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 […]

I feel like I should be tip-toeing as I gently weave between blankets that are spread out on the ground.  Hundreds of Christians sit, kneel, stand and pray around me as the sun slowly rises over this early morning vigil.  This time of day is delicate, and it adds another layer of softness to this […]