Ben Wilhelmi

lake Natron, aerial B/W photography

 

even in B/W that lake is a masterpiece. Salts are bursting with colors but even the patterns are just amazing and ever changing. Kenya has a few similar lake too, all parts of the long Rift valley.

 

 

 

 

A blend one, a rarity.

 

 

Tanzania, aerial photography in the rain season

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

street photography in Cologne, 80 or 90's

 

I was young and practicing my photography skills, way before digital age and Photoshop. You had to be happy with the color photo labs gave you back…I’m glad I didn’t throw away the negatives of ‘bad’ pictures as some could be easily salvaged with a scanner and some editing.

 

 

 

 

 

DM 10,-? That was Deutsche Marks.

 

 

 

Capoeira dance was by then quite new in Europe, those dancers became regulars in Cologne (Köln).

 

Street photography in Zanzibar

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arusha, street photography

 

Business is booming in Arusha as is western influence. Not everybody is affected the same way.

Clothes, fancy car and motorbike…

Cart wheels and cars…

 

Papier mâché style for this monument. The Tanzanian army defeated the Ugandan one and Idi Amin Dada, not bad considering Tanzania was not supported by many countries by then.

 

The Clock Tower, that is the city center. early morning, the streets are still empty. Traffic jams will be there soon.

 

 

Water distribution is still a problem in Arusha, notably in the slums. Here is a public water point alongside the main road.

 

Without tourist, Arusha wouldn’t be the same. Tourists walking around, especially young girls, are always harassed by various touts and hawkers…

Tanzanian portraits

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

flying the bush in Tanzania

 

 just a bit of fun flying in some gorges in northern Tanzania, here in Olduvai where some footprints have held the oldest footprints record for decades.

 

 

 

 

 

 

and below, we 're approaching Ngaresero gorge near lake Natron.

 

 that gorge is about 600 meters high.

chimpanzees, B/W film photography

 

 

Mahale NP, western Tanzania. Grooming is a national pastime for chimpanzees. It creates bonds between individuals, and enforces hierarchy.

 

Poorly healed broken phalange.

 

 

This park, Mahale, is a mountain on the shore of lake Tanganyika. The forest is everywhere and of the tropical type. The chimpanzees might be very close to the visitors but not always in plain sight.

 

 

Typical piggy-back ride.

 

On the rocky river banks.

 

 

My cameras by then 10 years ago (though I still have and use them regularly) were Nikons FM2 and F3. And  a Leica M6 which was my favorite one in the very dark forest since it can be used hand held at really low shutter speeds, like 1/2 sec for me or even 1 sec claim some photographers!

Street photography in Arusha, photography

 

another selection of street pictures in Arusha. Quite an interesting town for this exercise.

 

 

 

Quite a classic view: many workshops create sofas and many various people “test” them for you…not ideal for hygiene!

 

Sunday, best clothes for church showtime.

 

Mount Meru overlooking Arusha.

 

Many shops or bars have been painted in bright colors.

 

Grilled corn, another classic view. Looks like this mama is quite well fed, eating too much of the corn?

 

 

aerial views around lake Natron, Tanzania

 

it's always hard to just select a few pictures on lake Natron as there are so many stunning spots around the lake… and today I'll avoid the psychedelic and artistic salt spots to focus on the surroundings.

aerial photography in Tanzania

 obviously shot in a rain season. The transformation from dusty to wet landscapes is always spectacular, magic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

street photography in New York City

 

that giant screen never stops showing ads for the same sweet brand.

 

on Broadway, a serious electricity bill…

 

 

 

near Time Square.

 

Brooklyn bridge.

 

 

I’d like to see that cop running after a thief…

 

B/W photography, wildlife in Tanzania

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Burma, Shwedagon pagoda

 

Burma, or Myanmar, has been through a lot lately. It seems such a peaceful people that it’s a wonder how the dictators managed to piss them off so much during the saffron revolution.

Below are some pictures of the large Schwedagon pagoda.

Here are 2 young monks in that saffron color.

You’ve got to remove your shoes to walk out there but the pavement is boiling hot under the sun! I really had a hard time to walk more than 50 m between shady areas.

Many Buddha statues or places of worship are packed next to each other.

 

 

 

As opposed to a church, food and relaxing time are allowed between prayers.

 

 

 

portraits, the Tanzanian bush

About 130 tribes and 80 languages in Tanzania. I only got to meet a few so far. Here is a selection of Masai and Sonjo people.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paris, B/W street photography, Rolleiflex

 

Paris…a wonderful city for a street photographer. People from all over the world go through and the same sceneries will be different every day. That day, there was a movie shooting with a Spanish crew.

 

La Bastille, a proud woman showing her green beliefs against nuclear energy, just after the Fukushima disaster. Notice the Japanese writing on the far placard.

 

Opéra, a funny band member.

 

These 2 pretty girls must have been laughing at the unusual camera I was using, see below.

 

Make up and siesta time.

 

 

This is a Rolleiflex 3.5F from 1961. That thing is a serious street weapon: you normally keep that camera on your belly while composing, focusing and shooting. Very secretive technique. And if by any chance the subject spots you, you’re usually not considered like some weird pervert because the camera is too cute and unthreatening, as opposed to a big digital reflex plus long lens.

Tanzania, random pictures

 

Flying over the vast savannah, volcano Lengai far out.

 

Just passing by.

 

The Cessna 206 tail with Karine’s fluffy toy, aka McMinus.

 

Buzzing a Masai man.

 

Yes, dromedary in Tanzania

 

Sunrise in the bush, one night in a Masai village, waiting for a new wheel to replace the one below.

 

My motorcycle had a fuel hose that had snapped. I replaced it with an oxygen mask tube. It works pretty well.

 

These irons are still in use out there. A bit of charcoal inside and pronto.

 

Me in a pinhole style picture, that is without a lens but a body cap punctured by a tiny hole, foto povera, volcano Lengai behind.

 

The Cessna 206, my regular airplane lately.

 

But I flew a few weeks on this Twin Otter too.

daily life in Arusha, photography

 

Arusha…lots to complain about  but there are many things to watch and enjoy, like bright painted walls for advertising…

Hard workers waiting for some jobs but spending time like friends.

 

Interesting fashion outfits.

 

Those ladies swipe roads everyday and hate when drivers don’t pay respect anddo ride over the little piles of dust. I saw one tiny lady hammers a public bus with her broom after it trashed such a pile. Bystanders were clapping and laughing.

 

One of the numerous street vendors, here selling world map

 

Ladies going home after shopping.

 

One of the many views of Mt Meru in Arusha. Nearly 15.000 ft high.

 

 

Colorful clothes are common viewing.

Infrared landscapes, Tanzania

 

 

This is lake Natron, an aerial picture, which is not as red as the pictures below because there is little vegetation. Only the mountain and the horizon show the infrared look.

 

Here is more red tones thanks to the grass and the trees. The triangle on the horizon is the volcano Lengai.

 

I was surprised to notice the rocks turning pink.

 

 

 

 

shot on a medium format camera, a Rolleiflex 3.5F and Kodak Aerochrome EIR slide film (most likely not available anymore)

Flying Medical Service in the bush, photography

 

Obviously this is an outreach clinic happening in the rainy season. Dust is normally blown around.

 

The Cessna 206 on an airstrip, not the widest one I agree.

 

A nurse taking care of a patient in a medical hut.

 

The regular vaccines, pertussis, tetanus, measles, polio…are given in remote villages.

Babies are weighed on each visit. An important and cheap step to spot any problem in a child’s development.

 

 

When I say bush, I mean bush. What I also really like in this job and country is the variety in the seasons and the landscapes. Tanzania is just incredible.

 

2 or 3 boxes is what we carry along for the doctor and the nurses to perform. Not much one could say but most of the common diseases are treated with so little. Once in a while, for serious wounds, difficult pregnancies, cases of malnutrition ( the famous Plumpy Nut supplements are now being offered to starving kids even in Tanzania, not only Somalia and the likes), severe infections, cancers even…we fly patients out to hospitals.

 

These are some of my “archive” pictures from 1999 till 2002, still on films that is, but nothing has changed since I'm back for a 2nd tour of duty.

Kodachrome, US landscapes

 

Monument valley.

 

Bryce Canyon under snow. It was in May 2010, some storms had burst in the area, lucky us.

 

An impressive thick arch.

 

On the superb scenic highway 12 in Utah.

 

Grand Canyon.

 

Near Zion.

 

Kodachrome was the 1st color slide film, produced in the 30’s, was the best film ever made and was unceremoniously dumped by some bloody short-sighted marketing or economist punks at Kodak a few years ago. My camera was a Leica M6.

Burma in B/W photography

 

Padang woman not far from the Thai border.

 

 

Grandmas smoke cigars out there. But there are not rolled on the thighs as in Cuba.

 

 

Water festival in Rangoon. Cars full of passengers queue to allow bystanders to splash them.

 

Lake Inle, this village is entirely built on stilts and really cozy at the same time. Of course you need a canoe to visit your immediate neighbor.

 

A couple of beggars.

 

2 old timers resting in a monastery.

 

These monks offered me a free crew cut. True my hair were no longer that the hairdresser’s.

 

All pictures shot on B/W films with a Leica M6 and a 50mm. That’s all I had, I wanted to travel light…

Hercules C130 flying in the bush

 

I‘m normally not attracted to big aircraft. This one is an exception because it has serious bush capacities. I was camping 30m off the airstrip so I enjoyed the rotations of that beast.

On approach as seen from my tent with a 400mm lens.

 

On take off.

These 2 pictures follow each other within a second or so!

A bit of crosswind that day, look how the plane is “crabbing” just to stay aligned with the airstrip direction. A bit like swimming across a river to compensate for the current.

 

2 close ups with a 12mm lens. My body could feel the vibrations!

 

On take off with the 400mm lens.

 

 

Meanwhile I was busy on a much smaller plane, a Twin Otter though the best bush plane in its category.

Kenya, roadside pictures while driving

 

African roads nearby settlements tend to be colorful and busy. Personally I never get bored at the show, and the sometimes funny details.

What is in the world to name something like a bar or a hotel with a name absolutely not related to the location? The Indian Ocean in this case is about 200 miles away….notice that the name Ocean is written 3 times on this picture, as it is again probably written on the sides, on the back and inside. Just in case you don’t get it…

 

Former bicycle riders with a new job, taxi bikers, but with no proper training whatsoever. Hospitals get special wards for them and their passengers. Helmets are still on the wishful list usually.

 

Sodas are the big thing with beers in Africa.

 

…as are gods in various forms. “For god all things are possible” and “no one but god”…As usual the poorest are keenest to believe whatever…

 

did he go off track or is he ready to start with a serious load?

 

Typical scenery with a woman carrying a burden on the head.

 

Crossing the Tana river, some fresh fish for sale.

 

 

The train hasn’t been seen here for a long time. What a disgrace that train tracks are left disused. Same in Tanzania…

 

 

A whole building painted for Coca Cola glory!

a little precision about me and filthy blog in Arusha

 

Dear Arushan friends and curious newcomers,

 

I’m not going into details but I must insist I am in no way an admirer of the anonymous Acerbic Arushan blog. She stole my picture, distorted my comments on another blog, a serious one that one, and claimed I was such a fan of her insane vitriolic rants. For those who have seen that post before Google removed it, let’s say it comes from that delusional person’s erring.

Ben

Arusha, street life, photography

 

 

 

Cell phones, big business in Africa and especially in Tanzania, even the bush starts to be covered. People love them but also all the games and other functions offered like music. People developped a funny habit to call people who are richer, especially white people: they let ring 2 or 3 times then hang up, hoping you'll call back.

 

 

Guess where my preference go….

 

 

 

 

Notice the fat guard, more interested in resting and texting....so typical. 

 

Progress: bikers with helmets. Here a bodaboda, that is moto-taxi.