Maasai Warrior Photo

Photographer’s Note

Just outside the Serengeti National Park, we visited a Maasai village. We had previously been told not to attempt taking any photos of the Maasai, as they were quite likely to throw a spear at you. However as we paid to go into the village we were able to take as many photos as we liked. First the women sang for us and then the men did a dance called the adumu, where they take turns to jump as high as they can from a standing start to demonstrate their strength and agility.

As you see from this warrior portrait, ear piercing and lobe stretching is practised. Typically they use thorns for piercing and stretch the hole in the lobe with a variety of things, like stones or twigs although many of the younger men no longer do this. Both men and women adorn themselves with jewellery, as you see.

Rob and I were taking turns to use the 70-300mm lens for animal shots and this day it was my turn. Maybe not ideal in the village but I think this turned out well.

ISO100, FL240mm

ktanska, kkyriakos, jwmunro, Gerrit, Dpbours, Wandering_Dan, Didi, Cricri, gneufeld, JCG, Photo65Net, snunney, Dyerco, crckt, stego, noborders, dareco, scobert, Emile, ruisc_pt, riclopes, ChrisJ, plimrn, gunbud has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

ktanska (16545) 2008-03-10 3:46

Hi Kath,
A cool side portrait of this warrior. Light is optimal for showing forms of the face and skin texture. I think dark skin almost always looks better on portraits! I like the simple blurred background too. Who says you can't take good portraits with a tele!
Kari

kkyriakos (422) 2008-03-10 3:59

Hello Kath

Very nice portrait of warrior man of Maasai.

Regards

gilou530 (35156) 2008-03-10 4:00

salut kath
quand on connais la difficulté de faire des photos avec ls massais, je comprend que tu ai pris le zoom, belle netteté j'apprécie ce portrait car j'ai eu les memes problémes
amitiés
gilbert

jwmunro (6571) 2008-03-10 4:34

Hello Kath -

For a girl who claims she can not do portraits and people you did a bang up job on this one. The use of the 70-300 was a good choice, usually 100mm is the lens for portraits. Here we do not have eye contact but the distant stare and the focus on the jewelry works IMHO. Exposure is spot on as you have perfect skin tones and details with NO UE's on the subject nor OE's in the BG. The proportions of the composition are perfect as the subject is on one of the thirds but the use of his arm to enhance and frame the composition is a delightful touch. Well done!

Congratulation on your special day! And many more, WOW! And, way to go Rob you really made her day!

Thank you for sharing.

John

AnaFrantz (624) 2008-03-10 4:37

Hi Kath,
Very good portrait, the men expression is strong and very touchfull.
Good work!

Gerrit (35661) 2008-03-10 5:13

Hi Kath,
fantastic portrait with great DOV. The light and use of it are excellent. Great colours in the lower part.
Regards, Gerrit

lopshang (628) 2008-03-10 6:48

Hi Kath

Amazing potrait. What a lovely shot. wow those sharp colors are great. Overall a fantastic and stunning composition.

Regards,

Lopshang.

Dpbours (220) 2008-03-10 7:02

Hi Kath,

A wonderful portrait it is! I love the comment 'We were taking turns to use the 70-300mm' :-). What a sacrifices in the relationship ;-).

Greetings!
Dennis

Wandering_Dan (3219) 2008-03-10 7:45

Hi, Kath -

An excellent portrait showing details of the decorations and giving us a sense of his strength of character. Many portrait photographers like to use a short telephoto, so there is certainly nothing wrong with doing so. And the shallow DOF gives us a taste of the background but not so much that it distracts.

Regards,
Dan

izmirli (3115) 2008-03-10 7:57

merhaba dear kath
wonderful portrait picture.excellent interesting maasai man.well done.
best regards.
gürkan akçakır.

Didi (36074) 2008-03-10 10:58

Hi Kath
Very nice portrait of this proud warrior who have a very good profile.
Sharp subject with a blur backgroud give a good quality in your composition.
Cheers.

Cricri (43092) 2008-03-10 11:31

Hi Kath,
Vous avez capturer un trés beau profil de ce monsieur Maasai avec ces détails et décorations de couleurs, bon DOF, sympat et jolies aussi celle en WS, et bonne note sur le village, compliment
Have a nice evening for you

markstaples (15670) 2008-03-10 13:19

Your portrait is so clear and detailed thanks to excellent sharpness. You can see every blemish on his face. I like too your framing - how the man is looking into the shot. The background is sufficiently blurred so as not to be distracting. Excellent portraiture.
Best wishes
Mark

gneufeld (15169) 2008-03-10 16:12

Hi Kath,
I really like the deep rich tones of this image - I think the very dark skin of this warrior adds strength and power to the shot. The lobe stretching is obviously a lasting cultural thing and to capture these characteristics is this setting is awesome. TFS. Gerald

JCG (25263) 2008-03-10 22:43

Hi Kath,

The profile of this maasai is well photographed, I like much the clearness of the image and the luminosity. It is attractive people. I was always impressed by their jumps that you present to us in WS. Beautiful and interesting photograph, thank you for the note Kath.

With all my friendships and a very good day,

Jean-Charles

Graal (57821) 2008-03-11 0:31

Hi Kath,
Great 3 photos, very interesting portraits, dance and colours of dresses. I like it a lot.
Can You talk a few words about this lens? Perhaps I will buy also.
Gr., Aleksander

vincz (19039) 2008-03-11 1:26

Not so common for you to post portraits. A very good one here with excellent choice of DOF. Sharpness is top and the light beautiful on his face. Textures of his skin, beard and hair are rendered in an excellent way.

Photo65Net (43084) 2008-03-11 1:48

Hello Kath,
Wow, superb portrait !
Your DOF management is great, and you caught amazing attitude from this warrior.
Very pleasant too are the colors.
Regards,
JB.

snunney (34800) 2008-03-11 2:27

Hello Kath,
A fine portrait of this proud man with his adornments. The telephoto is excellent for lifting subjects from their background and you have used it to good effect here. Great tones and clarity where they are needed.

fabio_ts (13674) 2008-03-11 6:15

Portrait is not a typical work for you but, however, you have created a great image, excellent job Kath, congrats!!

have a nice evening!!
Fabio.

Dyerco (9058) 2008-03-11 7:09

Hi Kath
WOW!! What a great portrait. The detail is superb and the BG is nicely out of focus. The light seems fairly subtle so the contrast is just right.
Phil

crckt (7074) 2008-03-11 10:45

Ki Kath,
Something different from you and I absolutely love it. What a fabulous portrait this is! The ears are very interesting, and you got the right angle to capture that. Excellent work!
Well done,
Shaeri

everlasting (10898) 2008-03-12 8:45

A wonderful side profile portrait, Kath. I like how we see the details of his decorations. The shallow DOF presents a lovely bokeh. I had to smile when I read sharing the lens, my husband and I also have the same "problem" and now he has a D200 the conversation is now who gets to use the 200 and lens.......:)

stego (22352) 2008-03-12 9:43

Hi Kath,
I guess that your 'uneasiness' about photographing people is a thing of the past. This is a truly great portrait. His expression is impressive. The profile is much effective visually. The light management and DOF are spotless.
As usual, the WS's are a great complement to have a look at the situation. The one of Rob's is specially interesting, because of the strange light and of the position of the dancer, who looks to be levitating.
Regards, José.

berek (28881) 2008-03-12 23:08

Hi Kath,
nice portrait my friend. I like your light control. have a nice day.
Burak Erek

Angshu (33627) 2008-03-13 1:01

Hi Kath
One of the portraits I liked in your website. Full side profile with the typical skull structure & light playing on his face. Framing is excellent & so is the use of shallow DOF. If I were to suggest, a slight turn of his head towards you MIGHT have had a highter impact IMO...something I feel as a viewer. But, good work!
Regards
Angshu

noborders (14199) 2008-03-13 5:21

Hi Kath,
I'm really happy to see this man in your gallery, you are equally good at portraying proud warriors or close ups of roaring lions as you are at describing the beautiful countryside near where you are living !
Hoping to see other human beings (if possible) and wildlife soon,
Compliments,
Best regards,
Cath.
(NB : fantastic costumes in WS I, amazing jump in WS II that you could maybe post another day with another PP ?)

dareco (17104) 2008-03-13 9:54

I don't know how I've managed to miss so many of your pictures, they are really good!!! I think working-for-a-living is really interfering with LIFE :) I love the very thoughtful expression, a beautiful side on view. TFS

scobert (5333) 2008-03-13 14:06

Hi Kath,
A marvelous portrait of this good looking gentleman! I love your profile shot, his well tailored clothes and jewelry, and your soft lighting. Your 70-300 zoom was a real workhorse for your journey and you could not have taken this outstanding portrait with a 600mm f/4 wildlife lens. Fabulous image!
Stan

Emile (19947) 2008-03-14 7:54

Hola Kath.
Superb portrait of the Maasai Warrior, member of one of the most well known tribe in Africa, very good texture on his face and a strong expression, your DOF enhances the figure of the warrior, good colors and perfect sharpness.
Well done.
Cheers.

ruisc_pt (6206) 2008-03-14 9:27

Hi Kath
The details are incredible. The neck collar colours are astonishing distinct.
A great exposure for a great warrior...
TY
Rui

coco (27820) 2008-03-14 15:43

Hi Kath.

The subject of this photo is clear and wonderful too.
The note is good too and technicalle good too.

Well done.

riclopes (32973) 2008-03-15 7:20

Olá Kath, I'm really enjoying your photos from this trip and it's dificult for me choosing which one to make a critic. I decided for this one, because it's about people :) I've already seen you in the front page of TE with the "queen of serengeti" and your first post with the balloon. Superb close approach with great detail, taken with your zoom. He seems to have his mind far away which gives more intensity to the moment. Beautiful blurred background making his silhoutte stand out sharp and clear. It's a great shot. Nice complementar WSs - it's allways impressive to see those jumps, maybe even more in pictures because they seem to be floating in the air...
ricardo

ChrisJ (70165) 2008-03-17 6:28

Hi Kath

A superb profiled portrait of the Maasai tribesman, with marvellous sharpness & graphism. Tfs!

plimrn (19602) 2008-03-22 15:27

Hi Kath,
What a wonderful portrait!! You show this warrior with such grace and dignity. I think what I like best about all three of these portraits is the way you maintain their dignity. Well Done!!
HLJ, Pat

gunbud (27819) 2009-01-07 19:14

Hi Kath,
Wonderful profile of this proud warrior who face and jewelry are seen in striking details and sharpness.
The colors and subperb and it is good that you did not have to duck to get this lovely portrait.
Regards, Tom