Himba mother, a photo from Kunene, North

Photographer's Note

Another image of a Himba woman with her baby took on our way back from Epupa falls to Opuwo.

The Himba are a tribe of nomadic pastoralists who inhabit the Kaokoland area of Namibia. The Himba are actually descendants of a group of Herero herders who fled into the remote north-west after been displaced by the Nama.

The Himba have clung to their traditions and the beautiful Himba women are noted for their intricate hairstyles and traditional jewellery.
As Himba men and woman wear few clothes apart from a loin cloth or goat skinned mini-skirt, they rub their bodies with red ochre and fat to protect themselves from the sun and also gives their appearance a rich red colour.

The Himba jewellery is made from iron or shell, and due to their intricate designs have become very popular amongst western tourists. Himba homesteads are cone shaped structures made from palm leaves, mud and cattle dung.

Some more informations about Himbas and their area on the following link of my previous photo

Apologize me for the low quality of the image as it's an old scanned slide.

kclai, Bien, AnimeshRay, devimeuxbe, Aruns has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

fkk (2039) 2006-03-06 10:58

Selam Luca;
Very interesting capture and composition...
Great photo
Thanks for sharing
Very well done

catman-fatih

Paolo (41258) 2006-03-06 11:14

Bella foto Luca. la pelle ambrata degli Himba ricoperta con la mistura di ocra e burro è realmente stupenda.
bel ritratto di famiglia con un'ottima composizione e una luce molto forte.
buona serata, ciao.

donluicu (24741) 2006-03-06 12:11

Luca
this is an excellent portrait, with warm colors..
excellent framing

bye
loic

designsoul (17843) 2006-03-06 13:22

So beautiful, Luka. Beauty and health, naturalness and grace. What are we doing in the west?
Lovely shot!
sasa

faubry (35447) 2006-03-06 13:35

hello luca, superb!!! colorfull, light! bravo, great portrait!! i like a lot
francine

jasmis (58653) 2006-03-06 13:37

Excellent double portrait. Superb mother and child. Makes impression.

gebala (0) 2006-03-06 14:03

hello, I think that this one is better, I like cropping here, great light:) also this protection:) exellent shot like for me:D
kisses

mewot (69) 2006-03-06 20:12

hi Luca,

this is reall quality! stunningly dramatic and live colors, perfect composition! great job on it!

kclai (2267) 2006-03-07 2:47

Hi Luca
A very well cropped and frame portrait image. With the single color toning, this have give the image the advantages of and excellent portrait. The pose of the mother looking elsewhere and the baby taking the milk is just perfectly good enough to eliminte the noise problem.
Bravo.
Eric Lai

Svillegas (1169) 2006-03-07 2:51

Hi Luca
Wonderful portrait, great side light on the mother face and really nice composition.
Have a nice day,
Sonia

ktanska (44766) 2006-03-07 3:06

Hi Luca,
Another great Himba portrait. Tight crop and powerful triangular composition with the faces and the left breast. Colours maybe not as good as in 'Black Venus'.
Kari

jinju (14265) 2006-03-07 3:38

Wow, a stunning reportage. I like the details such as the jewelry which adorns her so beautifully. This is really like something out of Nat Geo story about African tribes. Well framed, the motherly touch and love visible here. Great work Luca.

flydragon (0) 2006-03-07 7:16

Hello Lucas
woww this one is wonderfull
the skin color is awesome
all is warm here
love it
congrat
••simon••

sorry green later

dolin (7369) 2006-03-07 8:04

Hi Luca.
Another good one.
Impressive and touching moment with splendid colors tones.
An interestin vertical shot and framing too.
Nice DOF and focus.
Good shot
Fred

lestans (17258) 2006-03-07 11:28

Altro fantastico ritratto, Luca! Questa donna ha uno sguardo tanto fiero!
Deve essere straordinario viaggiare in quella zona della Namibia.
Ciao!! Livia

marietom (34611) 2006-03-07 12:11

Wouaw, magnifique, cette photo. Belle lumière, superbes couleurs.
Marie

Bien (4745) 2006-03-07 12:19

Ciao Luka, I'm impressed by the quality of work you have posted recently - not that I was not before. I really have grown very fond of your work throughout your several posts and I have a lot of catching up to do by commenting; but I'll start with the last one. This picture is so strong by its framing, I love the position of the mother as well as her baby and the fact that they are both focused towards the same direction at the same time, make their bound look even closer. But also because sometimes I like it better when the subject doesn't look into the camera, it leaves more space to suggestion and imagination - or at least that is how I feel it. Lovely colour range achieved in the difficult African sunlight! Another excellent work from a true artist, congratulations! Sabine

AnimeshRay (9089) 2006-03-07 12:54

What an incredibly powerful photo of motherhood! You tight framing is terrific. The color is rich. No need to apologize abouth the quality. It is superb. Very good note.

tinamunk3 (6408) 2006-03-09 13:43

Hi Luca,

What a gorgeous light you have captured here. Beautiful colours and just a nice scene - the baby drinking milk. Great crop!!

:) Tina

capca (0) 2006-05-29 5:22

It's beautiful... Well done

Mari

DarkoG (8) 2006-07-01 11:59

Very warm photo. Not only because of warm brown tones, but because of scene in which mothers face very clearly shows her bondageand determination to protect child on her breasts.

Goor works
Regards Darko

silycat (611) 2007-01-16 2:48

Hi!
This photo has been chosen by me to represent country in which it was taken in thema "Around the world", it is a very good and sucesful capture and excellent photo!

devimeuxbe (58557) 2008-01-12 8:05

Hi Luca
Beautifull portrait. The light, the colors and the expressive face of this mother are beautifull.
Excellent
Bertrand

Aruns (145) 2012-05-02 9:27