I am very proud of these portraits of the Maasai people, and you are seeing but the smallest sliver of my entire collection.

Ten years ago, I didn’t have the proper gear to achieve this kind of clarity, and as little as five years ago, although I had the gear, I wouldn’t have had the personal clarity to achieve this level of photography.

Knowing your light and lenses is an early part of the battle but being able to interact with your subjects in an artful and authentic way takes another level of awareness and humility entirely.

I am so grateful that the opportunity to photograph the Maasai people came at a time in my sobriety where I was able to do them justice and capture their swagger and bravado.

I found it interesting that of all the people I met and photographed in Kenya, these Maasai tribesmen— with all their cockiness, entitlement and attitude— felt the most like home to me, the most like Americans! 😂

Their flamboyant garb had the showmanship of rockstars or rappers and seemed in no way effeminate. If anything, the vibrant colors helped to accentuate and juxtapose their fierce masculinity, exuding power and pride.

These were men with blood of hunters and kings, Shamans and warriors.

And then there was me- who didn’t have the heart to tell them that just days earlier, at a roadside stand, I had purchased eight teams of that same colorful fabric they were wearing, because I thought it would look stunning in my guest bedroom. 😝

⭐️Also, a side note, the horn that the Maasai tribesman is blowing on is made from a Kudu antler — an animal which we were served repeatedly in Botswana and South Africa, but which I learned it was quite illegal to kill and eat in Kenya.