“I went into the project expecting to be inspired by the people themselves and their relationship with their environment; I was not disappointed. As soon as we set our sights on the group of Hadzabe men and their hunting dogs under the baobab tree home they made and the huts and beaded adornments of the Datoga tribe, I was inspired by the harmonious way in which the Hadza tribe lived with the sprawling bushlands bordering lake Eyasi and the resourceful talents the Datoga employed to recycle scrap metal to create their adornments and tradable metalworks. I took time to frame images that featured the people and the practices that are uniquely Hadza and Datoga, having been honed over 5000 years to have a feather-light impact on the environment and in turn enabling them to persist in this challenging environment. 

At the beginning of the team’s expedition into the villages, I found myself taking photos of things I found new and foreign to my modern lifestyle but quickly after settling into the trip and interacting with the tribesmen and women I began capturing images of items and interactions that the community members wanted to be documented as per their showing interest in showcasing certain tools and living quarters, hunting techniques, crafts and adornment as well as lighthearted domestic life such as music and dance.

I believe that it is those types of images combined with a simple fly-on-the-wall approach that satisfied my need to represent the Hadza tribe in a way that was authentic and true to who they believe themselves to be.”