I jump out of the way, barely avoiding another crash with a donkey.  Wow, that was close…  The pile of baskets on its back is so high that I doubt it’s able to see.  It’s a challenge to find a clear path with this congestion, and lugging my heavy camera gear adds another layer of […]

“You have about 45 minutes to explore this village and take your images of the Mursi people,” someone from the National Geographic Photography Expedition team says.  I look at my watch and think that’s not much time, given that it took me three flights, two days and a two-hour drive on a bumpy gravel road to get […]

I’m standing in the middle of a playground at Omo Child, a non-profit shelter for rescued Mingi children.  A little girl runs right to me, as if she knows me, and gently intertwines her tiny fingers with my fingertips.  “Hello, sweet girl,” I say.  “Who are you?”  She stares up at me with her big […]

I’m standing in the dry riverbed of the Keske River, which during rainy season, would be flowing freely.  Today it is a beautiful landscape behind the Hamar tribal women I photograph.  I visited the Mursi tribe yesterday and learned how they adorn themselves, so now I can make the distinction between the tribes — in […]

“What’s the name of that pretty tree?”  I ask Gare, my driver.  “It’s the desert rose,” he says.  “I think we’re stopping so you can take some pictures.”  I look ahead to the first Land Rover and see that it’s pulling over.  That’s the cue for the rest of the drivers in our seven-vehicle caravan […]

It’s funny that I’m being asked for one of the few things I took out of my luggage before traveling to Ethiopia.  “You’re sure that’s what she wants?” I ask Dono, a twelve-year-old boy who speaks English and acts as my interpreter.  He walks with me through the Kolcho village, which sits on cliffs overlooking […]

There is a man standing in front of me holding his green cotton hat in his hands.  With the help of a boy named Antonio, who translates for me, we’ve just had a conversation about his life and what it’s like to live here with the Dasanech tribe.  The man, Lucil, told me about his […]

I look ahead at some large, yellow water containers that are stored in a tree.  I wonder why they’re up there like that.  I move closer to get a better look, and I’m surprised to see a teenage girl working hard, carrying a full container.  As she sets it down near her home, I approach […]

This is the last village I’ll be exploring before flying north tomorrow and heading back to the country’s capital, Addis Ababa.  I have mixed emotions about leaving the Omo Valley, especially because I’ve worked hard this week to connect with the culture and learn about the people’s day-to-day lives.  I’ve focused my lens and curiosity […]

“You guys ready to go in?”  Tarry, one of our four guides, asks.  In where?  I wonder.  I thought our visit to this cheetah conservancy was going to be from this side of the security fence…  “We’re going inside the fence now so you can photograph the cheetahs without it obstructing your photographs.”  Say what?!!   “When […]

I hear someone say there are two giraffes at 9 o’clock.  As the Jeep slows down, I turn and see them in the distance.  They’re standing motionless on the side of the road and looking in our direction as if they’re not sure what to make of us.  The giraffe closest to the road decides […]

“Anyone see one?” I ask.  I hear, “Nope,” from the second row of the Jeep.  “Me neither.  Nothing,” from the first row.  “Just a lot of tall grass.”  We continue driving in search of twelve lions that our guides said are in the area.  The pride was spotted nearby this morning.  We all know they […]

“Her name is Huyguriva,” Nestor, my interpreter says, “but her nickname is Chicken.”  “Please tell her that it’s a pleasure to meet her, that my name is Lisa, and I’m from America.”  I listen as Nestor translates my message.  I don’t know the woman, but I’ve imagined meeting her ever since I saw images of […]

“There’s a zebra!”  I blurt out, excited to see my first zebra of the journey.  “We’re going to see a lot of zebra,” my guide Tarry says in his thick African accent, making the “zeb” rhyme with “web”.  “When we head north, there are going to be so many for you to photograph.  They will be […]

As kids, my sister and I drove our mom crazy asking, “How much farther?” when we traveled from our town on the Canadian border of northern Michigan over the Mackinac Bridge and continued south to visit relatives in southwest Michigan.  It seemed like we were in the car for days.  Actually, we had to entertain ourselves […]

One virtue required on a safari in Africa is patience.  Patience with the process of traveling all the way to a country like Namibia, which is at least two to three flights away from the United States.  Patience with the physical effects of the time change, which depend on a traveler’s adaptability and sleep patterns.  […]

While on safari, there’s always a little bit of excitement when pulling up to a watering hole because you never know what type of animals will be there.  Usually something is there.  So far, I’ve seen elephants, zebras, impalas and giraffes — or nothing at all.  The disappointment is almost palpable when the latter happens.  […]

There is something special about seeing a male lion while on safari, especially one that is side by side with a lioness.  That’s what I’m seeing right now.  The pair is a quintessential symbol of Africa, and they also represent the romance I associate with the continent.  I love everything about being here.  The people.  […]