DUS, Omo River Valley – TIMELINE 06:29 - 07:31

The group rushes to the next spot to photograph the animals coming town to drink in the Omo River

What do you do when you have 11 eager photographers and you want to provide the photographic experience of the trip? You arrange to be in the right place at the right time – in this case where the Kara men release their cows and goats at dawn to take them down to the Omo River to drink.

We were in position well before sunrise and based on the location, we devised the route to maximize the photographic opportunities. The first image was photographed at 06:29AM, and for the next hour there was frenetic activity with exposure settings being yelled across the dusty plain. People were throwing themselves onto the ground with abandon to get the evocative, low-angle shots of the scene which was unfolding before their eyes. It was mesmerizing, with clouds of dust rising everywhere – at one point there was so much dust that we had the guys stop the animals till it settled a bit!

By 07:31AM, just one hour later, it was all over and we headed back to our camp on the bank of the Omo River for a well-deserved breakfast. 

This was one of the most productive shoots that I have ever orchestrated on a photo tour. The Kara men just went about their business and not once did we give them any direction. The following images are a selection of the 945 frames that I shot during that frenetic hour.

All images © Jeremy Woodhouse. All rights Reserved. Please do not use any images without permission