TOKYO-2020 People / Culture

Proud Women of The Omo

  • Prize
    Silver in People/Culture
  • Photographer
    Sarah Jenkins
  • Agency / Studio
    Sarah Jenkins Photography
  • Technical Info
    Canon 5d Iv 24-70mm F2.8 Lens
  • Photo Date
    July 2019

These striking women from the Omo tribes (Suri, Arbore, Karo, Nyangatom), living in harsh environments in the Omo Valley Ethiopia, use nature, natural clay colour pigments, goatskin, traditional beads, cowrie shells and other body adornments to express themselves. The women radiate beauty, confidence and strength in their own unique way - headpieces created from wild seeds, faces painted with ochre and white pattern designs, decorative body scarification and lip and ear plate piercings. I captured these portraits inside the women’s dome-shaped wooden huts and outdoors around their villages.

Sarah is a freelance photographer who lives in Sydney Australia, but her wanderlust for travel has taken her to all corners of the globe; to 135 countries and all seven continents. She shoots travel and portrait photographs on a freelance basis. Her interest in disappearing cultures takes her to some of the more remote parts of the world. Sarah's images have been awarded international photography awards. Sarah is also the director of SignaturePhoto Photography Courses.