Back to My Roots

.
.
.A 1948 cover of Iris Magazine,
Brazil’s first periodical about photography

During a recent family visit I had the opportunity of talking about a subject that I kind of knew about, but had forgotten details. My grandfather Eudóxio Marques Manço, who died in 1978, dedicated a great deal of his life to professional photography, being the founder of one of Brazil’s oldest photo clubs.

Bringing my father along as his assistant, he’d photograph weddings and other events, besides producing landscape photos of which at least one received a prize (more details coming soon). Besides being a photographer, grandfather Eudóxio was an orchidist and musician (flute player) at our hometown’s symphonic orchestra.

In an old album filled with pictures from that time, besides images made by him (which I plan to scan in a near future), we found the manuscripts of a photo enlarger project and a 1948 issue of Iris – Brazilian Magazine of Photography, Cinema and Graphic Arts.

I guess this tells a lot about what I became…

Copy of grandpa’s original manuscripts,
presumably written in 1948,
with the project for a photo enlarger.
.
.
.

Into the Devil’s Mouth!

.
.
. One of the cave's most beautiful galleries
Photo: © Daniel De Granville, 2007

Last week I took a trip to Cardoso Island State Park and surroundings while guiding a group of high school students. This region, where Brazil was first explored after the arrival of the Portuguese back in the 16th century, is extremely important both historically and environmentally. It comprises the largest remnants of the Atlantic Rainforest in coastal Brazil, besides the country's highest concentration of limestone caves.

The trip was too short for so much to see, but we found some time to visit and photograph one of Brazil’s most famous and astonishing cave: “Caverna do Diabo” (“The Devil’s Cave”). No evidences of Lucifer in there, just incredible formations that unveil amazing sceneries!

Limestone ornaments that are formed in an
extremely slow pace by the dripping water
Photo: © Daniel De Granville, 2007.
.
.
.