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rohnwood

The Seamtress, Mombasa, Keyna, 1985

A 30-year-old Ektachrome scan from my time in Kenya

A 30-year-old Ektachrome scan from my time in Kenya
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Mombasa, Coast, KE

upload_date

Mar, 2021

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Peer Award

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Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken from the staircase to my apartment in Mombasa, Kenya, where I lived for 3 years as a Peace Corps Volunteer.

Time

Since this was over 30 years ago, I do not remember specifics, but the weather in Mombasa was generally hot and humid and I recall this young lady always worked on her porch to escape the heat.

Lighting

I can tell from the shot that is was probably an overcast day, no shadows and no direction to the light. My favorite light to be honest -- like north window light.

Equipment

This shot was taken on an old time point and shoot film camera. I had a Leica M3, but it was growing moss on the internal lenses. So, it really is not the camera that make the difference in some situations.

Inspiration

N-things inspire me to make photographs. First, a situation: the solitary figure sitting in a canyon of moldering facades, caught my eye. Second, the subject: her posture--sitting, facing me, eyes down (unaware of the camera), her attention focused. I would not have wanted her to be aware of the camera as the whole scene evoked a sense of solitary existence amidst the facades around here. Third, the lighting: if it had not been an overcast day, it would have been an unresolvable contrast range -- deep dark shadows and blown out highlights (this is the equator after all). Fourth, composition: I wanted the frame filled with the facades all around the subject -- no sky, no ground, only the intrusion of the tree to suggest nature still had a foothold in an otherwise decaying urban environment. Placement of the subject was determined by trying to minimize distortion, eliminate unwanted visual elements, and still maintain a rule of fifths

Editing

Yes. The original Ektachrome slide as faded and the original stock was out-of-date when I used it. The basic colors were there, and I punched those up by increasing the saturation. The point and shoot Camera lenses was plastic, so the sharpness was not great, so sharpened it a bit. But then the number of objects in the scene really distracted the eye from the main subject. I worked to minimize trivial details through antistrophic filters which soften the millions of small distracting edges (cracks in the wall, in the paint of the shutters, patches of mold and mildew, etc.). I did punch up the white of the fabric the young woman was working on. Honestly, I do not recall everything I did, I sort of use the tools like a canvas to work the image. I did lay in some subtle flare at the edges to "age" the photo with that light-leak effect.

In my camera bag

I am not a gadget guy. Back then I carried a Leica or point and shot with either a 28mm or 35mm lenses. Today I carry a Lumix with a Leica Vario-Elmarit 2.8 zoom.

Feedback

Do not let your equipment get in the way of the shot.

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rohnwood

rohnwood

The Seamtress, Mombasa, Keyna, 1985

A 30-year-old Ektachrome scan from my time in Kenya

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow rohnwood

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