Ben Wilhelmi

lake Natron, aerials in 3 minutes

 

I just can’t have enough of this wonderful lake. Always a new set of colors or patterns to offer. Mother Nature on LSD.

 

2 weeks ago, I had just taken off from Pininyi, western part. 1st shot at 11h32. This is Shombole on the Kenyan border, quite often to be seen in a mirror effect in this rainy season with clear visibility. I normally don’t put my horizon straight in the middle of my composures but here I like it.

 

 

vertical viewing.

looking back at Pininyi, blissfully located in a forest near a stream.

 

western cliffs, this shot at 11h35. Just a selection of  some of the many pictures I shot within those 3 minutes. More soon. I realise I’m quite privileged…

Flamingoes, lake Ndutu, Tanzania

 

lake Ndutu on the edge of Ngorongoro conservation area is a wonderful place. A Serengeti touch with the Ngorongoro in the background.

 

early morning, warm light on feeding flamingoes.

 

low approach for landing.

fluffy feathers.

portraits, Tanzanian bush

 

a Mangati woman. This clan is part of the larger Masai community. Originally from the Ngorongoro area, they were displaced to the Sonjo valley in the 60’s and curiously didn’t give the finger to the government by coming back home. For nomadic people, this should be pretty easy…

brass jewels are the main preference though this woman wears a mix of plastic bead jewels too and a type of silver ear extension that I had never seen. But then I’m not a specialist and I’ve only spotted  Mangati women here in the Sonjo valley…

 

another Mangati mother, but she left her jewelry home, probably too busy with her new born to look smart.

 

 

here a more common Masai woman.

 

a Sonjo mom…

and her child in a piece of clothing that Mandela himself might fancy.

Sonjo woman with a reggae-marijuana bandanna.

 

Masai boys.

kids are the same everywhere and this one couldn’t help having fun while posing.

on the US roads

the US roads…a thesis or 2 could be studied out there.

a nearly superb Chevy Bel Air 1956.

 

just out Zion nat’l park, a rental recreational vehicle. Nice deco.

 

legendary old truck. Well that’s how we consider them from Europe. The very scenic Highway 12 in Utah, near Bryce Canyon. Snow! I hadn’t seen snow for 15 years.

 

I remember these vans from television shows when I was a child, that is in the 70’s.

 

Capitol Reef, another beautiful area between Bryce Canyon and Arches nat’l park. Mom will be pleased to notice my hat. Perfect to protect my chrome dome.

 

curious accident on a long straight road…

 

Santa Fe, a curious home made car cruising around. Had a chat with the driver and he told me there was nothing easier to register any of your creations on wheels on the US roads. Try that in Europe with our glorious administrations… So this guy salvaged a very old and rusty Ford model A body, some V8 engine and various parts, glued and welded them together and pronto, the unfinished beast is on the road. Imagine the thing much higher on wheels and it would be cool on the Arusha dirt roads.

the owner must have too much time on his hands: when he wants to paint his masterpiece, he’ll have to dismantle everything again…

 

another Bel Air, pristine this one, in Santa Fe. Karine and I agreed that we could live out there. Artistic people gather there, many galleries are packed in town, incredible landscapes around, not too far from nat’l parks…

Tanzania, photography in the bush

pretty unusual to see a man, Masai or not, carrying a burden on his head. Typically a woman’s way.

 

camera-shy girl.

 

New York, street photography

 

just a moment of pure wonder, flying over lake Natron

 

lake Natron, Rift valley, Tanzania. This will be a short post. I wanted to give room to this extravagant detail of the lake… black water and then this puzzling pattern of floating salts. What possessed the wind to create this spiral?

 

 

 

 

for the various skeptics here is a more general picture including the spiral in the lake. Typical red salts and volcano Shombole to the northern part.

Rain season, Tanzania

 

the rains have been bad for a few years in East Africa. So expectation were high for this short rain season. I’d say rains are not that promising either for his month in Tanzania. Many areas still look dry. Just green grass is not a proof of heavy rains…

this artificial lake is far from being filled up. One Flying Medical Service airstrip, Monderosi, lies in the plain behind.

 

some zebras to chase off before landing.

Loliondo village was more than happy to receive some long due rains. A community growing bigger quite fast. We’ll see if these rains meet their demands.

 

McMinus enjoys his flying trip on lake Natron and near volcano Lengai.

 

Flying overhead Pininyi while positioning for landing, lake Natron, exceptional visibility on extinct volcano Shombole thanks to the rains.

 

opposite view on volcano Lengai. This area is always greener thanks to a big river flowing out of the cliff.

On final path to land at Pininyi.

Paris, vintage cars in B/W

 
B/W film, Leica M6.

Steve Mc Queen's Ford Mustang in "Bullit". What a beast, huh? Paris got a few hills but nothing to match San Francisco.

 

more of the Ralph Lauren's collection. A Ferrari above and 2 Alfa Romeos below if I remember well. And I remember well that pictures were forbidden...a concept I just can't stand in exhibition places.

and a Jaguar below. What a profile...

 

a Citroen 2CV, a myth! The big competitor of the Beetle, well at least in Europe since the USA refused to let them in for some obscure safety reasons. On the other hand, and I love America for its numerous paradoxes, no problem for junk and OGM food or free guns for all (especially for the unspotted retarded...)

Starting in the 40's the last French 2 CV was built in 1989 but Chile kept on assembling them for a while under licence. Like the Beetle the general shape hardly changed, no need to change a winning team. I used to have a bright red one and loved it so much I wish I had one here. The conditions would be perfect as over the decades those cars were notorious for handling world trips without problems. I saw one the Kenyan roads.

 

a bit older, here are a bunch whose drivers stopped by for a take away at Fauchon restaurant, here is the Fauchon doorman.

 
 

B/W portraits in the bush, Tanzania

 below is a mix of Sonjo and maasai people. The easiest hints to recognize them is to look at the ears. Extension means Maasai features. Tiny scars on the face will belong to a Sonjo woman.

aerials over lake Natron, Tanzania

 

most descriptions will declare lake Natron environment as being harsh and inhospitable. Those statements are mostly true but there are exceptions near the few rivers and springs.

this happy herder wanders through a spring at the foot of Shombole, the mountain below.

this is all salted water, even where it looks blue. Any fresh water that hits the lake gets spoilt quickly sometimes even before reaching the lake.

the white dots are zebras.

 

the greenery in this area is only to be seen at the foot of Shombole.

 

a bit further south is Pininyi, a village and a forest fed by a river coming through the cliffs. Again the water is spoilt quickly as soon as it leaves the forest.

 

recent rains have helped a bit the vegetation on the shoreline.

 

otherwise rains or no rains, the lake itself always look colorful and geometric, but with 1000’s combinations during the year.

McMinus having a bad hair day outside the aircraft.

Stonetown, Zanzibar, B/W photography

 

lake Natron, Rift valley, Tanzania, aerial shooting

 

probably my best or clear view of lake Natron. Last week that day was just exceptionally clear, such a perfect visibility is quite rare. On one picture, looking to the east and south: Mt Gelai on the left, volcano Lengai on the right, and behind lies volcano Kerimasi and the tip of Ngorongoro northern Highlands. I’m shooting from the NW part of the lake, that is overhead Oldonyo Sambu and the western cliff.

I swapped lens to get Lengai closer. A slight amount of haze and dust still hampers the view…

 

vertical view.

a village at the foot of volcano Shombole on the northern shoreline.

then an airstrip lies next to it, Olorbelin, where Flying Medical Service operates one of its numerous clinics with a Cessna 206.

Olorbelin is Masai country.

 

near Shombole a river delta offers a paradise for animals in the normally hot and harsh environment that the lake usually offers.

 

receding and evaporating waters leaving ‘parallel’ marks.

 

McMinus heard of those glass floors on high towers where one can get a thrill by walking on ‘nothing’ and he wanted to share the experience by leaning against the dipping windshield. He’ll be even braver later. To be continued.

hippos and pelicans, Tanzania

 

lake Manyara nat’l park lies next door to Arusha, very convenient for a day trip

the lake is salted but some fresh water feeds it so regular animals can thrive at the delta, like hippos, pelicans on these pictures. But the most common animals live in the park too.

hippos are not only obnoxious, they’re also unpredictable. Notice the fresh scar above.

all of  a sudden, there is a bit of movement, something has disturbed one of these monsters…

and they fight at each other, more than 2 opponents sometimes. It last for a few seconds, we don’t even know if there is a clear winner…

and all the fuss collapses.

Just this male who seems to ask “ You’re looking at me?'”. Notice how the pelicans carefully backed off a bit.

 

and slowly they come back to the water, they seem really used to these outbursts and just put up with that.

skyscrapers, New York City

 

Maasai people, Tanzania

 

shot on various locations in Northern Tanzania.

that goat was just born the boy, still wet and greasy indeed but already so big I thought?

 

Masai warriors just love to jump and sing or hum.

 

Masai school kids.

 

street photography, Zanzibar

 

 

I like the contrast with the magazine picture. Even more that this probably conservative lady walks around like that.

 

typical wooden door detail.

 

as any Tintin fan will know, he never came to Tanzania.

 

Florida, tourist life

 

yes alligator crossing, even on the airport runway where I was flying. We gave right of way.

 

interesting trike made out of a beetle engine.

it looks like the woman was annoyed by the dude’s mop of hair.

 

proud to be American but not show off  proper business sign…

 

the usual idiot. What’s the point of having a convertible car and not use it as such? That is such a common feat in the whole US…California, Arizona? The same. Even in Las Vegas where one can spot the highest concentration of big cars and show off attitude.

 

talking about show off…

 

typical boat out there. Everglades not far.

Flamingoes, lake Ndutu, Tanzania

 

Early morning on lake Ndutu, facing Ngorongoro Crater outside rim.

portraits in B/W, Tanzanian bush

 

a rare occurrence, an old Masai lady accepting to pose.

 

the ear is pretty damaged but she chose that profile whereas the other ear is much better (to what standard, true)

 

middle-aged woman who was shy but keen to pose.

 

 

below are Sonjo women. Ears are un touched, scarves or bandannas are quite common, tiny tattoos are seen on face

 

and some kind of other portraits, 2 of my drawings done in the same place.

a friend of mine, a real artist, told me to persevere, mostly on perspective and proportions.

Barack Obama in Africa

 

again only references in East Africa, stickers, paintings, clothes… I never saw any bad references about Obama. I don’t remember any reference to Bush. Only one about Clinton some years back in Arusha. And it was a daladala (public transport in Tanzania) labelled with a simple “ Monica Lewinski”. I heard that bus was forbidden of driving whenever one Clinton was visiting. Urban legend maybe…

Monik, lake Natron, Tanzania.

 

On a dreaded “matatu” (public transport in Kenya), Nairobi, Kenya. Not sure what the artist had in mind: mixing Obama with the Balkan mess…

 

Arusha, Tanzania.

 

Lira, Uganda.

 

Kwa Iddi, Tanzania. “Mgahawa” means cheap restaurant or coffe. It makes me think of “caoua”, slang French for coffee, Arabic origin. The Swahili language picked up a few Arabic words too.

 

Nairobi.

 

Near Nyeri, Kenya. Not exactly an Obama reference but a US flag is pretty rare out there and I thought it was related to this post.

New York City, street photography

 

 

lake Natron, Tanzania, aerial photography

 

I’ve said again and again but this lake is just a marvel. All, yes all, pictures below taken on 2 legs of 5 min flights only, same day. Last week, the visibility was just exceptional thanks to some rains.

extinct volcano Shombole on the Kenyan border.

and just right of it, one Flying Medical Service airstrip, Olorbelin.

 

lake Natron is one those numerous lakes located in the Rift valley. Here is the lake western cliff with its highest peak, Oldonyo Sambu at more than 6000 ft. The lake bed lies at 2000 ft.

vertical and classic view of the salt and artistic pattern.

 

have you seen the great movie '” Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain”? Simply called “Amelie” for the US market I heard. The troll is being brought all over the world by Amélie’s friends and proof pictures are sent to her puzzled father (and troll’s owner). Brilliant idea which became fashionable since: a lot tourists seem to do the same while travelling with various fluffed toys and stage pictures. Meet Karine’s McMinus flying with me. She misses so much our real hedgehog Muffin that her Mom (Karine’s not Muffin’s) had sent her that replica as a sweet allusion.

 

wildebeests ( en fr. des gnous) on a river delta near Shombole.

 

to the south/south west lie Mt Gelai and volcano Lengai (on the right, the triangle a bit hidden by the haze and dust)

Germany, Köln streets, 20 years ago

 

I grew up nearby Köln. It was a cool place to roam when I became teenager and even more later with my first camera (Mom’s gift, did I mention that already?). So Köln, or Cologne, became my photographic playground, the place to polish my skills in street photography on Saturdays usually, way before it came back into fashion these days.

this beautiful mime girl was a regular. I gave her some pictures.

street artists have been numerous in that city. A lot more, usually musicians and highly qualified, flocked in after the Berlin Wall fell down in 1989.

I always wondered if she was blind colored. But then I was told I understood nothing in fashion….

 

survivor punkette.

 

would-be McGyver.

 

the girl in red was Karen, an American au pair, she asked for some pictures to send home, we stayed pen friends for a while…

colors, America

 

as much as I love B/W photography, it is sometimes hard to resist colors in America…

Monument valley. The rocks are called ‘3 sisters’. Many wild west movies were shot here.

 

Barack Obama in East Africa

 

well references or pictures of Obama that is. T-shirts, stickers, woollen hats…

Lira, Uganda.

 

Maasai man, lake Natron, Tanzania.

 

Nairobi, Kenya.

 

Lira again.

 

Stonetown, Zanzibar, Tanzania.

 

“the Good the Bad the Ugly” (make your pick heehee), Arusha, Tanzania.

 

Arusha.

 

Sonjo woamn, Sonjo Valley, Tanzania. Not sure of the meaning or origin of that piece of clothes.  “Adercronbie”…? Some mixed fake stuff maybe?

Orange art, aerials on lake Natron, Tanzania

 

overflying lake Natron while on clinics with Flying Medical Service. Pictures below were shot within 5 minutes. What a diversity, isn’t it? That lake is a wonder, always changing its pattern and colors. Orange and black on a scaly pattern are pretty rare.

look carefully, there is a shadow and a reflection of the aircraft on the water surface.

Sonjo portraits, Tanzania

 

another quick series of portraits in Habere, Sonjo Valley, in the remote bush. Not the perfect time of day for good light but then I would hardly shoot anything if I were to wait for it. And clinic schedules can’t be avoided. As said before, I’ve developed a good relationship with some villagers where Flying Medical Service operates. Every model will receive for free at least one print. But no money is give to them. Funny enough I had a first this time, one shy lady was willing to pose but asked first how much would a print cost, she thought I was doing business! Those prints have been circulating for more than a year now, not to mention the ones between 1999 and 2002. In turn I have more and more women, few men, coming to pose. I have to say yes to everyone even if I don’t fancy the model. It would be to difficult to explain photogenic reasons, and it would hurt feelings I guess. Of course it costs me more in printing and it’s time consuming.

I hate those ugly woolen hats, usually I have them removed. Poor kids it’s so hot out there but every single mother seems convinced the baby’s life is at stake. This mom wouldn’t remove it.

 

things change, 10 years ago in this Sonjo valley, these kinds of haircut didn’t exist.

 

this woman insisted to pose with her vegetables she was selling nearby.

this is a typical Sonjo haircut, with razor finish to define the hairline.

an exception to the formal kind of bush studio shooting: this woman came running and yelling, took this unusual pose for a second and disappeared the way she arrived. The crowd was just laughing.

 

the printing will be handed out in colors, they wouldn’t happily receive b/w copies.

B/W portraits, Sonjo and Maasai people, Tanzania

 

I just came back from a tour of flying medical clinics. Here a few portraits of Sonjo girls on lake Natron, Rift valley.

nevertheless this model has an imperfection in the eyes, I find her quite photogenic. Or maybe that feat makes her photogenic…

 

 

 

and some Maasai girls. Those 2 tribes used to be at war for centuries, some clashes still happen over land issues but these women seem to live in peace. Women know better usually, right?

street photography, New York City

 

a conspiracy theory fan I suppose. Looks he has some issue with his handwriting…

 

the guy, aptly named Naked Cowboy, plays the guitar for hours, poses for pictures in exchange for some changes.

lately I read he was suing a copycat, the naked cowgirl (we didn’t spot her by then in 2007)

 

Horse or Harley

Aberdare Country Club, Nyeri, Kenya

 

Nyeri is not much of a town but it is convenient located for Mount Kenya or Aberdares NP visit. Here is our lodge for 2 night,an old-fashioned colonial club.

the rooms were quite similar in style. Comfortable and clean though. Karine highly appreciated the hot-water bottles in the bed. Seriously elevation is quite high it had been pouring rain for a week and the temperature was indeed chilly.

luxury hotel so the service was quite nice though old-fashioned as said. Here Karine using her vintage Polaroid.

here is my vintage Rolleiflex.

Mount Kenya is located in those clouds. We saw it for 30 seconds about…

 

Karine relaxing after a day drive.

 

There was that cool picture in the lobby, presumably shot a long, a very long  time ago. To let people come that close to a runway…even the photographer would be suspiciously looked at. Cops and various brain-dead security guards in the world should remember that there were no photographers amongst the 9/11 terrorists. I couldn’t decipher the photographer’s signature on that picture.

Our hotel in the forest in the middle of a large animal sanctuary

 

greenhouses nearby creating a lot of nocturnal light pollution

Wildlife at Solio Ranch game, Kenya

 

 

Rhinos… said to exist in Tanzania. Seriously there a few in Ngorongoro and Serengeti and Mkomazi parks.

black and shiny mud as a coat.

we had been idle in the jeep for a while the wind must have been on our side and the beast came within 30 m.

we were so happy to spot our first oryx though they were quite shy and wouldn’t come close.

 

a waterbuck, same as in Tanzania

street photography in Stonetown, Zanzibar

 

Let’s start by a beautiful feminine profile. Most women would be veiled in Stonetown, with only 2 % of non Muslim citizens, but veils vary a lot in colors and shapes.

 

Pepsi and Coca Cola have been reluctantly sharing the Tanzanian customers for years.

schoolgirls having lunch