Braids, a photo from Kunene, North

Photographer's Note

Among himba people, hairstyles indicate age and social status.

A young girl typically has two plaits (ozondato) of braided hair, the form being determined by the patrilineal descent group.

Just before puberty, the girls wear long plaitlets worn loose around the head – it can take on various forms and sometimes wigs are worn over it.

daddo, kasianowak, maltese, tyro, kabel has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

daddo (28748) 2014-08-23 19:36

Hi Andre. Ah, the bright African sun! Lots of fascinating ornamental detail.I like her direct gaze- she has picked it up from the adults, the pride of being a Himba. Regards. Klaudio.

emka (158680) 2014-08-23 22:42

Hello Andre,
Amazing young himba girl, the possibility of taking some photos of them is a dream of a photographer. Beautiful portrait, she looks very proudly in your camera. Beautiful braids and necklace.
I remember the colour of the skin more red. Is she here without the usual paint from clay?

WArm regrads MAlgo

kasianowak (17676) 2014-08-23 23:14

Hi Andrew
Excellent portrait, I like the proud expression on the girl's face and the way she is looking directly at the camera. Great idea to include a hint of the village architecture in the background.
Thank you for the interesting note.
Best wishes
Kasia

jjcordier (79299) 2014-08-23 23:56

André
Un portrait en pied d'excellente qualité. La lumière est parfaite et l'unité de tons superbe. Admiration!
Amitiés
JJ

maltese (22909) 2014-08-24 0:56

Hello André
Une superbe lumière pour saisir un très beau portrait. Beaucoup de douceur dans le regard de l'enfant !!
Beau travail
Amicalement
Hervé

Gerrit (62042) 2014-08-24 2:36

Hi Andre,
her frank and self conscious look also seem to say a lot about her social status.
Wonderful portrait and great well managed light.
regards, Gerrit

holmertz (103540) 2014-08-24 3:12

Hello André,
This is a lovely portrait with very fine light and colours. I like the girl's self-assured look s she is posing for you, and I love her braided hair and her necklace. I also like the mud wall and thatched roof seen in the background.
Regards,
Gert

tyro (30513) 2014-08-24 4:39

Hello André,

A fascinating note and a beautiful portrait of this young Himba girl displaying her beautiful hair and wearing some very fine ornaments around her neck and arms. What strikes me as a little strange, however, is the size of her hands - they look much more like an adult's hands rather than those belonging to a pre-adolescent girl - I wonder if that might be the legacy of hard manual work done by children amongst the Himba people?

In any case, this is a very fine portrait, taken in lovely light, displaying lovely colours and, as always, exquisite details and sharpness.

Beautiful!

Kind Regards,

John.

marabu61 (11587) 2014-08-24 5:21

Hello Andre
The portrait of a young and proud Himba girl in her natural setting of her village, this is a wonderful portrait that sums up Africa in a nutshell. The eye contact with your camera gives her a strong impression and the warm african light is gorgeous.
have a great sunday
Daniel

willperrett (14215) 2014-08-24 5:56

Hello Andre

A fine environmental portrait. I like the slight smile, as if she's prepared to humour you for a few seconds before she goes about her business. Just enough "environment" for us to visualise the location.

Regards

Will

No_One (4) 2014-08-25 1:22

Hi Andre
Wonderful portrait, her gaze directly into your camera captures a brilliant moment and seems to show a strong connection between you and her. She also seems quite bemused with the moment too and that partial smile makes her face very pleasant. The light is fantastic as is your perfectly controlled depth of field on the background.
Cheers
Noel

kabel (1930) 2014-08-25 6:29

Hello, especially nice portrait. Perfect composition. It makes me wonder what she is thinking.
TFS,
Karen

batalay (41261) 2014-08-25 19:29

Hello André,

An excellent portrait of the young girl. The earthy colors of the background complement the photo well. There is a certain innocence and poise in her demeanor. Well done,

Bulent

janneman (4037) 2014-08-26 12:27

Beautiful portrait with in intense view of this girl.

Regards, Jan