WHY ONLY ONCE?
Please continue to read to understand…….
Fifteen years ago, while still in the fashion industry, I first encountered the exotic Suri Tribe. At the time, Hans Silvester’s book Natural Fashion: Tribal Decoration from Africa had just been released and was featured in numerous fashion publications. Colleagues, aware of my passion for Africa, sent me copies of the articles and photographs. The images were breathtaking. This sparked my journey of researching how to connect with the Suri Tribe, a quest that spanned for many years.
Back then, Instagram didn’t exist, and only a select few had the first iPhones. We relied on travel guidebooks like Lonely Planet, but the preferred option was finding a photographer to connect me with a reliable fixer. In those early days, we navigated barely visible tracks, navigating challenging terrain, excited to see what lay around every corner. Those expeditions remain the most thrilling adventures experienced.
THE EVOLUTION OVER 15 YEARS
Below is the first image I captured of the Suri, and it remains one of my most popular. It inspired most of the stunning headpieces depicted in my images, marked with an iconic red flower.
I’ve maintained a deep passion for photographing these women for over a decade. Their talent and beauty are so remarkable that they could effortlessly grace the runways of Paris. The creative energy from my days in the fashion industry started beckoning me, so the headdress became more sophisticated and dynamic and the tribal painting more simple and elegant.
THE DREAM
Ever since I first encountered the Suri people 15 years ago, I have been inspired by their grace and beauty. Wanting to immerse myself in their environment again, as I did in my early days as a photographer, I decided the perfect occasion would be the end of the year, marking ten years of Piper Mackay Photo Safaris. I reached out to Greg Thomason, an exceptionally talented portrait photographer and frequent flash instructor at my workshops, to see if he would join me. Producing emotionally engaging images requires proper time to immerse yourself into an environment, deeply connect with your subjects, and be fully present for more than a few days to allow creativity to flow from the engaging experience.
Our creative ideas began flowing immediately, and by the end of our conversation, we decided to plan a private trip, inviting a few photographs to join us in this unique collaboration. We pulled out all the stops, providing spacious safari tents equipped with cozy beds, gear tables, and electricity for charging devices. Each tent also featured private en-suites with flush toilets and showers, ensuring our comfort during the immersive 8-day experience. We believe that being well-rested is not just a luxury but a necessity for pushing creative boundaries and making the most of every moment in a remote location that you may only visit once, especially for a rare opportunity such as this one.
IN HER OWN WORDS
“This unique trip created the most extraordinary opportunity to live adjacent to the Suri villages for 8 days. I had the opportunity to make images from dawn to dusk as in-between our outings the villagers wandered into camp to interact and be photographed. My tent had 5 windows, 2 doors, a real bed with linens, solar light, a workspace for my laptop, my own 6-socket power strip, an en-suite toilet and shower, and my own patio in the shade to sit and watch the river I cannot emphasize enough that the comfort and access on this trip was well worth the cost. This was a very special experience!” – Ivy Gorden
STEPPING IT UP
We had two tents set up for studios. In the morning and afternoons, we would spend time in the villages, at the cattle camp, or at a ceremony, but we could create amazing portraits all day.
I brought bright chiffon fabrics to drape the ladies to create a high fashion style
The neutral colors provided a more sophisticated look.
Simply turning color to monochrome and they take on an even more striking look.
THE RESULTS
Ivy Gorden, a guest on the private trip, won several awards from our private trip in 2023. See more here
A few of my images were included in the Lens Magazine feature article on my tribal photography across Africa. More announcements will be made soon about others.
WHY ONLY ONCE?
This is not a typical photo tour. This is a unique opportunity to join Greg and me as we share our personal creative visions as working photographers. We will push creative boundaries, building on what we accomplished in 2023 and the new ideas it inspired to create a fresh body of work. We’ll share our processes, styling, techniques, ways of connecting with our subjects, and all the intimate details. There was a long list of requests to join our private trip of repeat clients so we want to open up this trip one time only to anyone who wishes to join us. This experience is not something I want to commercialize. It is a chance to join us in a truly special and personal way. IT WILL BE OFFERED ONLY THIS ONE TIME.