table hurt my ears. The haitian church near by have a mix of gospel and very very animated preachers belching out indecipherable gargle with an impressive PA system into the wee hours of the morning. According to Mike, this is their only entertainment, not much else to do. The sounds that ring in my ears right now are much of that, preachers relentlessly preaching, numerous under nourished barking dogs, a mysterious rooster, S.Caicos (ians) discussing passionately, the slamming of domino chips, the kindness in their “hello’s”, and the slapping of skin aiming for that adamant blood sucking mosquito!

Hurricane Thomas, S. Caicos

Helene — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 21:59:22 +0000

By the time Hurricane Thomas arrived on S.Caicos it was categorized as a level 1 and unfortunately for the visuals it happened in the dark at 3AM. Nevertheless the build up to it was exciting for us all. Mike and staff followed protocol and took the necessary steps towards safety such as boarding the windows, clearing loose items and removing all dive boats from the waters. We then re-located to a half finished Hotel where the cement structure and double pane windows were safer. Daniel and crew of the Hotel were excellent hosts making sure everyone was comfortable. The storm passed quickly in the night with most impressive winds with deafening sounds to my ears. I can’t imagine a Hurricane level 2 let alone, 3 or 4! I just can’t.

South Caicos, bitter sweet

Helene — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 18:46:33 +0000

Turks and Caicos Islands otherwise known as the TCI, is nestled in the brightest of turquoise Caribbean seas south of the Bahamas. South Caicos is one of the smallest of the islands and perhaps the least favored for tourism. Both high level official corruption and Hurricane Ike left the island deeply scarred. According to Wikipedia the population in 2006 was 1579. Perhaps less today? Apparently there are 12 churches of sorts. I wonder if poverty breeds religion or does religion breed poverty? There are few roads and only 21.2 square KM much of which is abandoned Salinas and for this I question why one of the preachers drives around in a Hummer? There are two hotels under construction one of which is utterly massive called Highlands and has been in the works for the last 20 years and it appears lost in transition. It was the Cancun promise for investors at the time I suppose. For now the airport has a strip to handle small passenger planes a far cry from the commercial airlines needed to fill up the Highland hotel. Although, frankly these hotels may be what is needed to help boost the local economy.

There I visited Mike (my sweet heart) whom is hard working for the School of Field Studies. The 35 university students at SFS study the ocean and marine life which is remarkably bountiful. Never have I seen so much marine life nor will I ever use sea sponge again, it belongs on the ocean floor! I met wonderful people at the school (too many to mention) who kindly leant me their scuba gear and even took the time to teach me how to dive. Merci Claire!

The images below are random, expressing my 2.5 weeks between holiday, rekindling with Mike, observing the local poverty as well as making new friends. I look forward to returning early March and explore further with my camera.

business is done at glacier speed however the quiet beaches and stunning waters can be worth it.

photo by the lovely Ann-Marie

Oahu, a short week of fabulous Aloha spirit

Helene — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 23:34:31 +0000

Oahu, spells Aloha. The Aloha spirit is nothing like I’ve experienced before. Sheer kindness and laid back mentality lies deep within the Oahu’nian veins. Even the official and non-official photographers at the Volcan Pipeline Pro were so surprisingly casual. By the way those pro surfers who ride the pipeline are seriously nuts. If the opportunity arises to visit the lovely Karen and her kind spirited Island once more, I would wish to do an essay on the Aloha spirit and their comfort and respect towards their incredible ocean. “Aloha”!

shot by the lovely Karen

Palm Springs surrounding deserts, 11/29/09

Helene — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 23:38:39 +0000

They boast of 100+ golf courses and a sea of windmills. It’s believable. But you can’t help wonder where heavens’ are they getting their water? After shooting Michelle and Berkeley’s wedding I treated myself to 2 days of desert (mostly by car I’m afraid) as Joshua Tree Park is immense! They should have a sign “watch for soft sand” as you will get very very stuck. And this I did well no more then 20 feet from the paved road! No less then 5 minutes both a car and tow truck stopped to help. This is John with his dog who helped me partly before the tow truck could truly pull me out. John was incredibly kind and seemed as though he was pulled out from a movie! The highway leading to L.A. is already 8 lanes wide at 159 KM from Palm Springs and you are warned not to go near it past 4pm… gaaa. The other park I visited was Indian Canyon, also a spectacular park where the palm trees are huge and grow from a natural fault line water source like an oasis. These two deserts I briefly visited are incredibly spiritual places! Oh! can you find the chain gang in any of these pictures? Truly.

Montréal + eyes open

Helene — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 23:10:43 +0000

A short trip to Montréal with Félix fed many of our senses. Family, dear friends, photographer comrades, and walks along old neighborhoods fueled me beyond words! The City is known for its’ openness and it’s fabulously true, Montréaler’s do not seem threatened by the camera. I was a tourist in my old town and enjoyed opening my eyes.

Brazil, Bahia

Helene — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:15:45 +0000