We were lucky because we managed to get there when it wasn’t so busy. But this was THE thing to do in Tanzania at the time. Babu and Loliondo were all over the media, and rarely shared the front cover of the local newspapers. We heard that there was usually a six day (yes, six days!) wait time, and that wasn’t hard to believe as the vehicles lined up for kilometers.

Our rickety old Landrover was uncomfortable, but compared to most of the travelers’ conditions, it should have felt like royal treatment (AC would have been nice though). The windows were usually closed to keep the dust out, despite the stifling heat. Every fifteen or twenty minutes you would see a broken down vehicle, and there were many stories of people dying because the journey was too rough. Wealthier individuals, such as political figures, would arrive by helicopter and this seemed like cheating to me. The journey is the destination, right?

Babu had proven results because two people had claimed to be cured of AIDS as a result of drinking the medicine.  But the medical community seemed unimpressed, especially since unwell people stopped taking their medication. One doctor explained that there is an inexpensive and not all that accurate preliminary AIDS test. If the test results were positive, the patient would be given a more accurate and more costly test. Now, the patient may choose to forgo the secondary test because, well, it costs a lot more for potentially bad news. On the other hand, a cup of miracle medicine and another inexpensive and inaccurate preliminary test, and they may have been cured!

Babu would dip his cup into the green bucket, fill it, and pour the liquid into the empty cups. The tray of full cups was then carried off to the vehicles where they would be emptied as quickly as they were filled. The used cups were washed in the basins that can be seen in the background. Babu would do this methodically for 12 hours of the day. He filled each cup himself because he was dedicated to his cause.

We drank the herbal tea-like drink, but reluctantly. At first Char and I opted to share a cup. Not that half a cup less of bacteria laden, tepid “miracle medicine” would make the week go by any smoother (read: E. coli bacterial infection), but we were told that it wasn’t possible to share. So we took solace in the fact that it had been heated up to be pretty hot (read: not boiled) a couple of hours earlier. Fortunately, we didn’t get sick and that bodes well for it’s miracle medicine status.

Our visit was in March of 2011. Since then the popularity of Babu and Loliondo has died down but we were told that he is working on a new medicine. Some are now calling Babu a false prophet and some still believe in the goodness of his medicine. We weren’t there to judge.

On a side note, this was the first time shooting with the Zeiss 21mm Distagon lens. Almost all the photos from the series were shot with this lens in MF, so I had to be really close to the action, and I lost quite a few good shots because they were out of focus, especially images shot in strong sunlight.

A portrait of a Marabou Stork from East Africa. I’ll let you know when I spot a Blobfish as well.

A while ago I mentioned bringing 25 disposable, single use cameras with me on an African trip, and giving them to children that live in an orphanage. Well, now we have a bag full of processed photo prints along with the negatives, and each envelope is labeled with the name of the corresponding child. Of course the kids got a copy of their photos, and they LOVED it. Our goal is to create a gallery exhibition and show off the images that have a distinct “kids-eye-view,” and hopefully raise some cash to donate back to the orphanage. A lot of the images are washed out and really grainy, but that adds to the fun. I’ve borrowed a lightbox and loupe from a fellow photographer and soon some friends and I will be digging through looking for some gems.

I just grabbed two envelopes out of the bag and quickly sorted through the prints, and these two stood out. The photograph above was shot by Rosena (eight years old). I don’t know why the one guy is isolated from the group, why he is darker than the rest, or what he is doing in the bush.

The photograph above was shot by Marietha, who is also eight years old.

I’m really looking forward to working on this project as part of my East African re-contribution efforts.

There are two downsides to this lens:

1. Manual focus: This isn’t such a big deal considering the focal length. I wouldn’t want to be using a 50mm or 85mm with MF, but at 21mm there is a large enough DOF and that leaves a bit of room for error. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve lost my fair share of good shots because they are out of focus. But you eventually learn to make it work. I’ve also changed the focusing screen in the 5D mkII and that has helped with accuracy.

2. Smaller aperture: compared to the Canon 24mm 1.4 or even the Sigma 20mm 1.8, this lens is a little slow. But I like the fact that I know exactly what I’m going to get. And with the high ISO capabilities of camera bodies these days, I haven’t ever needed a wider aperture.

The one thing that needs to change on the Zeiss 21mm 2.8 Distagon is the big bright chrome ring around the front of the lens barrel (filter threads). It shows up a lot as a reflection in most situations when shooting through a window, and that is really tough to fix in post, so much that I’m considering painting it black. I searched for a design rationale, but could find anything on the issue. I wonder if it’s a marketing thing, similar to Canon’s red ring on their L glass. I sent an email to Zeiss asking them about it, and will let you know what they say.

Overall, I’m completely satisfied with it, and it seems to compliment the Canon 35mm 1.4 L quite nicely. These two lenses were acquired to replace the Canon 16-35mm 2.8 L zoom that I didn’t like.  I use the 35mm when I absolutely need AF, and 21mm when I need something extremely wide. There has only been one time when I wanted something wider, and in that case, I stitched the shots together. The downside is that when I’m shooting with the 35mm 1.4, I’m wishing it was as good as the Zeiss.

Seriously, though. We’re going to be handing them out to children during our next trip to Tanzania. 25 cameras x 27 exposures is 675 photos, give or take a few. It will be interesting to see if even one of them turns out nicely, although we should always re-evaluate what it means to have a “good photo.” The point is not to get amazing images, but to give a child a chance to have a little fun with a camera and get some photos that they can keep. I’ll then scan the negatives and upload them here, and it should give us a glimpse into the life of a child that this old, fat mzungu wouldn’t be able to show you.

I planned to do this last year, but failed to find the right disposable cameras. Black and white disposable cameras are getting harder and harder to find, but luckily I found enough here. Strangely enough, the cameras advertised on their site look a lot different then the ones I got. The camera inside the box is branded by Kodak, but the box has a “SOLO with flash” logo on the front, with no mention of Kodak at all.

I left it unretouched so you could get a slightly better idea of how we got this shot. There were a total of four light sources: the aforementioned two speedlights, a reflector to the left side of the subject, and natural ambient light coming from the sun. It was shot in the shade because the light was nice and diffused.

One speedlight was placed on a tripod behind the subject to light the background. Pretty obvious stuff, but I didn’t count on such a strong lens flare. I actually like it a lot, but it is definitely there and may not be to some photographers liking. The background is simply a 32″ white reflector that folds up. I bring two of them. On my next trip, I’m bringing a lot more fabric because 32″ diameter backgrounds are only good for closeup portraits.

The second speedlight was used as the key light and was placed above and in front of the subject. I used a Gary Fong Lightsphere diffuser for additional softness. This is a lightweight collapsible diffuser that is attached to the strobe. There are a bunch of different diffuser options out there, but I prefer this one because it takes up very little room in my bag (a lens fits inside of it).

The reflector was placed to the left of the subject and was used to balance out the key light and soften the shadows. I just asked if someone would hold it and they were happy to do so for a couple of bucks.

The results may not be perfect, but given how far I was from my studio in Vancouver, and given how lightweight the entire setup was, and given how quickly we setup and tore down, I’d say the images are more than worthy.

Below is another shot, with similar lighting, except with a stronger background and key light that overpowered the ambient light. I did this to create strong shadows and really emphasize the scarring on the woman’s face. It’s one of my favorite portraits.

It’s certainly not a groundbreaking image, but the lighting was a bit of a challenge. The camera was metered for the background to get a nice bright exposure. We’re talkin’ f:2, 1/60 sec, ISO 1600. Pretty nasty as far as some photographers are concerned. I must say that I love the slop. I was shooting with my workhorse Canon 50mm f:1.4, and triggering a Canon Speedlight wirelessly. The strobe was shot through a translucent umbrella that I picked up from a 100¥ store (worth about a US dollar). I wish I could consistently find light modifiers that cheap. The handle on the umbrella was broken off with ease, and we wrapped a band-aid around the broken shaft it so no one would lose an eye if the umbrella were to act as a sail once the wind picked up.

What makes this image different? I placed an orange, tungsten balanced gel over the strobe, and set the white balance to… yes, tungsten. So the camera ‘sees’ the strobe light, and the background lights as neutral, but allows the buildings in the far background appear blue. It’s pretty fun to experiment with this stuff.

I’ve been using small Canon Speedlights with wireless transmitters for a while now, and have used them to get studio quality lighting in incredibly remote areas, like Lake Eyasi in Tanzania. It is my preferred travel lighting gear. I urge every photographer to try it out, and once you get used to them, and their limitations, you can get awesome results. Just to be clear, this is ideal for lightwieght travel lighting.

Photographers on a lower budget that already own a Speedlight, or any other type of battery operated off-camera flash can also get great results when shooting outdoors, or bouncing the light off a white ceiling. Because of the size and weight of these things and the minimal cords needed, they are extremely versatile.

Apart from Speedlight strobes and wireless transmitters, these umbrella light stand adapters are very useful for adjusting the angle of your strobe and holding umbrellas. Or if you want more power from your strobes, use something like this sick looking triple flash bracket. Lastly, you’ll probably need at least one light stand, so grab the smallest, lightest one that fits in your baggage and also reaches eight feet tall when unfolded. Your tripod can do the same thing, but most tripods only reach six feet in maximum height.

A non-profit organization in Florida wanted to use a photo that they found on my website. Generally I’ve got no problem with this, as long as it’s for a good cause, and they agree to some standard terms and conditions. From their website: Quantum House is a caring and supportive home that lessens the burden for families whose children are receiving treatment in Palm Beach County for a serious medical condition.

I <3 this photo – probably because it’s of my daughter, and it captures her personality quite well. It’s not often she doesn’t have a huge smile on her face, contrary to the caption “Help keep a smile on her face.” Just thinking about her brings a tear to my eyes. I love my little girl!

I’ve been going through my archives trying to get caught up and came across this gem from Istanbul, 2009 (to give you an idea of how backed up I am). My goal is to be completely caught up by Fenruary 1st, 2011… Meaning every shoot and every photo worth working on has been processed and edited.

Cat. From Homesense. $12.99.