Portrait of a Karo Man
Omo Valley 2013
He knew where to stand to earn money as a model for the photo tours…near the river bank where our vehicles were parked. He had his face painted and a fresh feather in his hair. He was a big man, tall and muscular. And he knew he would be chosen to pose. Confidence. He exuded it.
I made this into a high-key portrait using Nik Silver Effects Pro filters because I liked the way his right eye glows with the increased exposure and the way the texture of his hair is emphasized. My lens was wide open, 2.8 f-stop, maybe that’s why the feather is soft, or maybe the wind was blowing. His face is the most important thing and it is sharp.
To get the feather sharp, I’d have to decrease the size of the f-stop and increase the shutter speed if the wind were the culprit. So many things to think of! Most important is to get a shot before someone tells him to strike another pose. You can use Program mode if the situation is hectic. That is the easiest way to get the correct shutter speed and f-stop combination.