The photo is from the Hamer Tribe, living in the Omo Valley, Ethiopia… A photo with a rather interesting story…
The Hamer people, who live east of Mago National Park in the Omo Valley, are known for their copper-colored hair and ornate hairstyles, especially for their women. They mix powdered red clay, water, and butter, and rub this mixture into their hair. They solidify the separated strands, then, like molds, adorn the ends with colorful beads and ornaments. The hardened hair is preserved for several months by applying butter.
While filming a marriage ceremony in this tribe, I noticed a mother bathing her child a short distance away. However, this washing method was a bit different from our usual methods. In this region, where water is scarce, as is everything else, the woman would fill her mouth with water from a bucket and spray it onto her child’s head. I used my telephoto lens to capture this quick process without missing a beat. The 40-150mm lens functions as a 300mm lens thanks to a 2x optical multiplier, allowing for the ability to see details from distant subjects.
By using a wide aperture, it’s possible to keep the shutter speed high and blur the background using limited depth of field. This allows the focus to be on the main subject.
By using light metering on the mother and child, I can ensure accurate skin tones and overall tones. By slightly underexposing, I can enhance these tones.
Camera: Olympus OMD EM1
Lens: 40-150mm (used as a 150mm lens)
Aperture: 2.8
Shutter Speed: 1/800 s.
ISO: 200
Exposure Compensation: -0.7 stops
