A20_4318

Eternal playful
Amazon River dolphin (Inia geoffrensis)
A wild animal, on the banks of the Negro River, plays ball with humans. As I play along, cheering, feeling that same joy in my heart, the ball bounces towards my camera. I try to keep it within the frame limits and wait for the playful creature to jump out of the water, in that moment of extreme concentration that every photographer enjoys. Sometimes it seems like he’s gone, the ball remains still for an endless time on the water’s surface, and when the earthling approaches to grab it, the toy jumps high and the playful being emerges with a smile on its face. Like all its relatives, the pink river dolphin (Inia geoffrensis) has that youthful and festive nature imprinted in its DNA. In the Amazon, it is known to attend the lively nights of the riverbank: wearing a hat, dressed in white, elegant and seductive, the sorcerer enchants everyone, especially the maiden he chosen to conquer. He is known to entertain himself by lifting the canoes from below, especially if there is a woman on board. And what to say if she is menstruating, she wouldn’t dare to venture onto the waters, nor would her travel companions allow her to embark.

A20_4318 – Leonide Principe
Equipment: NIKON D2X with lens 70.0-200.0 mm f/2.8 set at 200 mm – Exposition: ISO: 100 – Aperture: 5 – Shutter: 1/400 – Program: Normal – Exp. Comp.: 0.0,
Original digital capture of a real life scene
Original file size: 4312px x 2868px
Location: Paraná do Ariaú (Iranduba – Amazonas Brazil)
Date: June 28, 2006 – Time: 12:27:42 PM
Collection: Amazon River Dolphin – Persons shown: none
Keywords:
boto-vermelho, Amazon river dolphin, boto cor-de-rosa, boutu, bufeo, encantado, enchanted, Inia geoffrensis, pink dolphin, tonina, mamíferos aquáticos, aquatic mammals, mamíferos, mammals, FAUNA, animals, ball, bola, rio Negro, Negro River, rios, rivers, águas, waterscapes, paraná do Ariaú, Ariau parana, Iranduba, Amazonas, Amazônia, Amazon, Amazonian, Brazil, Brasil, Brazilian, América do Sul, South America
EN1 Eternal playful A20_4318
PT1 Eterno brincalhão A20_4318
© – Leonide Principe, all right reserved
https://leonideprincipe.photos

A20_4333a

The City of the Botos
It was only because of the two cameras hanging around my neck that I managed to resist the strong urge to jump into the water. However, these two cameras did not diminish my pleasure in participating in the game. I had in my sights an extraordinary model of life, something that I always considered as an ideal: total freedom to do as one pleases, without any conditioning, other than the universal law: the natural right to freedom that lives in harmony with all beings. Certainly, the boto knows and applies this law. The food of the noble libertarian is abundant and has never endangered the existence of those species that feed it. And most importantly, by that same law, this aquatic mammal is undoubtedly a happy being. The Amazon River dolphin has no possessions, much less liabilities, does not know what commitments are, and daily food itself turns into another game.
What more could I want than to swim freely and joyfully all day long? Legends say that deep in the river there is a great city of the botos, where the party is permanent, where everything is cause for celebration, where banquets and delicious delicacies never end. There are humans who, more skilled in shamanic arts, claim to have visited this city and describe it as the most blessed place on Earth. They say that whoever wants to return to the surface should under no circumstances accept any drink or food offered to them. By accepting, they would remain there, enchanted for the rest of their life.

A20_4333a – Leonide Principe
Equipment: NIKON D2X with lens 70-200mm f/2.8 set at 200 mm – Exposition: ISO: 100 – Aperture: 4.8 – Shutter: 1/350 – Program: Normal – Exp. Comp.: 0.0,
Original digital capture of a real life scene
Original file size: 3072px x 2043px
Location: Paraná do Ariaú (Iranduba – Amazonas Brazil)
Date: June 28, 2006 – Time: 12:30:18 PM
Collection: Amazon River Dolphin – Persons shown: none
Keywords:
boto-vermelho, Amazon river dolphin, boto cor-de-rosa, boutu, bufeo, encantado, enchanted, Inia geoffrensis, pink dolphin, tonina, mamíferos aquáticos, aquatic mammals, mamíferos, mammals, FAUNA, animals, ball, bola, rio Negro, Negro River, rios, rivers, águas, waterscapes, paraná do Ariaú, Ariau parana, Iranduba, Amazonas, Amazônia, Amazon, Amazonian, Brazil, Brasil, Brazilian, América do Sul, South America
EN2 The city of the botos A20_4333a
PT2 A cidade dos botos A20_4333a
© – Leonide Principe, all right reserved
https://leonideprincipe.photos

A20_4379

Twirls and somersaults
The boto team controls the ball, the player disappears into the depths of the river with the toy. It seems like the game is over, everyone waits in anticipation, and suddenly the ball bounces out of the water, far away from the other players. I imagine the twirls and somersaults they must be pulling off down there, where another parallel, mysterious, and sophisticated game must be taking place. I imagine the photographs I could take down there…

A20_4379 – Leonide Principe
Equipment: NIKON D2X with lens 70.0-200.0 mm f/2.8 set at 200 mm – Exposition: ISO: 100 – Aperture: 4.8 – Shutter: 1/320 – Program: Normal – Exp. Comp.: 0.0,
Original digital capture of a real life scene
Original file size: 4312px x 2868px
Location: Paraná do Ariaú (Iranduba – Amazonas Brazil)
Date: June 28, 2006 – Time: 12:36:45 PM
Collection: Amazon River Dolphin – Persons shown: none
Keywords:
boto-vermelho, Amazon river dolphin, boto cor-de-rosa, boutu, bufeo, encantado, enchanted, Inia geoffrensis, pink dolphin, tonina, mamíferos aquáticos, aquatic mammals, mamíferos, mammals, FAUNA, animals, ball, bola, rio Negro, Negro River, rios, rivers, águas, waterscapes, paraná do Ariaú, Ariau parana, Iranduba, Amazonas, Amazônia, Amazon, Amazonian, Brazil, Brasil, Brazilian, América do Sul, South America
EN3 Pirouettes and somersaults A20_4379
PT3 Piruetas e cambalhotas A20_4379
© – Leonide Principe, all right reserved
https://leonideprincipe.photos

A20_4313a

Citizen of other planets
What would planet Earth be without your presence? They say that you and your ocean relatives, dolphins and whales, came from the Sirius planetary system, a double star of the first magnitude, the brightest in our sky. Surely, there must be a very advanced civilization there. They sent you here to show these little human rascals that there are other ways of living. I have many reasons to admire you, I know your ocean relatives, I sailed with them, I spent hours watching the jumps and playfulness at the bow of the boat. I was amazed when the huge sperm whale emerged to port, right next to the sailboat, shooting a strong jet of water into the sky. And what about the humpback whale? The mysterious singer… that I listen to over and over, wanting to understand the celestial message.

A20_4313a – Leonide Principe
Equipment: NIKON D2X with lens 70-200mm f/2.8 set at 200 mm – Exposition: ISO: 100 – Aperture: 6.3 – Shutter: 1/640 – Program: Normal – Exp. Comp.: 0.0,
Original digital capture of a real life scene
Original file size: 3144px x 2091px
Location: Paraná do Ariaú (Iranduba – Amazonas Brazil)
Date: June 28, 2006 – Time: 12:27:24 PM
Collection: Amazon River Dolphin – Persons shown: none
Keywords:
boto-vermelho, Amazon river dolphin, boto cor-de-rosa, boutu, bufeo, encantado, enchanted, Inia geoffrensis, pink dolphin, tonina, mamíferos aquáticos, aquatic mammals, mamíferos, mammals, FAUNA, animals, ball, bola, rio Negro, Negro River, rios, rivers, águas, waterscapes, paraná do Ariaú, Ariau parana, Iranduba, Amazonas, Amazônia, Amazon, Amazonian, Brazil, Brasil, Brazilian, América do Sul, South America
EN4 Syrian citizen A20_4313a
PT4 Cidadão siriano A20_4313a
© – Leonide Principe, all right reserved
https://leonideprincipe.photos