Today’s photo is from the Omo Tribe living in the Omo Valley in Ethiopia… A photo with a very interesting story…
The Hamers, who live east of Mago National Park in the Omo Valley, are especially known for their women’s copper-colored hair and ornate hairstyles. Women mix powdered red clay, water and butter and rub the strands of hair with this mixture. They make the separate strands solid, and attach colorful beads and embellishments to the ends of the hair like a pattern. They protect the hardened hair for several months by applying butter.
While we were filming the marriage ceremony in this tribe, I noticed a mother washing her child a little far from us. However, this washing is a little different from the methods we know… In this region where water is scarce like everything else, the woman was washing the water she poured from the bucket into her mouth by spraying her child’s head… I used my telephoto lens to photograph this event that took place in a short time without “miss”. The 40-150 mm lens functions as 300 mm thanks to the 2x optical multiplier, thus giving the chance to see details from distant subjects.
It is possible to keep the shutter speed high by using an open aperture and to blur the background using a limited depth of field. Thus, attention can be focused on the main topic.
By measuring the light on the mother and child, I can ensure that the skin color and general tones are formed correctly. Again, by making a minus (-) exposure, I can make these tones stronger.
Camera: Olympus OMD EM1
Lens: 40 – 150 mm (used as 150 mm)
Aperture: 2.8
Shutter: 1 / 800 s.
ISO: 200
Exposure Compensation: -0.7 stops
