religion — "Travel & Street Photography" — Geraint Rowland Photography

This time last year I spent a couple of months in Dakar, the capital of Senegal. For much of that time I stayed in the beach town of Yoff. At the west end of the beach is the Grande Mosquée de Yoff, a beautiful large white mosque overlooking the ocean. Click through the slideshow below to view some of the photos I took around Grande Mosquée de Yoff:

Boys playing football on a beach in Dakar in front of the Grande Mosquée de Yoff.

Muslim Girls on a beach in Senegal.

Grande Mosquée de Yoff, Dakar, Senegal.

Islam in Dakar, Senegal.

The Grande Mosquée de Yoff, Dakar, Senegal.

A mosque in West Africa, travel photography by Geraint Rowland.

A family returning home after Sunday service at the mosque in Dakar.

The town of Yoff is built along the broad beach at Yoff Bay which faces the Atlantic Ocean, directly north of the centre of Dakar. Here is a previous photography blog I wrote about Yoff Beach and the people that live there. The large mosque is built right on the beach just metres from the ocean.

For much of the week the mosque seemed relatively quiet without much activity, almost ignored by the locals. However on a Sunday morning the mosque is full of locals who attend the weekly service and then often congregate on the beach afterwards. The beach is a fascinating place and great for photography, it is full of life and activity on a daily basis. During the time of the Tabaski Festival you will see children leading animals to the ocean for a wash. At the far end of the beach, past the mosque is the fishing village full of traditional, colourful wooden fishing boats. The surf at Yoff beach is also very consistent and is home to a couple of surfing schools and cheap friendly hostels. During the summer the beach also has some some of the best sunsets I witnessed in Senegal.

More of my travel photography from Senegal can be found on my website, my Instagram, and my Flickr account. If you are interested in purchasing any prints, using an image online or would like further information please send me an email at: geraintrowlandphotography@gmail.com.

I recently spent a couple of months in Senegal, a country in West Africa. I spent the majority of that time in the capital Dakar, mainly at the beach town of Yoff. The town is built along the broad beach at Yoff Bay which faces the Atlantic Ocean, directly north of the city centre of Dakar. In West Africa the beach is much more than a place to relax and soak up the sun. Click through the slideshow below for some of my travel photos taken at Yoff Beach in Dakar:

Children lead a sheep to the ocean for a wash in preparation of the Tabaski festival. The Tabaski festival is known globally as the Eid al-Adha and is celebrated among Muslims worldwide.

Horse and Carts are used in Senegal to transport people and produce up and down the hard packed sand beach of Yoff.

Excited African children play in the ocean as their father brings his boat back onto shore.

A Sengalese woman in striking African clothing walks past the fishing boats which line the beach.

Senegalese Children play football on the beach in front of the large Mosque which overlooks the beach at Yoff in Dakar.

Children wearing football T-Shirts sit amongst the fishing boats at the far end of the beach at Yoff in Dakar.

A fisherman feeds his pet pelicans some fish at sunset in Dakar, Senegal, West Africa..

The beach at Yoff is used as a means of transportation with Horse & Cart transporting people and produce along the beach. In the afternoons the beach becomes a huge gym with hundreds of Sengalese coming to exercise in groups or alone. Several football games take place along the stretch of sand and men practice the Sengalese form of wrestling by the shore. Yoff is also a place to pray with one of the biggest Mosques in Dakar situated overlooking the beach.

The most important function of the beach however is access to the ocean for it's fish. At the far end of the beach lies the fishing centre where many colourful fishing boats line the sand. On the shore women wash and prepare the fish, old fridges lie around storing the catch of the day and locals visit to make a purchase. Everyone here seems to be involved in some way with fishing, be it transporting, cleaning, cooking, catching or selling the daily catch. A very lively and colourful place it was great for photography. The beach also has regular and consistent surf, another good reason to visit and spend a few days there...