This is my best known work to date...Flowers of Ethiopia...
The series that have won me all the biggest International prizes and catapulted me to international fame...
The Surma tribe of the Omo Valley, Ethiopia...a place where mankind probably began. The children and teens appear innocent and beautiful, with their ornate body paint work and exotic head decorations made of flowers. The place appears peaceful and untouched, but in reality, life here is harsh with the tribespeople at frequent wars with neighbouring tribes over cattle grazing rights. The line between peace and war is very fine and very blurred. They can be so near to each other, yet at times appear so far from each other...
This is one of my most difficult trips...took me almost 2 years to plan and execute because it is a faraway destination and some of the places that I wanted to visit can only be accessible during the dry seasons (because even with little rain, roads can be converted to mud ponds). We have to camp with the tribes and we are actually located only a few kilometres from the nearby conflict zone of South Sudan. For travel to the Omo Valley, expect spartan accommodations (if any hotels are available), many unfamiliar situations and intense human contact.
All photos are done using natural lighting only out of respect for the tribes' beliefs and cultures.
Limited edition signed prints are available at Le Dame Art Gallery in London.
A coffee table photo book and eBook is available at Blurb.com https://www.blurb.com/b/7008544-flowers-of-ethiopia
and on Apple's iBookstore.