Ethiopia-Where every image has a story
Ethiopia is rich in story telling and the drive to the Omo Valley was no exception for photo opportunities, where every image tells a story.
In 2024, Linda and I traveled to Ethiopia when we had a break between leading our two safaris. We had just had one of the most amazing experiences of seeing the migration crossing the Mara River in Tanzania. We saw it happen four times in one day and feel super fortunate to have experienced this incredible movement of animals. You can check out the video here “11 Days in Tanzania”
Our goal was to spend 10 days in the Omo Valley, hoping to meet numerous tribes to photograph, like the Suri (Surma) and Mursi tribes. For the few previous years, Linda and I had been inspired by three photographers who have brought the Omo Valley, and specifically the Suri tribe, into the forefront with their amazing photos: Giovanna Aryafara, Piper Mackay, and Jayne McClean. The inspiration from their Instagram feeds had us hooked. Though they offer their own tours to the Omo, we felt that we could arrange this trip on our own and worked with a local tour company to put everything in place.
We initially flew into Addis Ababa and did the typical first-time visitor circuit there, including a visit to see Lucy. A few days after arriving in Addis, we boarded a flight to Jimma to meet our guide, Ermi, and our driver, Giddy. In our minds, the sole focus was getting to the tribes and beginning our photography adventure, but we were in for a surprise. The journey to reach them turned out to be an adventure in itself. The old saying “It’s not the destination, but the journey that is important” felt 100% true in this case.
Ethiopia is far more lush than I expected, and I had no idea it would be such a beautiful country, especially during the drive from Jimma. In my mind, I was remembering the commercials in the 1980s and the song “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” and the Live Aid concert, which raised over $100 million to help as a result of the 1984 famine that struck the country.
A common street scene in Ethiopia
The drive started around 11 a.m. as we hit the road toward Mizan. When Linda and I are leading safaris in Tanzania, we love the stretch between Arusha and Tarangire National Park, there’s so much to see as we pass through different landscapes, and we always encourage our guests to photograph the drive. So we were super excited to watch this part of Ethiopia unfold before us, and we made sure we were shooting at a higher shutter speed to freeze the action.
It wasn’t until the winter of 2025 that I really sat down and went through the images again. Sometimes after you travel, you need to put the camera down, close the laptop, and step away for a while so you can come back to the photos and appreciate them even more.
What pulled me back to these images was actually Linda’s work. One day while she was at work, I started scrolling through her photos. She’s a fantastic photographer, but she doesn’t always give herself enough credit. I wanted to give her a bit of a confidence boost, so I dove into her images from the drive and began editing them, studying each frame and looking for those that held a story. Often, a simple crop or a slight straightening can make a huge difference. When I surprised her with the edited images, she was genuinely thrilled. I could see her confidence grow as she started to “see” her photographs in a new light.
Pushing a Bijaj uphill
I thought, “Hey I need to revisit mine as well”. I had gone through and edited the obvious ones, but I dove a bit deeper into the story telling side of the images and what a thrill it was to revisit these. I brought them into Adobe Bridge and looked at each one, marking them with a 1 star for further review and once I had gone through close to a thousand, I had culled it down to a little over 100 and then started working with them.
A typical local shop
One thing I noticed while we were driving was how aware everyone seemed to be of the camera. Many people waved, smiled, or looked at us with a bit of suspicion, but of course, we just kept going. That changed when we stopped for lunch, I think on our second day of driving.
A man in mirrored sunglasses approached us, with a demeanor that felt like it was inspired by Idi Amin or maybe just too many American movies. He didn’t like that we were filming and talking about our trip and became quite threatening, accusing us of all kinds of things we clearly weren’t doing. He told us to get out of town.
Our guide, Ermi, handled it incredibly well. My instinct was to tell him to “eff off,” but I knew better, especially in a foreign country where you don’t know who’s connected to the local authorities.
Trying to pop colors and textures
You’ll probably notice these edits are a bit more contrasty. In Adobe Camera Raw (yes, I always shoot in RAW), I boosted the contrast to +7, pulled the highlights down to –72, increased clarity to +44, and used Dehaze at +12. From there, I fine-tuned each image to my liking, then saved that initial setup as a preset so I could apply it across the whole series for a consistent look.
Sorting coffee at a drying facility in Ethiopia
Whenever I travel, I’m not afraid to ask the guides to stop if I see something interesting. Ethiopia, as you may know, is famous for its coffee. Many people consider it the birthplace of Arabica, and you feel that history everywhere, from small roadside stands to tiny cafés where beans are roasted over open coals and ground fresh for each cup. Driving through the countryside, we passed hillsides dotted with coffee plantations; at one point, it felt like we drove for hours seeing nothing but coffee. It’s not just an export here; coffee is a daily ritual, a point of pride, and a vital cash crop.
As we were driving, I saw coffee laid out to dry and workers sorting through it, so I asked Ermi if we could stop and take a look. Even though our visit was brief, I was able to capture the photo above of the six women sorting coffee. At first, they were a bit suspicious of us, but they warmed up pretty quickly.. You’ll find a bit of video footage in the Omo Valley video I put together.
Ermi buying bananas
Our next stop was a local market. Linda and I love going to markets when traveling and this one was great for interacting with the locals. Ermi, purchased some bananas and if you look at the photos of the bananas, people in America would not want them because they are not perfect. But they taste way better than any you’ll find in the states. In fact, here’s a quick look at the process of bring bananas to the states, compliments of ChatGPT:
“For the American market, most bananas are grown on large plantations in Latin America, harvested while they’re still green, and taken to packing stations where they’re washed, treated to prevent rot, and sorted to meet strict cosmetic standards, anything too small, spotty, or misshapen is usually rejected. The selected bananas are boxed and shipped in refrigerated containers to the U.S., where they stay cool and green until they reach special ripening rooms. There, they’re exposed to ethylene gas so they ripen on schedule to whatever shade of yellow supermarkets want. Only then are they sent to grocery stores, where they appear “perfect” and uniform, but often at the cost of the deeper flavor you find in fruit that’s grown and eaten closer to home.”
I hope you enjoy these images below; they were really fun to edit and revisit with fresh eyes. I’m considering putting together a video showing how I select my images, what I look for in cropping and storytelling, and some of the thought process I use when presenting my travel photos. I also still need to share, here on the blog, the images from the various tribes we visited and the deeper reasons behind our journey to the Omo Valley.
In the meantime, I’m grateful you’ve taken the time to come along on this part of the adventure with us.
Faces of Faith in Lalibela, Ethiopia
Lalibela is unlike anywhere I’ve ever been a place where faith, history, and daily life are carved into stone. Over the course of three unforgettable days, we explored the ancient rock-hewn churches, captured portraits of quiet devotion, and witnessed the Feast of Saint Aregawi, a powerful nighttime ceremony filled with centuries-old chants and rituals.
Lalibela is unlike any place I have been in the world, a sacred place of devotion and faith that has stood the test of time for over 800 years. The rock-hewn churches of Lalibela were built in the late 12th to early 13th century, during the reign of King Lalibela, who ruled Ethiopia during that time.
According to tradition, King Lalibela commissioned the churches as a symbolic "New Jerusalem" after Muslim conquests made pilgrimage to the Holy Land difficult for Ethiopian Christians. There are 11 monolithic churches, carved directly from solid volcanic rock, and they are still active places of worship today.
Though our visit lasted only three short days, we were able to gain a great understanding of the culture with the help of a local resident, tour guide, and Lalibela Deacon we met named Desta, also known as 'Happy.'" Happy let us know that there was a special event taking place in the first evening we would be there and he said that we could be front and center to the event, the Feast of Saint Aregawi. This important Orthodox Tewahedo Christian holy day honors Abune Aregawi, one of the nine founding saints of the Ethiopian Church, and is marked by a national pilgrimage.
I felt that black and white images better captured the timeless, ancient atmosphere of this unforgettable visit. These are just a few of the many photo opportunities I encountered while there.
Two men having a quiet conversation in a church in Lalibela, Ethiopia.
We spent most of the day going through the rock hewn hand carved churches and around every corner there was an opportunity to photograph a place and people were time just seemed to stand still. Men sat in quiet conversation or read from scriptures, sometimes centuries old, bound in worn leather covers. Though the image below shows what appears to be a newer book, the door next to him is probably 800 years old and the old chain slowly carved out grooves as it swung back and forth through the centuries.
Elder reading scriptures in Lalibela, Ethiopia.
In Lalibela, religion felt central to daily life, and I was struck by how the traditions of worship and ritual have continued almost unchanged and uninterrupted for over 800 years. It’s not just something practiced on special days but is a true lifeblood and focus of the community. While exploring the various churches, we were required to remove our shoes out of respect for the sacred spaces we were entering.
A gentleman in Lalibela kindly helped Linda with her shoes after we entered one of the churches.
I remember a gentleman who followed us around to ‘watch’ over our shoes and he took his role very seriously. It reminded me how, in many Western societies, we’ve lost a bit of that sense of reverence for sacred places. In contrast, removing one’s shoes is still a common practice in many Southeast Asian countries when entering temples or Wats, a simple part of showing respect.
Watch the video above for a look at the sights and sounds of a religious ceremony that we witnessed taking place in the Saint Maryam Rock Hewn Church in Lalibela, Ethiopia.
Finding a quiet place to read and reflect.
The architecture of the churches is quite stunning. If you look closely at some of the images in this post, you can see where the rock was expertly chiseled by hand. The sheer scale is impressive as shown in the photo of Linda and Destaw below.
Linda and Destaw in Lalibela.
Of course, my main focus was capturing the shots I had dreamed of before coming to Lalibela and with the backdrop of centuries-old churches, I wasn’t disappointed. Below are some of my favorite images, but don’t miss the ending. We attended the nighttime ceremony, and I’ve included the video above so you can hear the ancient songs and chants that have been passed down for centuries.
If you watched the video above, you’ll notice that we first observed the ceremony from above. But the most powerful experience came when, with the help of our guide Destaw, we were able to step onto the floor of the church and witness the ceremony up close. As a photographer, there are moments when you feel the need to put the camera down and simply be present and this was one of those times. Rather than keeping my lens at eye level, I wanted to soak in the atmosphere: the rhythm of the chanting, the echoes of the music, and the devotion filling the ancient stone walls. Below are some of my favorite images from that evening, captured as we stood among the worshippers on the ground level.
Director of Photography for the movie - Shooting Starr
I just wanted to drop a quick post to share some exciting news , I recently had the incredible opportunity to work as the Director of Photography on an upcoming film titled Shooting Starr
The movie stars Emily Maddison and is both written and directed by Christa Rivington of Buttercup Film Productions. It was an amazing experience to help bring Christa’s vision to life, and I can't wait for you all to see it.
For those curious about the story, here's a quick rundown of the inspiration behind it, though don't worry, I won’t spoil the ending:
The Story Behind Shooting Starr
Belle Starr, born Myra Maybelle Shirley in 1848, was raised amid the chaos of the American Civil War. Surrounded by violence and raised among Confederate sympathizers, she grew up alongside boys who would later become legendary outlaws, like Jesse James and the Younger brothers.
After the war, Belle gravitated toward a life on the fringes of society, marrying outlaws and becoming deeply involved in horse theft, robbery, and harboring fugitives. She wasn’t just a bystander, Belle became an icon, often riding sidesaddle in velvet skirts, armed with two pistols, and commanding attention wherever she went.
Sensationalized in newspapers and dime novels, Belle Starr earned the title "Bandit Queen," embodying rebellion and fierce independence in a world dominated by men.
Shooting Starr brings a fresh, cinematic take to the story of Belle Starr, weaving together history, legend, and an unforgettable performance by Emily Maddison. I’m incredibly proud to have been part of this project, and I’ll be sharing more behind-the-scenes glimpses soon!
The movie is currently on the film festival circuit, so stay tuned for the release date and trust me, you won’t want to miss how this story comes to life on screen.
Here’s the IMDB link with the full cast and crew.
Arena - Muckelshoot Casino
Arena performing live at Muckleshoot Casino in Auburn, WA. This high-energy show featured powerful vocals, dynamic lighting, and a full band lineup captured in one epic shot. Dive into the post for my top images, behind-the-scenes details, and tips on photographing live music.
I recently had the opportunity to photograph Arena once again, this time at the Muckleshoot Casino in Auburn, WA. I was genuinely excited to work with them at this venue because the lighting setup was far better than previous shows, giving me a real chance to capture the images I had envisioned. My goal was to make the stage look larger than life and get those epic, dynamic shots that truly showcase the energy of a live performance. What made this experience even better was the freedom to move around the venue. That flexibility allowed me to work with the same lens setup I mentioned in a previous post: mainly the 85mm f/2.8 for crisp portraits, the versatile 24-120mm f/4 for a mix of wide and tight shots, and a few ultra-wide stage captures using the 10.5mm f/2.8.
Prepping for the Shoot
When I’m preparing for a concert shoot like this, I follow a few key steps to ensure I’m 100% ready to capture the best possible images:
Clean the camera sensor — no dust allowed. Even a single speck can ruin a great shot.
Clean all lenses — clarity is everything.
Format all memory cards — I always start fresh with newly formatted CFexpress cards.
Charge batteries — I bring at least three fully charged batteries with me, just in case.
The drive to the venue took a couple of hours, which gave Linda and me time to chat and catch up. She also took the opportunity to read through a screenplay I started writing back in 2013, which I’ve recently been putting some finishing touches on. But that’s a story for another post.
While she read, I was mentally preparing, visualizing the shots I wanted, the angles I’d aim for, and how I’d use the lighting to my advantage.
First Impressions of the Venue
Since I had never shot a show at Muckleshoot before, I arrived early to scout the space and get a feel for the lighting rig. Walking into a new venue for the first time is always a bit of a mystery, but I was quickly reassured: the lighting setup was solid, and I knew I was going to walk away with some great images.
First song out, the lights were all red. For me, red is the worst because it washes out al the facial features and the only way to really save images like this, is to convert them to B&W and you can see in the example above.
The Red Light Dilemma
The first song kicked off and the entire stage was bathed in red light. For concert photography, that’s one of the most challenging lighting scenarios. Red tends to blow out detail, especially in faces, making it nearly impossible to retain the texture and emotion you want in a shot. It washes out the contrast and creates a flat, almost ghostly look.
The best way I’ve found to salvage images under these conditions is to convert them to black and white. You can see an example above what started as a red-saturated shot actually became a pretty powerful monochrome image. It’s one of those cases where a limitation forces you to get creative.
Dialing in the Exposure
At this point in the show, I focused on dialing in my exposure settings. I switched to Aperture Priority mode, set my ISO to 2500, and kept an eye on my shutter speeds, which typically ranged between 1/320 and 1/500 of a second. That gave me enough speed to freeze the action while still letting in enough light.
To help protect the highlights, especially with those unpredictable stage lights, I shot at -1/3 EV. That slight underexposure gave me a little more headroom in post to recover detail without blowing out key areas of the image.
By the second song, I had everything dialed in. The lighting was spot on, and Darlene was already lighting up the stage with her vocals.
Getting the Whole Band
First order of business: make sure I captured a solid shot of each musician. The drummer, CJ, proved to be the biggest challenge. He was tucked way back in a pocket of the stage with almost no light hitting him. Early in the set, it was nearly impossible to get a usable shot but luckily, later in the show, I managed to grab a few decent frames when the lighting shifted just right.
Next time, I might bring a small LED light to help illuminate his face, or see if Chuck, the band’s lighting guy, can give me a hand. Drummers always seem to get the short end of the stick when it comes to stage lighting, and I want to make sure they get their moment too.
Monty Smith on Guitar
Tina Hart on Vocals
Tommy Wall on Bass
CJ on Drums
Capturing It All
The performance was fantastic, running just under two hours and I ended up shooting over 370GB worth of images, totaling more than 8,000 shots. That number might seem high, but there was a reason behind it. I needed a wide variety of images the band could use for marketing, everything from tight performance shots to wide angles, candid moments, and behind-the-scenes energy. I was constantly moving around to get different perspectives and keep the coverage dynamic.
One of the best parts of the night was the lighting. The lighting tech at Muckleshoot Casino did an outstanding job. It wasn’t just static stage lighting the colors and moods shifted throughout the set, giving the show a fresh look and feel from beginning to end. That variety made my job not only easier but way more fun creatively.
Top Shots + Full Gallery
Below are my top ten favorite images from the show, and beneath that, you’ll find a gallery with some additional favorites that didn’t quite make the top list but still deserve a spot.
If you’re looking for a photographer in the Pacific Northwest to capture your band’s performance, I’d love to hear from you. Head over to my contact page and drop me a message with the show date and location, and I’ll be happy to provide a quote. Whether it’s a small venue or a big stage, I’m all about telling the story of your performance through powerful imagery.
Arena - New Seattle Band
Live music has a unique power to unite people, regardless of background or beliefs, creating a shared experience that transcends division. There's nothing like the energy of a live show and Arena put on a fantastic debut show in Sumner, Washington.
Arena played their first show in Sumner, Washington. The band comprises the same talented group as my previous post, 80’s Ladies.
I was invited to shoot this show to help the band create content for social media and marketing. The venue , Purdy’s Public House in Sumner, was a challenging one to shoot in. When I arrived about an hour early, the place was already packed, and the main lot was full. That was my first sign that this was going to be a high-energy night.
Arena brings the best of arena rock to the stage, covering bands like Def Leppard, Scorpions, and Aerosmith. Their setlist turned out to be the perfect mix for both the crowd and the venue.
With a small stage and a packed floor, I knew shooting here would be a challenge but I was ready for it.
First off, I always like to get everything dialed in with the exposure settings and knew I would be shooting with three lenses this time. The 24-120 Nikon Z Lens, 85mm 1.8 Z lens and once of my favorite lenses to shoot with a 10.5mm f/2.8 lens This fisheye lens has been my go-to for band shoots for over 15 years, perfect for tight spaces and still delivering incredible results. The only challenge? It’s manual focus on my Nikon Z8 body, which meant a few missed shots but when it nailed the focus, the results were worth it!
I double-checked my sensor to make sure there were no dust spots because editing them out later is a real pain. A lot of people are afraid to clean their sensors, but modern cameras have protective glass, making it much safer with a proper sensor cleaning kit. This can save countless hours in editing time, by taking two minutes to clean the sensor.
Once the band started playing, I saw the crowd already hitting the dance floor. I knew it was only going to get tighter in a few songs, so I took the opportunity to grab those crucial shots while I still had room to move.
Darlene Tyler shot with the 24-120mm at 120mm - ISO 2500 - 1/125 sec @ f/4
Tina Hart shot with 24-120mm @ 120mm - ISO 2500 - 1/125 sec - -0.33 exposure comp @ f/4. I was seeing some of the highlights getting blown out so I used a minus 1/3 stop to reduce those highlights.
Monty Smith shot with the 24-120mm lens at 120mm - ISO 2500 - 1/80 sec @ f/4
Craig (CJ) McRae Drums shot with 24-120mm @ 120mm - ISO 2500 - 1/160 sec - -0.33 exposure comp @ f/4.
Tommy Wall shot with 24-120mm @ 120mm - ISO 2500 - 1/160 sec - -0.33 exposure comp @ f/4.
Shooting With the 10.mm Fisheye Lens
Time to have some fun! With the crowd packed at the stage, I pulled out my 10.5mm fisheye to capture those dynamic, ultra-wide shots, perfect for a smaller venue like this.
Monty always knows how to play up to the camera we’ve developed almost a non-verbal rhythm for capturing the perfect shot. And when I stick the lens super close, he knows it’s showtime!
Below are just a few of my favorites shot with the Fisheye Lens.
Back to the 85mm Portrait Lens
I love the 85mm portrait lens, not only is it great for portraits, but it also works well as a midrange lens in a venue like this. I could weave through the crowd and still get solid framing, like this shot of Tommy.
All in all, it was a fantastic crowd. As I worked my way through, people were great about letting me slip into spots to grab the shots I needed.
One of the things I truly love about live music is its power to bring people together. It doesn’t matter what race, background, political stance, or any of the labels society or the media may use to divide us. When the music starts, it unites us all. Live music transcends those boundaries, creating a shared experience that everyone can enjoy. I feel incredibly fortunate to have a front-row seat to this, working with the bands and witnessing the joy and connection it sparks, seeing people from all walks of life come together in harmony.
Live music is an experience like no other, it's not just about the sound, but the energy, the connection, and the community that forms when the crowd comes together. Whether you're into rock, jazz, blues, or any other genre, there’s something about hearing those live notes, feeling the vibrations, and seeing the passion of the performers that creates an unforgettable atmosphere. In a world that can sometimes feel divided, live music reminds us of our shared humanity. It's a universal language that speaks to the soul and brings people from all walks of life into one space to celebrate, feel, and live in the moment.
If you haven't already, make it a point to step out and experience a live show, whether it's an intimate local venue or a massive concert. There's nothing quite like the collective joy of being part of a crowd, singing along with strangers, and feeling the rhythm pulse through your body. It's an opportunity to escape, to connect, and to witness the raw emotion of music in its truest form. So grab your friends, pick a show, and let the music do what it does best, bring us all together.
