Ben Wilhelmi

Zanzibar, street photography

 

A common scenery along the ocean, young men jump off the pier in style.

They jump from this kind of wall, where the water is a bit deeper.

Things change in Zanzibar, less women are veiled than let’s say 10 years ago. Amongst the ones who are veiled, they’re often fond of bright colors, or sometimes I have witnessed women temporarily discarding the veil as soon as they were away from home (or from for 4 ugly Bin Laden lookalikes after security checks at airport, she was my only passenger and quite hot looking suddenly). Young couples are westernised and seem more relaxed in public.

The beach is still male territory though…with one notable exception that evening. This is a forst time for me to spot a girl in Stonetown in a swimming attire. Nobody seemed to mind. Maybe she is a pioneer.

 

Colors and make up, small rebellious signs?

 

 

 

Another rarity were these 2 black tourists. An extremely rare sighting. The local romeaos had been quick to spot them and hang around.

 

Selous reserve, Tanzania, aerials in 15 minutes

 

Yes I know I love these posts about a stunning spot shot in so many minutes, whether it is the lake Natron or lake Eyasi or today the Selous. But the diversity in such areas is so phenomenal that I love the exercise.

These pictures were shot between Sumbazi and Mtemere along the Rufiji river on one flight.

 

Before landing at Mtemere.

The same buffaloes on the right hand side, the clouds can move fast.

 

 

 

A pond and the river, the water colors don’t match.

 

 

This rainy season was not excessive, far from it. The water level has gone down, and some water puddles are momentarily visible on sand banks which have been submerged for a few weeks.

 

 

Some trees survive the floods every year, other don’t. Those white dead trees are quite common along the river.

 

 

 

Shot with Leica M8, 28mm

Arusha, street photography

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Old pictures from Dubai to Switzerland, ferry flight

Lousy weather over Dubai for a few days…I didn’t expect Dubai to look like Belgium. The airplane, a Twin Otter, needed some preparations like extra fuel tanks, some food, survival raft, perform various checks…

 

Waiting for some fat guys to clear the way.

 

The eastern coast of Italy.

 

Approaching the Swiss border near the lake of Como.

 

 

Flying over the Alps, that was a 1st for me. Well, flying in Europe outside Belgium was a 1st for me!

 

Lake Eyasi, aerials

 

Lake Eyasi is a small salt lake south of Ngorongoro which has its moment of glory here and there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aerials, lake Natron, Tanzania

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brussels, street photography

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I guess these women shop together and attend the same hairdresser.

 

South Sudan, random pictures

 

 

 

 

Soldiers everywhere. I can’t remember a day when I didn’t see one. This soldier was on duties for some FVIP’s (that is F..king VIP). Nothing more I hate than VIP flying. Whimsical people, never respect the program, bring too much cargo or extra friends/blood suckers, make you wait in the crappiest places, are late, even once threatened to throw me in jail if I didn’t comply (which I didn’t in the end)

 

 

 

 

I spotted a few old ladies carrying crosses openly like this one, like if their lives depended on it.

Aerials of Indian Ocean, Tanzania

 

 

 

Notice the sunken wreck

 

Stonetown, Zanzibar

 

Pemba island.

 

 

 

Photography in Burma

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The streets of Arusha

 

An interesting Belgian piece of  clothe.

 

 

 

 

A bomber jacket!

 

 

Notice the scarecrow

Aerials over lake Natron in 5 minutes

 

Yes this diversity of pictures is offered within 5 minutes. What a stunning place, never boring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nairobi, street photography

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scenes in South Sudan, USAid delivery

 

The place is called Pibor. The rains were coming which means the black cotton airstrip and the roads nearby will be closed quite often. It will get slippery and soft. Black cotton is a thick, heavy but very slippery mud. So the food was delivered in advance by trucks.

 

Cooking oil in these tins.

 

Or sorghum and lentils in these 50kg bags. This woman was keeping guard!

 

This woman got a box of oil tins, some leaking obviously.

 

An old Murle woman is not afraid of carrying 50kg on her head. Notice the white piercing jewels around her mouth.

 

This kid in blue clothes was salvaging grains leaked from bags before being chased by some nasty official.

 

These bags have been tampered with, I’m not sure what’s inside. Maybe just a lightened o shared load.

 

 

The pictures were initially shot with a smartphone while pretending calling someone, my usual technique in this paranoid country. There is always some sort of obscure official, some soldier, some policeman, some civilian to object and make your life miserable. But around the food distribution center, people looked relaxed and after a while I could shoot a bit more normally. Still I left my big camera in the bag. I was not willing to push my luck too far.

photography, Burma

 

 

 

Not the usual face for a monk…

 

 

 

Street photography in Brussels

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

People, South Sudan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Street photography, Arusha, Tanzania

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aerial photography, Selous, Tanzania

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Indian Ocean, Tanzania, aerial photography

 

 

 

A view of Stonetown, Zanzibar.

 

 

 

Dar es Salaam.

 

 

Paris, B/W films