Picture of the Day, 2019.07.24

A young Maasai gets enthusiastic during a welcoming dance. Linda and I visited a “cultural” Maasai boma (village enclosure) while we were traveling back from the Serengeti. It was a real village — people live there as they try to keep the old ways, but open it to outsiders as a way to earn income to keep things going. These Maasai are traditional herders (and cultural interpreters) who live on the arid leeward side of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. They ask a donation, allow visitors to meet and photographic them, and they sell the excellent beaded crafts they have made. Many see this as exploitation. I, and many others, see this as a friendly exchanged that allowed Linda and me a tiny window into the Maasai way of life. We came, we met, we learned, we left enriched though perhaps wanting more, and hopefully their life goes on. <i> Technical Note: This is what an extreme wide angle is for. I was in these guys’ faces and they got in mine; we fed off of each other. Nikon D750. Tamron 15-30mm f/2.8. ƒ/8, 15mm, 1/180th sec. ISO 400. View larger at my Flickr site, http://www.flickr.com/photos/botetourt/48054813738