Ben Wilhelmi

aerial shooting, lake Natron, Rift Valley

a high near vertical cliff bordering lake Natron, 1000 meter high

Las Vegas, street life

 

 

flying clinics, Tanzania

 

one of my earliest pictures in Tanzania. I was fascinated by the ear extensions.

 

then there was another big novelty: the crazy Engoveroni airstrip with the volcano Oldoinyo Lengai nearby. Active volcano!

 

coming back to Arusha, Mount Meru. Under decent weather, no need for maps with such a landmark.

 

herder leading the herd to the drying water hole.

 

Rift valley, extreme weather and vast expanses of land.

 

curious kids, always.

 

a morning at the hospital, waiting for my colleagues on a clinic day. These women just chat or lie there sleeping in the chilly morning, rolled in blankets, probably waiting for the visit hours.

nat’l parks in the U.S., B/W films

Yosemite above and Death Valley below

 

Zabriskie Point

Sténopé or pinhole photography, Tanzania

pinhole, that is no lens but a tiny hole in a plate instead. Vintage look and a slight out of focus aspect.

extinct volcano Kerimasi in the Rift valley. I wouldn’t mind a secondary residence out there. Something basic, like a chalet or cottage. A microlight in the garden would allow me to fly around, between beautiful treks…sigh.

 

slow exposure, no choice with pinhole pictures. Donkeys or people will be blurry except if they saty perfectly still for a few seconds…

 

different view points of volcano Lengai.

one the Cessna 206’s operated by Flying Medical Service.

Libyan Sahara

S.W. Libya near the Algerian border. Fujichrome films and a Leica M6. A walking safari that I really enjoyed.

food time.

 

fetching the camels early morning. They are left wandering at night but only a little bit of course. Otherwise the desert would be too vast to search…so the front legs are slightly bonded to each other to limit movements.

 

rare colors in the desert.

 

Tanzania, people in clinics, Flying Medical service

random pictures while on duty with Flying Medical Service.

a fresh Maasai warrior, fresh that recently nominated so he still proudly wears the full regalia. Then over the years till he gets the next status, he’ll probably starts to wander in a more practical way, more sober and wears less jewels. Next status will be wise or grown up man when he is around 35 years old. I can hear some women laughing here….wise men must be an oxymoron to many girls.

 

close to lake Natron and mount Gelai in the dry season. People meeting and sharing bimonthly news on clinic days. Mobile phones are not fully operational out there.

 

 

there is a patent/copyright thing for the Red Cross logo. Not to be used inconsiderately.

 

young boy with a big herd of goats. Not a girl. indeed that is not a girl task. tradition still weighs a lot here.

 

woman sleeping in the middle of the walking crowd. It is common knowledge that people here seem to be blessed with extremely good sleeping qualities. Too bad guards and watchmen are afflicted too. Of course they’re only resting their eyes…not always easy to keep cool or stay zen.

 

Chinese make umbrellas. A ship must have sunk off Dar es Salaam because these things are all over the place. Women use them mostly for sun shade.

 

a picture I don’t really like but people it that way: in group, full size and in front of the aircraft. Close up portraits are not that much in demand…

lake Natron, artful aerial pictures

for those who are interested in beauty, wildlife and flamingoes around lake Natron, have a first look on YouTube about the documentary Crimson Wings on Disney Nature. A must see on the topic.

far away, old volcano Shombole on the Kenyan border.

 

 

American parks, B/W films

 

Monument Valley, Arizona

 

inside Antelope Canyon, Arizona

street photography while stuck in traffic jam, Arusha, Tanzania

I hate wasting my time, so when we’re stuck in some typical jam, I grab the camera and shoot outside.

typical local delivery. Notice the brake pads below the cart.

 

bikes are often used as wheelbarrows.

 

grilled corns sold on the roadsides. They must be tasty with a toping of exhaust fumes and dust…

 

and below some pictures a coupla streets from our house.

little ride in a 1967 convertible sports car

I got some friends requesting to see a few pictures of that Triumph TR 4 from 1967. It belongs to my friend Luc’s fleet of old British cars. Next year I still have to try the others, MG’s and more Triumphs, can’t wait for that feat!

riding such an old car gives a lot of different feelings than in a modern car. Rough and alive!

 

the streets of Arusha, Tanzania

since I had extended my stay in Europe, I’m a bit behind on the blog…here we go. I’ll put some European stuff soon, as soon as I develop some films (about 35 films in 2 months!)

 

those carts, just like that public transport dala dala, like to show off some logo or saying or famous something or else…here we go with “Israell trans”…don’t ask, no clue what the driver had been smoking. Some classic: “God is my co driver”, “God, help us”, “Monika Lewinsky”…I’ll make a topic one of these days.

 

nice way to ride and avoid accidents…

 

jerrycans were full! Tough guy.

another 10 minute flight overhead lake Natron, Tanzania

climbing out…

…and leaving the lake towards Sonjo Valley, westbound. There is an 1000 meter obstacle cliff and peak to cross, Oldoinyo Sambu. Quite a steep drop as visible here.

the lake and far, mount Gelai. Then on the right side, quite faded under a tiny cloud lies Lengai, the volcano

Antelope canyon, near Page, Arizona

Libya, Acacous desert in the Sahara

or Acacus, Akakus, Akakous, etc. Many spellings available out there.

a walking safari in the desert, or on camel back if preferred. I thought walking gave more freedom, to meander here and there for picture considerations, meandering left or right…and enjoying the silence and loneliness from the group.

Leica M6, 28 or 90mm, Fujichrome.

our camp for the day…

…and food of the day.

watercolors in Tanzania while on duty somewhere

bush flying…great job while lots of waiting here and there in interesting places! I got time to draw, a quick sketch or a time-taking piece.

rush in Arusha

no idea was had been going on. We were stuck in traffic, when people ran and overtook us. We double-checked our doors to be locked just in case. But the situation just happened to be jovial if hectic.

as far as we could see on the left sidewalk, people were running. Women, men, smartly or casually dressed…

some jumped on that pick up that looked already full enough.

and more kept on climbing on board!

the cop tried to intervene but decided she knew better and let it go.

we never knew what triggered such an action…

some portraits in the Sonjo Valley, northern Tanzania

a few random shots while on duty with Flying medical Service. Sonjo Valley, a beautiful area lying between lake Natron and Loliondo. Though Maasai people live there too, these below are Sonjo.

sketches, while on duty with Flying Medical Service, Tanzania

 

some drawings are quick, like a few minutes, others take more time, sometimes I give the last touch in my hospital room.

my all time favorite, the active volcano Oldoinyo Lengai. That unique volcano can be spotted by as many as 11 Flying Medical Service airstrips in the area, depending on the weather conditions.

 

Ngorongoro crater and around, aerials

a beautiful day, some cumulus clouds while flying overhead Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania. Crater being a misused word, caldera is the correct name as it used to be a volcano, a gigantic volcano, that collapsed on itself, hence caldera.

the size of Paris intra muros, roughly 19 km wide, 700 m deep, a salt lake at the bottom which dries up in the hot seasons.

 

crossing the south west rim, some Maasai villages.

 

overhead Olbalbal, a village and a pond, looking back at the crater rim seen from outside.

 

here is the pond in January which was quite filled up. On the horizons lie the Gol mountains.

 

vertical view on the brown water lying still between trees and little mounds.

 

a drier part of the pond, a vague reminiscence of lake Natron;

 

some flooded trees.