Tanzanian Maasai moving their herd

[Craig Markham]

MK3L8609 Maasai Herders w Cows & Goats.JPG
Canon EOS-1D Mark III
12/18/08 2:32:26 PM
EF28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM @ 105.0mm
Aperture-Priority AE
1/800, f/5.6, ISO 800
Evaluative Metering
0 Exposure Compensation
Image Size 3456x2592
White Balance - Shade
AI Servo AF

Following our stay at Lake Eyasi, Tanzania, I attempted to capture images of diverse human activities along the highway as we careened toward Arusha. Among the many not-so-artistic blurs taken from the speeding vehicle, some gems emerged. This herding scene was one of them.

[Alfred Forns]

Fully agree and a gem it is !!! Loved the captured feel Great you decided to go wide and include the broad bg !! Big Congrats !!!

[Gus Cobos]

Nicely done Craig...it looks like a documentary from National Geographic...:D:cool:

[Fabs Forns]

What amazes me most here is the incredible light!!!

The scene is al remarkable, great work :)

[Craig Markham]

Goodness! I'm so glad you like it!

The light, dust and sense of movement really grabbed me and swept me back to that moment, when I started combing through the 7,000 images I made during the adventure. The contrasts among the individual animals, and that dust plume are real gifts. This image, particularly in print, almost -- almost -- reminds me of the atmosphere in some of the old masters battle paintings, minus the blood and gore. What further amazes me is that I grabbed the image through the (open) window of a rapidly moving vehicle! I was as prepared as I could be with camera settings, and vigilant in advance for this sudden opportunity, but in the end was really lucky. I captured a lot of blurs and window reflections before this one came along!
-- Craig

[Harold Davis]

that is awesome, craig. the v shape herd and the light send it over the top!!

[Beth Goffe]

The Masai don't usually like you to take photos of them so getting this one from a moving vehicle is even more special. A really nice image and makes me want to go back there soon!

[Craig Markham]

Thanks, Beth, I think that most people, including myself, dislike having a camera shoved in their faces by strangers. The Maasai and some other cultural and religious groups, are especially sensitive about and resistant to photography. I try hard to avoid intrusion, and do sacrifice many photo ops in the process. I just wouldn't make it as a paparazzo -- leaving people feeling their privacy has been violated. Consequently many of my cultural images in Tanzania were made on the fly like this, and as inconspicuously as possible. Even from the moving vehicle, there usually seemed to be too many eyeballs riveted on us for me to be comfortable aiming the camera. On the up side, as you can see in the above, getting the image seems worth some risk. I wanted these people, these lives, to be more to me than a fading memory that couldn't be shared effectively with you all and my other friends at home. Thankfully, during some arranged cultural tours I had opportunities for more intimate portraiture and vignettes of human activity, when I had explicit permission, and I got some nice results and some fun interactions as well.