Mali: Tribal fashion Photo

Photographer’s Note

"Copyright © – Attila Szili.
The reproduction, publication, modification, transmission or exploitation of any work contained herein for any use, personal or commercial, without my prior written permission is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved."

The Fula or Fulani is an ethnic group of people spread over many countries in West Africa, from Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Mali in the west to Cameroon and as far as Sudan in the east. They call themselves Fulbé and there are many names in other languages referring to them. The most common are Fulani or Fula in English and Peul in French. The Fulani are traditionally a nomadic, cattle herder people and keep themselves somewhat separate from the local agricultural populations. More infos about Fulani people, you can find here.

These traditional and handcrafted jewelry is shaped from brass by artisans of the Fulani/Peul tribe of Mali. Usually are plated with gold to add durability and shimmer. Traditionally, the nomadic Fulani carried their wealth and prosperity by wearing their gold on their bodies.
Apart the earrings, another interesting thing is the tattoo around the mouth of the woman. They use Henna for the tattoo, which is practiced since the puberty of the girls and is restricted to the bottom part of the lip. When the woman is married, the upper part is also tattooed. Nowadays, both things are considered as ornaments, a touch of beauty and a sign of belonging. One of the theories to explain the practice is common for many other African tribes: the tattoo was used to deter slavers looking for unblemished girls.

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Critiques | Translate

devimeuxbe (56012) 2007-05-17 5:02

Hi Attila
this is an incredible porrait and a nice ethnological report.
The colors are beautifull.
Excellent
Thanks
Bertrand

manada (6237) 2007-05-17 5:03

Ciao Attila
very nice portrait, nice colours and frame.
Freddy

jcdurka1 (1940) 2007-05-17 5:19

Nice etnic picture with great colors. When I was in Senegal I've saw some, but not so rich than this woman. Usualy each tribes were very poor.
Cheers, Jean-Claude

grantlp (2104) 2007-05-17 5:26

A very interesting portrait of this African man, with great contrast between the bright blue, gold and earthy tones. It would have been nice if he was looking at you or even looking up to the side, as he appears a little too "stiff". Anyway, nice image.
Cheers,
Grant

wolf38 (12929) 2007-05-17 5:33

Hello Attila. A wonderful Portrait of a man in traditional clothes and a very informative text. The intensive colors blue and gold fit outstanding to each other. A really beautiful and worth seeing photo . Best regards, Wolfgang.

bostankorkulugu (33714) 2007-05-17 5:35

beautiful portrait attila... the ear rings like star fruits are very eye catching, also the blue outfit... very informative note as well... cheers mate...

korkut:)

Buin (37952) 2007-05-17 5:36

Hallo Attila!
An interesting, an impressive photo! The owner of these extraordinary artworks seems to know about their value, their brilliance. It's incredible what men have invented to adorn oneself ot to be eye-catching.
The colours here are really wonderful and the whole picture is a fgest for the eyes!
Greetings from rainy germany!
Frank

vincz (19043) 2007-05-17 5:42

Wow... this is a strong picture. fantastic olours, fantastic subject, perfect compostion. Bravo!

daddo (11381) 2007-05-17 5:51

Zdravo Attila.It's the colours and the magic they produce that attract the eye at first.Her dark skin is wonderfully complemented by the gold,light violet and touches of bright red. The tight composition allows us to admire the details and to try to read her expression. Well done.Regards. Klaudio.

axiotea (16171) 2007-05-17 5:52

Hi Attila
The tribal woman looks incredible with her huge/heavy hearings and her tattoo made of henna around the mouth. I like the fine textures of her skin, her vivid blue 'boubou', hearings...and the tight framing. An interesting note too.
Cheers
Marilyn

flory (4804) 2007-05-17 5:57

szia dear Attila,
impressive portrait with vivid jewels like ornaments and a sign of belonging..hm..interesting style of life... stunning colors blue/golden,fine details...
tks for this pic and note!
nice day,
flory

triptych2003 (1398) 2007-05-17 6:26

hi attila

a fine portrait indeed! those earrings are certainly interesting and heavy looking. a fine example of mali culture and costume. super detail and sharpness makes this a nice shot. well done!

teutza (10564) 2007-05-17 10:15

wow!you surely have some impressing images in your gallery!and verryy unusuall portraits!
this is one of them!stunning...
now i really have to say thanks for sharing:)
P.S|: you've been in so manny countries..you have to come in romania too:)
teo

markstaples (15670) 2007-05-17 10:46

Hi Attila
A great portrait where so much detail has been captured in this wonderfully sharp image. Nice colours too. Nice work.
Best wishes
Mark

kermit350 (8988) 2007-05-17 11:55

Hello Attila, its dress and this pretty blue decorated with its ornaments give of beautiful contrast with the colour of skin, this Fula woman is quite different from the woman Fulani that of 1914 which I saw in information of the note of the photographer, sincerely.......................Hello Attila, sa robe et ce joli bleu orné de ses parures donnent de beau contraste avec la teinte de peau, cette femme peul est bien différente de la femme Peul de 1914 que j’ai vu dans les informations de la note du photographe, bien amicalement

thea0211 (1355) 2007-05-17 12:21

szia attila,
csak ranezek es mar faj a fulem ... de akkor is tobszor ranezek mert ez is egy kivallo portre, nagyon szep szin kontrasztokkal - tokelettes kombinacio az eros kek ruhaja es orriasi arany fulbevaloja kozott mindketo a szep bor szinevel parrositva.
nagyon erdekes nepi szokasok szepen leirva is.
kivalo kompozicio - gratullalok!
es szep estet kivanok :)!
dora

nursez (1903) 2007-05-17 16:09

Not a portrait that we can see every day.
The ear rings and all the colors really looks interesting.
tfs,Nur

stego (22376) 2007-05-17 21:16

Hi Attila,
It's a fabulous portrait. Besides the documentary value and the curiousness of the earrings and the tattoo, I like the colours and her meditative expression. The sharpness is remarkable.
Regards, José.

siolaw (25794) 2007-05-17 21:22

Hi Attila,
She looks like a guy, and the tatto on the mouth looks like a moustache! You found another impressing character here, after the Mursis of Ethiopia! These earrings look very heavy for the earlobes! Well captured this kind of shy expression, fantastic colors and perfect sharpness.... I like all traditional people to have an easier time, but mostly it is getting hard for them....
Good docu value here
Laurent

turkamerikali (4772) 2007-05-17 23:15

Szia Attila,
Awesome Portrait my friend.
I like her earrings even though they are bigger than mine and looks very heavy :)
Great pov,dof,focus,expression,colors,outfit,necklace,sharpness,framing and note.
Cheers Mate,
CT of Indianapolis,Indiana

Wanda1 (11003) 2007-05-18 1:27

Hi Attila,
The jewelry is amazing and makes for a very interesting portrait. Nice tight composition and I like that we can also see the bowl she is carrying on her head. Good colour saturation and sharpness.
Regards
Wanda

TopGeo (21963) 2007-05-18 2:11

Hi Attila
Nice shot! Pretty composition with very good use of lights and beautiful colours. Very nice portait and a nice ethnological thema fom W. Africa, thanks
TFS Georgios

ahmetgedikli (21968) 2007-05-18 2:24

Merhaba Attila,
An orginal photo and beautiful portrait. Great colors, sharpness and good contrast. Nice work.
Thanks for sharing and greetings.
Ahmet

riclopes (33043) 2007-05-18 3:27

Uhau, you are unique in this kind of (National Geographic) photos, Attila and I absolutely love them. Superb portrait, with excellent quality and perfectly framed. The earrings is of course, what most impresses here, but even without them, this would be very good. Wonderful details and very good note. The combination of the blue and gold is stunning. Thanks for sharing,
Best wishes,
ricardo

danos (32812) 2007-05-18 3:54

Hello Attila,
The most striking thing about this portrait is the way you have controlled the light,The colours are very soft,you've avoided over-saturating what could be a pretty intense scene,which is a good idea I think. There is an element of awkwardness in her smile,but it is a shy awkwardness that adds to the aspect of the portrait.Very informative your note.Nice work.
Regards,Danos

kiwi_explorer (12195) 2007-05-18 5:28

Hi Atilla,
Now that is one hell of an accessory to make a statement. Well captured portrait. Very good overall image quality ... sharp and good contrasts. Excellent work! Tfs
Cheers,
Renier

John_F_Kennedy (31671) 2007-05-18 5:52

I like this shot a lot, it shows very good the emotion and a lot of interesting details. Excellent POV
Best wishes,
Achim

Paolo (40731) 2007-05-18 7:19

Ciao Attila...bella foto, ma non il mio ideale di donna...diciamo!
bei colori e buona composizione, e buona qualità.
quegli orecchini sembrano pesare più di mio figlio!
povere orecchie!
ciao

Didi (36266) 2007-05-18 11:26

Hi Attila
Nice picture for the local folklore is very interesting.
Very good colours; it's a good catch, but I'l nerver fall in love to this woman.
Cheers.

leo61 (43438) 2007-05-18 12:35

Hi Attila!
Fantastic portrait of this strong looking person and a well explaining note.I like your tight framing and the contrast of the skin with the wonderful blue of the cloth.Excellent sharpness and fine details,too.
Regards,Leo

sufi (9568) 2007-05-18 13:48

Merhaba Attila, my friend...
It's a very interesting external appearance and beautiful portrait photograph... The point of view, the background, the light and the brilliant colors are perfect... Wonderful sharpness and clarity too...
Also thank you for your educational note...
TFS...
Stay well..
Salim.

Cricri (43304) 2007-05-18 14:04

Hi Attila,
Note interressante qui accompagne le portrait de cette dame aux allure fiére et sérieuse, un joli ensemble beu qui resort sur sont teint bronzé, des détails incroyable tatouages et les oreilles, excellente image
have a nice week end for you
cricri

Rev (1782) 2007-05-18 14:48

Hi Attila
You have captured this woman beautifully.
The colours are amazing and the sharpness is excellent.
Well taken and presented.
Regards
Peter

sabyasachi1212 (19546) 2007-05-18 15:01

Hi Attila,
Your images always manage to open new windows for us and this one is no difference. Something new, something we can learn, and to top it all - a superb image. Excellnt colours.
With Greetings from India
Sabyasachi

paura (38742) 2007-05-18 17:03

Attila,
Very interesting portrait. Amazing heavy hearings there! The composition is really nice, friend.

Paulo

Gerrit (35937) 2007-05-18 18:59

Hi Attila,
must be real weight. The lipstick is very charming,
Amazing portrait. Fine schnitt and great colours,
regards, gerrit

izmirli (3223) 2007-05-18 19:10

merhaba my friend attila
wonderful portrait picture.beautiful interesting fashion and beautiful colours.
best regards.
gürkan akçakır.

Vato_Law (11682) 2007-05-19 5:08

Hello Attila,
Another great piece of documentary photo with this portrait and the whole story about her group told on your note.
Impressive the wieght that these earrings must have to cause this 'damage' to her ear.
I like her pose and the constrasting colours of the earrings and clothes.
Cheers.
Paulo

syd1946 (17931) 2007-05-19 7:31

Hi Attila,
A very rare portrait indeed with the expression of the face most of all and all these beautiful colours of the composition.Congrats for your note my friend,very informative for the daily life for this ethnic group.Interesting and beautiful work...

Wishes for the weekend,
Thomas

dorte_s_t (2285) 2007-05-19 10:56

Hi , Attila .
Very impressive photo of this woman who wears a beautiful blue dress fantastic golden earrings and a beautiful necklace .
Her facial expression is captured perfectly . One wonders what is on her mind......
Great job , Attila !
greetings
Dorte.

jhm (82879) 2007-05-19 11:41

Hello Attila,

A wonderful portrait of this face in traditional clothes and a very informative text too with the link to Wikipedea. The earrings are a splendid part of the decoration, perhaps very problematic.

Best regards,
John.

MichaelTrezzi (3170) 2007-05-19 13:31

Hi Attila, this is really a fascinating portrait. How do you do that ? These people usually do not allow to be photographed. And inresting note too. Wel done. Thanks for sharing. Michael

Angshu (33877) 2007-05-20 0:27

Hello Attila
A superb image yet again & also an eye opener for us. Not only is the portrait excellent, but going through your note is a pleasurable & learning experience. She seems to be balancing something on her head... a pitcher?
Regards
Angshu

rakeshgupta (2670) 2007-05-20 3:16

Hi Attila,
This is a great portrait. The huge ear rings seems to be heavy for ears. Great colours, specially the blue clothes. These gold polished ornaments are giving nice effects to the photo.
Thanks for this great portrait and intelligent briefing about the subject and its community.
Thanks for sharing.
--
Rakesh

toto (18731) 2007-05-20 4:21

Belle photo d' un personnage enigmatique, il est très jolis et coloré,son habit est je suppose traditionnel de l' endroit,Amitiés Thomas

Cretense (56520) 2007-05-20 11:02

Hi Attila!

Amazing portrait, and great example of travel photojournalism! Great tight framing, beautiful colours, perfect sharpness and contrast. Nice, natural expression on that face and incredible earrings. Great note too! Congratulations!

Hercules

edytungkal (4519) 2007-05-21 2:07

Hi Attila
Very unique etnic photo, colours & sharpness are well. Great one and TFS

regards
daniel

Fis2 (46057) 2007-05-21 5:01

Witaj Attila!
Excellent shot! Super portrait. I like the frame and sound colors. Good work.
Regards
Krzysztof

gilou530 (35422) 2007-05-21 5:12

salut attila
wouah, trés impressionnantes ces boucles d'oreilles, bonjour le poid, bien trouvé ce personnage typique de ce beau pays, belle netteté
amitiés
gilbert

vinicio (22416) 2007-05-21 6:01

Devono pesare molto guardando il lobo dell'orecchio, la bellezza ha il suo prezzo, e non scherzo.
Ottima foto e nota molto interessante Attila, complimenti, non conoscendo sia l'usanza che il popolo mi ha interessato molto questa tua proposta. Grazie.
Auguri di un'ottima settimana
Ciao
Vinicio

Graal (58267) 2007-05-21 7:59

Jó napot Attila,
interesting portrait and note. Friends all told You. Well done photo. I like it also.
Gr., Aleksander

josepmarin (33861) 2007-05-21 12:18

Hi Attila,
Good portrait of this woman with her clothes, her jewels, her makeup and tribal tattooes.
The image has a great quality, we see all the details, has a great lighting and beautiful natural colors, and the big earrings in her perforated ears are really impressive.
Good work of graphical information of another culture.
Best regards,
Josep

Photo65Net (43096) 2007-05-21 13:30

Attila,
Beautiful portrait !
Colors are wonderful, and I like how your tight framing emphasizes them.
Note is wonderful.
Regards,
JB.

Budapestman (42328) 2007-05-22 5:14

Szia Attila,
Gyorsan pótolom a hiányosságot, ennek a remek portrénak az esetében sem szeretnék lemaradni a gratulálók sorából. Csak ismételni tudom: csodálatos helyekre visz életutad. Gyönyörűek és érdekesek a részletek, a képkivágás tökéletes. Nagyon különleges és látványos portré, gratulálok. Szép Napokat és remek fényeket Kívánok!
Gyuri

Emile (20017) 2007-05-22 22:54

Hola Attila.
Excellent portrait of the Fulani woman, beautiful and interesting way to show their prosperity, very good colors and great POV. Thank you for your nice informative note.
Well done. TFS.
Regards from my son's home in Miami.

AiresSantos (42440) 2007-05-23 4:26

Hi Attila,
Great portrait with amazing colours and the light very well managed.
Excellent details, very well framed and done
TFS and greetings
Aires

balatrek (7419) 2007-05-28 16:41

Hi Attila,

The Portraits of your gallery always surprises to me, this is very interesting, full of force and colour, I like the composition and the lost glance of this Fula person, their clothes are impressive, a great result and an excellent work.

Regards
José

vagabondtravels (6115) 2007-05-29 7:51

Hi Attila

Some interesting dress you have captured here. That is some huge jewelry. Very very sharp. Anyhow well done.
Ben

pablominto (40958) 2007-05-29 8:48

Hello Attila,
Not only an interesting documentary but also an attractive portrait!
Colourful capture, eye-catching details...
Well composed presentation where the tight framing works well!
Greetings,
Pablo -

rigoletto (26424) 2007-05-29 16:27

WoW!
From the silky blue to the gigantic golden ornaments, from the ears to the lips, form her eyes to her charismatic nose, this one is a perfect portrait. I can not easily imagine to see such a different face in TE. Thank you so much for introducing her and her tribe to us. Cheers,
Deniz

faubry (32367) 2007-06-03 3:30

bonjour Attila, wonderful close up portrait, very interesting ethno reportage, i like a lot, thanks
francine

gildasjan (23959) 2007-06-23 3:28

Bonjour Attila
Je viens de parcourir votre galerie et je découvre cette superbe image.Mon commentaire sera simple :toutes mes félicitations.
Très cordialement
Gildas
à demain...

Hello Attila
I have just traversed your gallery and I discover this superb image. My comment will be simple: all my congratulations. Very cordially
Gildas

angelsimon (2466) 2007-06-23 19:21

Hi Attila.
Thanks for visiting my gallery, it has allowed me to visit yours, and it is wonderful, every shot, every picture, i consider it very interesting.
This picture has taken my attention for this big ear-rings, you show us lot of things with this picture: the way to carry the things on the head, those peculiar dresses etc. The scene i full of color and with a great composition. I´m asking myself one thing: Is a man or a woman? Congratulations for this shot and regards from Spain.
Angel.

Giorgio (8730) 2007-06-24 2:03

- Incredible composition with this wonderful portrait, thank you for the sharing and to make us travel thus, in more a technical quality and sharpen are superb, well done!
giorgio

Bruno40 (6440) 2007-07-04 5:32

Attila
Browsing your gallery is like reading NatGeo or some Wikipledia.
Fantastic presntation of this beautiful portrait.
really fullfiling the motto of TE
Good job
Jorge

rozy975 (3047) 2007-07-06 16:04

Wow! This is really incredible.
Very well composed.
Colors are beautiful.
Well done!

edal (6581) 2007-08-06 20:42

Great work, Attila! It's more than a portrait - it's a history of a nation, that's been an empire. You've achived to tell us the story with remarkable photographic skill.
TFS
Anton

brevbrev14 (372) 2007-08-11 4:27

ciao Attila, stupendo questo ritratto!
certo che deve essere una meraviglia vedere e conoscere popolazioni così lontane da noi...deve un' esperienza bellissima!
la tua fot è splendida e mostra delle particolarità e delle usanze del Mali...
Interessantissima anche la tua nota!
bravissimo!
ciao!
Valeria

Jakab (3472) 2007-08-15 7:48

Szia Attila!
Tetszik, hogy a néprajzi precizitás mellett (amit a kiváló jegyzet is erősít) a kivágással, a színek játékával (a kép nagy részét komplementerek teszik ki, egészen harsány összhatást adva az inkább visszafogottnak látszó portrénak) lényegében címlapfotót prezentálsz. Gratulálok!
Laci

sevda (221) 2007-11-21 21:26

Beutiful details and color. I also love your note.

Glint (3044) 2007-11-24 7:35

hello Attila,
a portrait full of impact. Wonderful colour and character. A real knock ouy shot. Interesting note too.
Bev

parbo (11000) 2008-01-09 15:48

Hello Attila,

Your great portfolio shows different faces and scenes to us everytime. I like a lot your this full blue portrait that stunning from its thumbnail. You also very well detailed the story.

I'm appreciated for you adding me to your favorites and many thanks kindly words about my photography and web sites.

Friendly Regards,

Ertugrul

Xen (584) 2008-05-14 14:21

Ouch!!! And you write that the earring are made from brass. That is intense!!
This is a beautiful portrait of this woman and the colours are amazing.
Beautiful composition!
Deb

Photo Information

Copyright: Attila Szili (atus) (15476)
Genre: Gente
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2007-01-18
Categories: Vida cotidiana, Momento Irrepetible
Camera: Nikon D70, Nikkor 18-70mm 1:3.5-4.5G ED DX, Hoya Super HMC PRO1 67mm Sky
Exposición: f/8, 1/160 segundos
More Photo Info: view
Versión de la foto: Versión original
Date Submitted: 2007-05-17 4:53
Favoritos: 2 [Ver]