Adorama Steps Up For Kenya, Part 4: Meet the Maasai Tribe
YouTube Screenshot/AdoramaTV
One of the reasons why Adorama launched their web series My Travel Diary: Kenya, was to educate photographers about ethical photographic practices.
This is especially important when photographers interact with indigenous peoples, as sometimes these people can be treated more like a museum exhibit than a human being.
This topic was touched on in the first episode, episode two, and the third installment as well.
In this episode of Adorama’s show, Erin Sullivan and the staff from Ubuntu Life introduce us to the Maasai people of Kenya.
As Erin and the Ubuntu team discuss, it’s important not to oversimplify the story of the people you’re photographing.
Instead, strive to focus on ways that you can portray your subject such that their story is told in a modern way, not an archaic manner that is so prevalent when photographing indigenous people.
YouTube Screenshot/AdoramaTV
Erin makes the point that she wants to “convey a rich, deep, complicated story of human life” in her photos.
That might sound like a lofty goal, but as you can see in the video, it’s definitely one worth pursuing.
