Journal23 March 2026
Photographs of people
The most important word in wildlife photography here isn't about light or lenses. It's 'may I?'
Always ask before you photograph a Maasai person, especially anyone in cultural dress (shuka, beadwork, ceremonial ochre). The answer is often yes; sometimes it is no, and that no is the end of the conversation. Do not photograph children without a parent present and consenting.
A smile, eye contact, and a gestured camera is a polite request in any language; Aingurai aaata? — may I take a photograph? — is better.