Pay for one, Photograph many

I needed a woman with a grinding stone to illustrate a Suri myth. We hired this woman for 10 birr for as many photos as we wanted.?We try to make things fun. Ermais took his turn at grinding the grain. Since men just don't do that kind of work, it was great fun.?While we were with Chief Bologedung, the kids wanted to try our cameras. I would guide the kids camera and click the shutter. So it was kids taking photos of kids.?

Photography among the Suri is harder than at Disneyland. It’s like everyone is copyrighted and you must pay to photograph any person in the places where tourists frequent. You pay per click. They actually count each time the shutter is released.

So I hire a person for many clicks and several situations for say 10 Ethiopian birr (about $1.25 USD). During the shoot, I take several photos with a wide-angle lens to capture the environment. Since others in the village are curious, they come over to see what we are doing. They happen to walk into the photograph.

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You’re currently reading “Pay for one, Photograph many,” an entry on Africa’s Undiscovered Myths

Published:
02.23.07 / 8am
Category:
Photography, Journal