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A Man and his Stool
Standing tall against the early morning sky outside his woven home, a Hamar man sets out with his wooden stool. (ISO200 40mm f5.6 1/60sec)
One of the beauties of travelling with a photo-tour is that you have more time to immerse and explore at locations.
This was certainly true for me in the Omo Valley, in southern Ethiopia. Even with improving roads, the region is difficult to access. But, once I and my fellow-photography enthusiasts got there, we had plenty of time to engage with the miriad of local cultures. We were travelling with photographer Ben McRae as part of a small-group Piper Mackay Photo-Tour, and once we had lodged ourselves in the market town of Turmi, we had access to a number of the distinctive tribal ethnic groups that live in the region.
We made several trips to a large Hamar village not far from our accommodation (see: Hamar Village, Hamar Faces, and Hamar Portraits). This was to be our last session with the tribe before we headed to another – even more remote – corner of the cumbersomely-named Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People’s Region (SNNPR) of Ethiopia.
When I’m travelling, I usually try to engage with the local people, and make the odd photos when I can – with consent, of course. The “pay-per-click” photo-tourism ethos common amongst the Omo Valley tribes made getting relaxed and candid shots much more difficult. All the villagers want their pictures made because this supplements their income, and they will present themselves to anyone with a camera and mentally count how many frames have been taken. It took me some time to get used to this, and it naturally resulted in photos that look more staged than I would generally like.
I’m not adept at flash photography, and after some years of carting gear around, have learned to leave my heavy flash units at home. And as I said, I’m not a fan of overly staged photographs – which is what you tend to get when subjects are constrained to the positioning of the flash units. But, the other advantage of traveling with a photo group is the chance to share equipment: if an off-camera flash and a softbox is available, I’m happy to experiment! And, when the pictures will be somewhat stiff and formal anyway because of the “pay-per-click” contracts, playing with the extra light made for a bit of fun.
Unfortunately for anyone who is technically-minded, my phone deleted all my notes on the flash details. But, most of it was pretty informal anyway: we had a helper who held up the softbox, and we told him to point higher or lower, and to stand closer or further away… And even though we arrived at the village early, the ambiant light increased quite quickly, reducing the impact of the fill-flash markedly. I actually can’t remember at what point I stopped being tied to the softbox, and wandered off to work with natural light alone.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy some more Hamar portraits – some of which benefit benefit from a bit of fill-flash.
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Hamar Elder Woman
The sun wasn’t yet risen when we arrived at the Hamar compound – but the locals were up and wearing their best tribal costumes for us. (ISO200 50mm f 5.6 1/60sec Off-Camera Flash-Fill)
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Young Hamar Man
It is not me who has posed this young man; the villagers are so used to having their portraits made that they all have their favourite formal postures. (ISO200 38mm f5.6 1/60sec Off-Camera Flash-Fill)
First Wife
This young woman is wearing a “burkule”, a necklace made of leather and metal that has a distinctive detail in the front. This indicates she is her husband’s high-ranking first wife. (ISO400 35mm f5.0 1/160sec Off-Camera Flash-Fill)
Hamar Wife
All married women (first and subsequent wives) wear two heavy iron necklaces. Girls and women wear a goatskin smock, richly decorated with beads and cowrie shells, and dress their hair with ochre. (ISO200 35mm f5.6 1/60sec Off-Camera Flash-Fill)
Hamar Man in a Feathered Headdress
The men love their beads and hair adornments. (ISO200 63mm f5.6 1/200sec Off-Camera Flash-Fill)
Tall and Proud
Warriors who have proven their courage by killing an enemy or a dangerous animal are entitled to fashion a mud-clay cap into the back of their hair and decorate it with precious feathers. (ISO200 70mm f5.6 1/100sec Off-Camera Flash-Fill)
Working the Scene
My companion takes her turn with our Hamar subject and shared softbox.
A Second Wife
Second (and third, or fourth) wives wear only the two heavy iron necklaces. This one shows off her copper bracelets: popular with both men and women. (ISO200 70mm f5.6 1/60sec Off-Camera Flash-Fill)
Young Man with his Phone
I love the contrasts: the young man in his traditional beads, earrings, and bracelets – with the earbuds of his phone tucked into his ears. The modern world is making inroads into the remotest of communities! I had to work hard to get a smile out of him – but I think it was worth it. (ISO200 54mm f5.6 1/60sec Off-Camera Flash-Fill)
A Man and his Stool
This village is so picturesque, with its tidy, woven houses and backdrop of thorn trees and plains. (ISO200 24mm f5.6 1/60sec)
Hamar Man in a Hat
By this time it is nine in the morning, and the sky has lightened enough that the flash makes little impact. (ISO200 70mm f5.6 1/60sec)
Hamar Girl
This young girl was so adorable that I spent time with her on each of my visits to the kraal. (ISO200 70mm f5.6 1/60sec)
Hamar Warrior
Another warrior proudly wears his feathered cap. (ISO200 62mm f5.6 1/60sec)
Beads, Feather and Face Paint
The plateau stretches away into the distant mountains. (ISO200 70mm f5.6 1/60sec)
Young Women
(ISO200 68mm f5.6 1/60sec)
Mother and Child
I have no idea on what basis wives are chosen. Stories are written of second (and subsequent) wives being treated very badly, but all those I met seemed strong and proud. (ISO200 34mm f5.6 1/100sec)
Brother and Sister
Side-by-side like this, you can clearly see the difference that the ochre clay makes to one’s hair and skin colour.
Siblings
Those solemn little faces!
Woman Outside her Hut
Mother and Daughter
These engaging women were two of my favourite subjects. I don’t know why mum isn’t wearing a wedding collar – she is mother to a number of children, including this one.
Mother and Daughter at their Fenceline
It seemed fitting that theirs would be the last pictures I took here, as they stood outside their tidy enclosure.
We left the village to head off in search of different tribes, and the Hamar people went back to their lives …
Until next time,
Happy Travels!
Photos: 19October2018
[…] Hamar (e.g.: Visit to a Hamar Village, Face in a Hamar Village; Hamar Village Portraits; and Morning Portraits), Daasanach (see: A Visit to the Daasanach) and Arbore (e.g.: Portraits in an Arbore Village; and […]