ARCHIVE KENYA 87 – FARMER, WESTERN KENYA (MONO)
September 24, 2020 9 Comments
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Luo farmer near Akala, in the far west of Kenya; April 1979. Because of their dark skin, photographing Africans in anything like bright conditions is fraught with problems. One option of course is just to go with the conditions and show only the highlights of their faces, leaving the finer details and hints of character smothered in deep shadow.
Another option is to photograph them in deep shade, to minimalise shadows and reveal facial detail – but this requires higher ISO ratings, larger apertures, and so on. The third option is the one used here, where flash dispels the shadows, and this works well, particularly with today’s automatic flashguns.
Click onto the image to open a larger version in a separate window.
Technique: OM-2 with 75-150 Zuiko lens, and flash; Agfa CT18 colour slide film rated at 64 ISO.
THE ARCHIVE KENYA SERIES
I’m re-posting photographs that I took in Kenya over 30 years ago. You can find more context here . Click onto the “Archive Kenya” tag (below) to see more of these film images from Kenya.
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About Adrian Lewis
I don’t think he was too happy with you Adrian !
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I know!
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What an intense, no-nonsense look this man had. At that moment, at least!
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Not too sure he liked to be photographed, can’t remember! By the way, I have your email, will respond.
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It looks like it’s been a tough life. What an arresting portrait!
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The area east of Lake Victoria where this picture was taken is green and fertile, and receives regular rainfall from the lake, but I imagine that farming there is still no easy job – a lifetime of hard toil, mostly manual toil, needed to keep body and soul together. And diseases too – this is where I first contracted malaria.
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That’s a frightening thought. Have you had any long-lasting effects from that?
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No, thankfully. I had it 3 or more times, despite taking prophylactics – and the final time I was hospitalised and they gave me something to get it right out of my system – but which left me with digestive problems for several months.
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I shudder to contemplate what that must have been like, and it’s so good to hear that it’s all in the past now!
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