Also in this issue:
- A Philosophical Pontification
- Supplement for A7R V Firmware update
- Next Time in Cameracraft / In the Pipeline
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| The Photo Safari participants 2025 |
The photo safari in Kenya happened back in November, and just like last year, everyone had a great time! You can see the some shots from both the participants and me in this google photos album. I won't say much more about it; suffice to say it was identical to last year's successful event.
While in Nairobi, Carol and I decided to do something unusual - before the safari we hired a guide who took us on a tour of a slum. To tell you more about it, let me introduce you to Lee Friedman, one of the Safari participants (yes, we're related, but we didn't know that when we first met!), who went with us and shares his thoughts and photos of the area:
KIBERA - The Happiest Slum in Africa
Upon arriving in Nairobi, I had an opportunity to walk through Kibera - the largest urban slum in Africa. I admit upon considering the opportunity, I wasn't sure it was even appropriate. Here I came from enormous relative privilege, and yet I was a "tourist" observing greater poverty than I had ever before seen. At first, I questioned why. Such a tour is certainly not a tourist "entertainment." Then the thought of bearing witness came into my head. I came to Kenya to bear witness to its fauna, the landscapes of the Maasai Mara. Why not bear witness to everything, including the poverty? The varied cultures? The people? The art?
I witnessed, and for it, I am changed.
We met Bente, a resident, who spoke to us at the outskirts of Kibera.
"Are you strong?" she asked. It was the first thing she said - and, looking unflinchingly into our eyes, she repeated it.
"Are you STRONG?"
The friends who were with me thought she was referring to the physical strength needed to navigate the rocky, muddy, and steep paths and stepping over open sewage ditches. But to me, I immediately heard it as questioning our emotional strength. More than physical fortitude, for me the greater test of strength was to bear witness.
Each picture comes with a brief description. In all - as tough as this was - I saw the human spirit rise above the material dearth. You will see that in many of these images. Colors were everywhere. And I saw more smiles standing on the mud of Kibera than any I saw in the privileged lines of business class pre-boarders on the flights that got me there.
Perhaps, like me, something here will change you as well.
 | One of the pathways.
 | Chickens eat from the open sewage. People then eat the chickens.
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| The Uganda Railway cuts through the center of Kibera, connecting to the community after running through more affluent neighborhoods. |
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| A hardware store merchant. Residents make on average the equivalent of less than $2 USD/day. This person is running for mayor of the village. |
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| Bente, our guide, is a friend of the merchant. Bente lives in Kibera, and has found an entrepreneurial niches as a self-appointed tour guide. Her talent at that is quite obvious. Her perfect English and knowledge not only from living there, but understanding the context of Kibera relative to Nairobi and the rest of Africa, was quite impressive and informative. |
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| A view of Kibera from a hillside. Most residents live in similar shacks. To the left of this image were children sliding down the dirt hill, laughing and playing. |
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Up to a quarter million people live in Kibera - possibly more - and so many of them are children.
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The smiles - and the children - all so very plentiful in Kibera.
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| There was no poverty of color. |
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| Dogs are prime carriers of Rabies in Africa, and account for up to 30 thousand Rabies deaths a year. The mix of unvaccinated animals with children is a big concern. I'm a veterinarian. I have a good Rabies titer. I wonder if I can return... |
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| While there were several "hotel" signs - such as the Mama Fidel Hotel here - the hotels are actually eateries, similar to restaurants. They have no beds. |
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| Non-pharmacist drug vendors provide the mainstay of prescriptions for the Kibera community, despite a few scattered public health facilities. These untrained vendors often "diagnose" and "prescribe" based upon symptoms and the ability of the residents to pay. |
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| The number of smiles informed us of an enduring spirit, a well-spring of attitude that - in contrast to their material venue - shows no poverty. |
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| Electricity stolen by some residents who tap into passing electrical lines supplies black market power for almost half the community, along with electrocutions and fires that result from such unregulated practices. |
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| Immediately upon seeing this, the Stevie Wonder song Living for the City came into my head - "Her clothes are old, but never are they dirty." In the midst of dirt floors, lack of plumbing, and open sewage ditches, one can still prioritize cleanliness. Even the lady washing these items is wearing clean clothes. The power of will and dignity here really struck me. |
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| Children in school - protected and sequestered from outside influences. A one-room shack, schooling provides structure and hope for the children. When we entered the room, we were greeted by the children singing loudly in perfect unison. There are efforts to bring public education to the community, and we even parked at the Olympic Secondary School - a public school on the edge of Kibera. |
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| The meticulously braided hair of a child speaks to love and care. But these eyes struck me - an old soul looking back at me. |
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| Smiles everywhere. |
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| Colors - and products for those who can afford them. |
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| Most food preparation is done outside on the streets and sidewalks. |
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| More colors and smiles |
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| Some friends of Bente. They hope to get a sponsor and visit the U.S. one day. |
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| The photographer - a Kenya selfie |
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| An open-air restaurant. |
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| A 2-story structure. |
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| Kids playing turned out to be a theme for this day. |
Gary's Notes
We heard stories about how the sense of belonging among the residents was quite strong. Some who moved out when affordable housing was given to them ended up subletting the apartments and moving back in because they wanted to be with "family".
There's also a flip side to all of this... When we were leaving the slum, our driver mentioned that he'd never visit that place by himself. "It's too dangerous." Clearly having a guide who was from the area protected us from unknown harms.
If you'd like to learn more, there are two youtube videos which give you an even better feeling of being there:
A Philosophical Pontification
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The green bar on the right
shows that this photo taken in a
hospital in Uganda is not
necessarily representative of
what you'll see in this area. |
It’s been said that every photograph is a lie – the direction you point the camera, or even the lens you choose, lies a little because of the things you’re NOT shooting. And I try to be aware of my own biases when shooting in places like this and with the reporting work I did in Uganda, mindful of all the criticism classic National Geographic has received recently from all the woke folks for publishing PSSAC (Poor, Sad, Starving African Children) 60 years ago. Could there be a way to mitigate this, even a little bit?
So here’s an idea: Every published photo can have a vertical bar on its right side, giving the viewer an idea of how typical this scene was in the opinion of the photographer. Does every village look this neat? Are there beggars like this in EVERY city, or just this one? If I pointed the camera in the other direction, would you still be seeing the same sort of thing? The taller the green area of the bar, the more this picture accurately represents the area. True, you’re still relying on the biases of the photographer, but at least it’s an attempt to paint a more accurate picture.
Next Time in Cameracraft
In this issue – Dynamic fashion from Paolo Prisco, freezing winter waters from David Forster, busts of light and inspiration from TV camera and lighting professional turned digital expert John Henshall. Reviews of the Leica M EV1, Fujifilm X-E5 with 23mm f/2.8, Fujifilm X Half, Newyi 50mm f/1.1 M lens, and vintage Olympus Pen half-framers from 60 years ago. Plus Gary Friedman’s AI recreation of impossible family photos uniting generations, and Tom Hill’s take on street photography ethics.
You can read the whole issue of the latest Cameracraft Magazine right now with no paywall. It's at low-ish resolution, unlike the version sent to paying subscribers which is full 300dpi.
In the Pipeline
A free supplement for the Sony A7R V book has been emailed to all registered owners of my ebook. Let me know if you didn't get yours and I'll send it to you.
Working on the
A7 V book now, which I expect will be done by the end of March.
The one thing I'm concluding right away is that this camera is the poor man's A1 II, with 30 fps and a pre-shooting buffer. And it uses the A1 II's autofocus and subject recognition / tracking algorithms. You do give up a few things, most notably an ethernet port, a "speed bump" C5 button, 2/5ths of the resolution, and no 8K video. But it's about half the price. That's a pretty good tradeoff. :-)
You can pre-order the downloadable version now at a discount.
Until next time,
Yours Truly, Gary Friedman
"Home of the densist blog posts on the planet" (tm)
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| Just one of thousands of shots... |
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