ARCHIVE KENYA 107 – ON A FARM IN WESTERN KENYA

 

 

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Sub-Saharan Africa’s love affair with bright colour: Luo woman on a farm near Akala, in western Kenya; April 1979.

She is sitting in front of the wooden door of a mud hut with a thatched roof.

Click onto the image to open a larger version in a separate window.

Technique: OM-1 with 50mm Zuiko lens; Agfa CT18 colour slide, rated at 64 ISO to further saturate colour.

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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ARCHIVE KENYA 63 – WOMEN ON A FARM

 

 

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Luo women on a farm near Akala, in the far west of Kenya; April 1979.

On the left is the girlfriend of my travelling companion.  This was taken on his father’s farm, where I received much hospitality and friendliness.  Everybody was curious about my camera: that it was a fairly compact and unimposing Olympus OM-1, which I mostly used with an equally unimposing 50mm lens, was helpful – it didn’t scare people off! 

And so to this relaxed picture: I especially like the straight and open gaze of the woman on the right.

Click onto the image to open a larger version in a separate window.

Technique: OM-1 with 50mm Zuiko lens; Agfa CT18 colour slide film, rated at 64 ISO; Color Efex Pro 4.

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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ARCHIVE KENYA 29 – “AFRICA”

 

 

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Young Luo woman on a farm near Akala, in the far west of Kenya; April 1979.

I like half faces –  sometimes they can project the character of the person more than a full face portrait might.  This picture says ‘Africa’ to me – I like her dark, glistening skin, and the bright contrast brought by the pure white necklace.  Vague green and yellow patterning behind her projects a  green tinge onto the side of here face, which also gives the shot atmosphere.

Click onto the image to open a larger version in a separate window.

Technique: Olympus OM-1; Agfa CT18 colour slide film.

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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ARCHIVE KENYA 12 – MEMBERS OF A FARMING FAMILY (MONO)

 

 

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Members of a farming family, near Akala, in the far west of Kenya; April 1979.  I very much like this picture because everyone is looking in different directions, which to me gives a very “real” air to the picture, i.e. they are not all posing for the camera.  The mother is posing for the camera but I think that her pose is one of the most placid, serene, genuine and friendly that I’ve ever seen – she is feeling absolutely at ease with both the Fatman and his camera, and is simply looking very calmly straight into the lens.  She gives the impression of being very self-possessed.

The young man on the left is smiling – and his smile, his averted eyes and the splayed fingers and thumb of his pale hand against his darker face add huge amounts to this shot.  Finally, the young child (a girl?), sitting on her mother’s lap, is certainly unposed – with her attention attracted elsewhere – but staring somewhere different to her older brother.  Using Nik’s Silver Efex Pro, I’ve darkened the top of the picture, down to the top of the young man’s head, to help ensure that the viewer’s attention is concentrated onto these three people.

Click onto the image to open a larger version in a separate window.

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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ARCHIVE 434 – HOUSE ON A FARM

 

 

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House on a farm near Akala, in the far west of Kenya; April 1979.

These are Luo people who live in the immensely fertile far west of Kenya, not far from Lake Victoria – a vast body of water that supplies them with vast quantities of fish, and with frequent thunder storms which keep their land totally green.

The structure consists of mud walls, above which a conical thatched roof is mounted on a great mass of wooden poles. There is quite a gap between the roof and the walls but, in this hot, equatorial area, cold weather is not an issue. This hut has at least two rooms: the doorway to a second room is to the left of the people. The mud walls have decorations drawn straight onto them, and there is an oil lamp hanging up. Notice how everything, including the chest of drawers and some of the pictures hanging on the walls, has cloth covers.

Food and water are not an issue for these people, they live in a wonderfully fecund landscape. But there are diseases – it was here that malaria first got its claws into me, despite my using nets and prophylactics.

Click onto the image to see a slightly enlarged version.

Technique: OM-1 with 28mm Zuiko lens; Agfa CT18 colour slide, rated at 64 ISO.
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ARCHIVE 431 – ON A FARM IN WESTERN KENYA

 

 

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Sub-Saharan Africa’s love affair with bright colour: Luo woman on a farm near Akala, in western Kenya; April 1979.

She is sitting in front of the wooden door of a mud hut with a thatched roof.

Technique: OM-1 with 50mm Zuiko lens; Agfa CT18 colour slide, rated at 64 ISO to further saturate colour.
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ARCHIVE 246 – YOUNG LUO WOMAN

 

 

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Young Luo woman on a farm near Akala, in the far west of Kenya; April 1979.

I like half faces –  sometimes they can project the character of the person more than a full face portrait might.  This picture says ‘Africa’ to me – I like her dark, glistening skin, and the bright contrast brought by the pure white necklace.  Vague green and yellow patterning behind her projects a green tinge onto the side of here face, which also gives the shot atmosphere.

OM-1 with 75mm-150mm Zuiko lens; Agfa CT18 colour slide, rated at 64 ISO.

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PEOPLE 197 – WOMAN ON A FARM

 

 

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Luo woman on a farm near Akala in Kenya’s far west; Apr 1979.

There are two others in the frame but I’m taken with this woman’s level stare and calm self-possession – and hence to a grainy selective crop – it could almost be a passport photo.

A meeting of two worlds.  Her home, and my privilege to be there.  Conversation via a Luo and (inexpert) English speaker and my few words of Swahili – and also quite a lot of mime, gesticulation, smiling and laughter!  They were friendly and welcoming, as were people throughout Kenya, and that is something that remains with me.

OM-1 with 50mm Zuiko; Agfa CT18 colour slide, rated at 64 ISO; Dfine 2; Color Efex Pro 4.
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ARCHIVE 119 – ON A FARM IN WESTERN KENYA

 

 

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Sub-Saharan Africa’s love affair with bright colour: Luo woman on a farm near Akala, in western Kenya; April 1979.

She is sitting in front of the wooden door of a mud hut with a thatched roof.

OM-1 with 50mm Zuiko; Agfa CT18 colour slide, rated at 64 ISO to further saturate colour.
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PEOPLE 192 – LUO WOMEN ON A FARM IN WESTERN KENYA

 

 

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Luo women on a farm near Akala, in the far west of Kenya; April 1979.

OM-1 with 50mm Zuiko; Agfa CT18 colour slide, rated at 64 ISO; Color Efex Pro 4.
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