Photo Essay: Graham Springer

““I spent a week shooting in the highlands and most of my time was spent exploring, looking for suitable subjects and locations to photograph. I was hindered by heavy, low clouds for much of my time there, so had to grab landscape imagery whenever I would. Often, I’d find a boma (family cluster of houses surrounding a livestock pen) or person that I wanted to photograph and would arrange to return at a certain time the following day. Sometimes this worked out and sometimes it did not: time is a bit of an abstract concept in rural Africa. Maasai women are well known for their elaborate beaded jewelry including everything from their daily adornments to the more fanciful neck plates and hats worn during formal ceremonies.” ~ Graham Springer

“In the strongly patriarchal Maasai culture, cattle and children are the measure of a man’s wealth. As the size of the herd grows, I was told, the man must marry more wives in order to have enough children to look after the herd. After some rather lengthy negotiations, the owner of this boma agreed to let me photograph there one morning. Several wives of various ages—most with infants strapped to their backs—were in the pen milking cows before the herd was let out for the day.” ~ Graham Springer

“Young Maasai men remain in their paternal village until they are old enough to leave with their first wives and start their own families and herds of cattle. This young man watched me intently the whole time I was photographing this boma, but became shy and self conscious as soon as I turned the camera towards him.” ~ Graham Springer

“One afternoon we encountered a herd of sheep on a winding dirt track. Following behind them was this shepherd carrying a small lamb. It had been dreary and overcast most of this day, but just as I lifted my camera, the sun broke through. The lamb soon became distressed at being separated from its mother and, without a word, the shepherd smiled, dipped his head graciously at me and carried on his way.” ~ Graham Springer

“I came across a cheerful group of boys all adorned with similar white face paint. They were all recent initiates, and the face paint symbolized the transition from boyhood to manhood. For me, it added some lovely tonal texture for the monochromatic imagery.” ~ Graham Springer

“Candid portrait of a Maasai woman in the late afternoon.” ~ Graham Springer

“From an elevated vantage point in the Ngorongoro highlands, one can see dozens of herds of cattle and flocks of sheep, each with their own minders. I spent a long time with this man and his flock, trying to make a decent image. It proved surprisingly difficult photographing these types of scenes.” ~ Graham Springer

“The landscape in the Ngorongoro highlands is spectacular. This image shows a young Maasai man looking out over the ancient Olmoti Crater.” ~ Graham Springer