My Maasai

The Masai are always photographed the same: jumping in nature while wearing traditional outfits and jewellery Almost like it is a group of animals. But more and more Masai start to live in towns and buy their first Nikes and put mobile phones in their stretched ears. Together with seven urban Masai I tried to find a new way to photograph the new Masai.

After long talks which every Masai portrayed I made three different pictures based on their wishes and personality. I did three because I knew that one picture would always be my own interpretation of this person, and with three pictures that would still be the case but then at least each portrayed Masai could choose which picture they liked the best, the second best and the least and in the book the pictures are shown in that order. In exhibitions their first choice pictures are always printed the biggest and their least favorite picture very small.

After all the Masai portrayed in this project choose their favorite pictures we hold elections in town with their first choice pictures. Fifty Masai-members living in the city Arusha could vote which picture of a Masai they thought was the best.
Source: https://janhoek.net