Author Archives: evanso

My photographic trip to Amboseli National Park

ByEvans Ogeto March 13, 2024 0 Travel

On the 15th of February, I finally hit the road for my long-awaited solo adventure to Amboseli and Tsavo East. It felt like a dream come true, spurred on by my big dreams, especially my desire to publish a 2025 calendar filled with my travel stories and stunning photographs I will take in 2024. The excitement was palpable as I fueled up at the trusty Total station on Statehouse Road in Nairobi. Call me superstitious, but I’ve always had good luck with their diesel.

Avoiding the mundane highways, I opted for the Kiserian, Isinya, Kimana route to Amboseli. The landscapes along this road were anything but ordinary, offering picturesque views of rolling hills and glimpses into local life. I couldn’t resist stopping along the way to capture the beauty with my phone camera, ensuring my bean bags were filled to the brim for steady shots, yes I stopped and filled up the bags really good.

Finally in Kimana

Upon reaching Kimana in the early afternoon, my first order of business was to scout out the best food spots. After all, a journey fueled by good food is always a journey well-enjoyed. With my appetite satisfied, I set out to find the perfect spot to watch some football and unwind with a cold beer after a day’s work. It didn’t take long to locate the ideal watering hole, nestled amidst the charm of Kimana town.

Despite the late hour, I couldn’t wait to dive into my adventure. With camera in hand, I made my way to Amboseli for an evening game drive. The anticipation of what lay ahead filled me with a sense of childlike wonder, a feeling I never tire of when exploring new places. As I entered the park, the sight of majestic elephants against the backdrop of Mount Kilimanjaro took my breath away at the Elephant crossing point.

With each click of my camera, I sought to capture not just the images before me, but the emotions they evoked. The serenity of the landscape, the raw beauty of nature, it was a moment frozen in time. And as the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of orange and pink, I couldn’t help but feel a profound sense of gratitude for being able to experience such moments.

My accomodation

As I returned to my accommodation at Kilimanjaro View Cabin that evening, tired but content, I knew that this journey was just the beginning. With each passing day, I would continue to chase my dreams, one step at a time, knowing that the memories I made along the way would be forever etched in my heart. And as I drifted off to sleep that night, the promise of tomorrow’s adventures whispered sweetly in my ear, reminding me of the magic that awaits those who dare to dream.

The pictures

Art pieces

I look forward to a time when we can transform our Kenyan spaces; homes and offices with authentic Kenyan art people. Pieces that are alive, and have a story. Here is the start of that journey. All my works is available as prints. In Kenya, my team will print and frame for you and if possible we will come help you with the mounting. Outside of Kenya we can ship you the print in a tube and you can choose to frame it. Feel free to follow me on my social platforms and direct message me for orders or clarifications.

Check out my shop

Pictures on walls look good all the time!

I will be waiting to hear from you.

My view finally

You know in my next career, I would want to be a public policy influencer and so often I always find myself concerned about economic development as well as positive policy thinking.

As I was driving through Kajiado County, I learnt that it is arable, especially from Isinya all the way to Amboseli. The Maasai people who own this land use it for the pastoral lifestyle. I’m sure with a better alternative source of income they wouldn’t mind sharing part of their land for a fee of course. The focus can be especially on people who have some pieces that can be spared, you also don’t want to overdo it and therefore kill our Maasai people’s cultural practice at the expense of food. I come from Kisii County, a county where owning 10-acre piece of land is near impossible, a county where 100% of the people are farmers. Which therefore means we have farmers without land. Do you guys see what I’m thinking?

Let me conclude by asking the following question to take you home:

1. What would take for a governor from Kisii County, Murang’a County, or Kiambu County to collaborate with Kajiado County to fill our food basket? We keep importing food while we have the resources to feed our people.

2. What would it take for farmers to collaborate, I know collaborations are common amongst creative but I think it is time for other sectors to embrace it.

(while writing this I have assumed that the Native Maasai People don’t know how to farm, while I might be subjected to a proper roasting, we all know they are pastoralists and farming is not their stronghold)

Football made in Kawangware

ByEvans Ogeto September 19, 2023 0 Uncategorized

On Nov 2021 I stepped out to shoot some football in Kawangware. For some of us the mention of Kawangware ignite great memories since there’s has been great footballing talent that continues to emerge form here. Most notables the ex Kenya international Denis Oliech.

My love for capturing raw grassroots football inspired me to borrow the Canon R5 and Canon 100-500. since Canon launched this new mirrorless camera I had never gotten a chance to explore it on a personal level(I’m not about to give a review).

My good friend Jamby Koikai was the one behind the tournament, she came up with a football competition as a way of her giving back to her community since this is her home. I was there to offer support and create some lasting memories as this was the last game, the final between Gogo boys from Kibera vs FIFA Best from Kawangware.

Join me in seeing how I did this.

As is the norm for such games you have to arrive well in advance to familiarize with the Enviroment. This was the first time I was shooting at Riruta stadium. I was there at about 2.30pm and the women final was on going. I just managed to snap these few shots……

As this final was ongoing so were the people who were coming in for the big game, the final.

Others are in the business of enjoying football

My Friend Jamby(right)

Back into the wild-Nairobi National Park

ByEvans Ogeto March 22, 2023 2 Documentary / Travel

The stunning sunset views of Nairobi National Park have been beckoning me for what feels like an eternity. Finally, I’ve made a triumphant comeback to my beloved park after a long hiatus due to logistical constraints and financial burdens. Despite the hefty fee of at least Ksh 700 including the cost of your vehicle, I am overjoyed to be able to immerse myself in the wild side of Nairobi once again.

Hyena Dam, one of the most reliable dams in the park.

But, unfortunately, my recent trips have been plagued by a heavy stench of dying animals, particularly the buffaloes that roam the park in abundance. Kenya has been experiencing a severe drought, with little to no rainfall until just last week. The lack of water has taken a severe toll on the park’s wildlife, and it’s a heart-wrenching sight to see these majestic creatures struggling to survive.

I witnesses this buffalo fall and thereafter it was a struggle to survive. It did not make it.

I’m sure you’ve seen the calls to support Nairobi National Park, and I implore you to heed them. The park is in dire need of our help, and every little contribution counts. In the past two weeks, I’ve been privileged to witness breathtaking views of wildlife and landscapes, but also the harsh realities of the brutal food chain. Recently, we bore witness to the unprecedented sight of lions taking down five buffaloes in rapid succession. It’s hard to fathom that so many of these creatures could be turned into mere sustenance in such a short span of time.

How can you support

It’s clear that the buffaloes are struggling, and we can’t sit idly by and watch them suffer. That’s why I urge you to support the Friends of Nairobi National Park (FONNAP) https://fonnap.org by contributing towards the provision of water bousers to fill the park’s dams and hay to feed the wildlife. Your contribution, no matter how small, will make a world of difference.

As I look forward to sharing more of my adventures in the park with you, I implore you to join me in supporting this worthy cause. Let’s do our part to ensure that Nairobi National Park’s wildlife thrives and continues to be a beacon of hope for generations to come.

My pictures so far

Once again, it feels great to be back. Here are some of the best images so far that I captured recently.

How about this for my very first click, early morning catches the worm kind of vibe. I love it!

What a welcome back, just less than a kilometre into the park and I met her having breakfast

Food is in abundance for them, they are all over now as they clear the carcasses

We accepted fate! The Railways is now part of our landscape now, we are working around our problems

The hay that you have been sending so far is keeping them alive. Thank you!

Later this week, I’m going in purely for birding and photography.

If you wish to join me on one of my trips, you are welcome to just hit me up. My Instagram and Twitter are right on my website, I will be happy to show you around.

Happy to be back writing about my adventures, 2023 will see more stories coming your way. Inshallah.

Stay blessed.

Conserving Mt. Kenya through Photography

ByEvans Ogeto August 31, 2022 6 Documentary / Photo Exhibition / Photography for social change

Finally happy to share some good news here.

2022 has been great so far and I look forward to sharing more this year.

In May 2022 Mt. Kenya came calling again, this time round I was up there documenting the journey of CS. Najib Balala Cabinet Secretary, Tourism and Wildlife as he led a group of the corporate partners who were willing to support and contribute towards making Mt. Kenya a better hiking destination.

I got really excited when this brief came in, I felt like I was ready for it. Forget about shooting but you must be aware that Mt. Kenya is 4,985m above sea level, it is not a place you walk up and come back with else, you must prepare with prior hikes. It was impromptu but I was happy. We had one pre hike, coupled with my football endavours, I felt I was more than ready. I was there less than 1 year ago.

One of the most important lessons I learned from https://outdoorer.ke about mountain climbing is patience. This is the weapon I need in everything with regards to preparing for the hike, acclimatising and the actual climb. I’m actually a slow climber, that way I give my body time to adapt.

Off we went and it took us 5 days.

I will now share a few pictures of our journey.

We left Nairobi and spent the first night at the camp right at Chogoria gate. We enjoyed some sunshine during the day but the night was as cold as we expected. Just. what we needed because the next 5 nights we’re going to get even more colder.

DAY 1

The next morning off we went, the hike was officially flagged off.

We spent the night at a special camp just 4 kilometres from the Chogoria Gate to give everyone time to acclimitize.

DAY 2

The next morning we were up by 6am, took breakfast and at 7.00am ready to hit the trails. Plan was to be at Lake Ellis for the afternoon

Beautiful trails here and if you are strong enough you will get to see Nithi Falls.

You can actually drive up Lake Ellis, you just need to have a good 4×4 car. Lake Ellis offers day hiker’s great opportunities. You can actually drive from Nairobi to Ellis, camp for a night or two and come back to the city.

Destination Lake Ellis. Everyone so tired.

Was lucky, someone snapped a photo of me at Lake Ellis

Later that afternoon we went out to fish.

Mr. Njihia, C.E.O Sahihi Builders trying his luck with the fish.

We had our oxygen levels checked every evening

DAY 3

Heading to our new destination Lake Michaelson

These are the most hardworking individuals I have met. You will leave them at the camp, they will pack all your things including the tents, they will walk past you and set up the next camp you are heading. By the time you get to the next camp you will find everything ready including the food. Mountain porters are the most amazing and hardworking people ever.

Sitted CS Najib Balala (left) and DG KWS Brig. (Rtd) John Waweru having a break

The whole team. From LEFT Mpesa’s Sitoyo Lopokoiyit, CS Najib Balala, VISA’s Eva Ngigi, KWS DG Brigadier (retired) John Waweru, Sahihi Builder’s MD Njoroge Njihia(second from right), Thorn Muli (far right)

Njihia promised us fish and Lake Michaelson’s fish were friendly

DG Waweru needed rescue. He could not continue

We spent the last night here, Simba Tarn just below the summit point Lenana. The next morning we were up by 2.00am and ready for the summit.

DAY 4

While having dinner at Lake Michaelson. CS ordered that we must hold an exhibition featuring the best images we have. The exhibition was slated towards end of July in Nairobi.

The exhibition aims to showcase the Mountain and everyone will be allowed to buy the pictures. The funds raised from the sale of the pictures will go towards improving the trails and the hiker’s experience as well as help with the conservation efforts within the eco system of Mt Kenya.

On 28th July 2022, the ministry of Tourism & Wildlife launched The Mt. Kenya Photo Exhibition at National Museum of Kenya.

Photos by Francis Kiguta and Paragon Timelapse

From left Nesh-the drone guy, myself and Director Ogega of Frinant Pictures. Picture by Francis Kiguta

Posing for a photo with Ms Wausi Walya, Head of PR & Corporate Communications, Kenya Tourism Board.
Picture by Francis Kiguta

I would like to personally invite you to check out the exhibition which is currently running until 2nd Sep 2022 at the Kenya National Museum. Buy a print or two to support our dream to make Mt. Kenya a perfect hiking location.

See you next time. Stay blessed.

More to come!

Football made in Kibera Ep 1

ByEvans Ogeto July 13, 2021 9 Sports photography

Fam, it has been a while. Most importantly though, I hope you are keeping safe.

I have been judged and I am guilty! I shot some pictures way back under my own personal project and I called it ‘football made in Kibera’. My plan was to share the images immediately after but such is life, too much has been happening and here I am now. How about we just look back a few months ago when there was so much footballing activity in Kibera courtesy of the Kris Darling Tournament (I look forward to this year’s edition, hopefully, we shall make it bigger and better). Not so far back, Dec 2020 to be precise.

As a norm with most of the tournaments, there was a lot of group games before we got to the knockout phase. As for the tournament, I joined and started shooting from the quarter-finals stage. It was very competitive and you will get to see in the pictures why football is made in Kibera for sure. Kibera might be one of the poorest places but this place has produced the best talents in this country and in some of the images you will get to realise some players who are currently playing for the national team ‘Harambee Stars’. This is the home of Kenyan football!

Most of the players try to come back and play here in these tournaments just to appreciate and give back to this community where they were raised and nurtured their football skills.

Here are some of my favourite images from the quarterfinal all the way to the Semis.

The thing about this place is that you might have a football pitch now but the next minute it rains it becomes a river.

It is very tough here. The spirit of the game lives on!

When you get injured you could be on your own unless your team is well organised..

Halftime talks right on the side of the pitch

The vuvuzelas never ever left Africa even after the famous 2010 World Cup in South Africa

Meanwhile this little fella is hustling while his peers are watching the game. Kids here are very entrepreneurial

Could be a journalist reporting back to the newsroom, you never know but clearly he has a good machine

Here when a goal is scored, the game stops for like 3 minutes, the fans invade the pitch, celebrate and get back to the seats and then the ref plays the game on. Patience is key here.

I somehow started being a fan of Gogo Fc from this point because of this young man called Shirao, a very decent striker. I loved his style of football. He was also a darling to most of the fans. Of all the teams in this tournament, Gogo fc had a solid follower-ship.

Told you about Gogo FC who have a huge fan base. Onwards I actually decided to focus more on them because of the drama during their games. This right here as they celebrate qualifying for the semis

This was another interesting quarterfinal featuring Soccer talent and Ping from Dagoretti (in black)

One of my favourite shots from this game that Ping ended up winning

The pitch is so busy, soon as the game ends, the young ones are ready to practise since its a community pitch

Ping FC went ahead to win their Semifinal game on penalties again and qualified to the finals

Meanwhile on the other end Gogo fc also qualified on penalities

Now we are all set for the final: Gogo Fc vs Ping FC from Dagoretti. It was a revival of the ever-existing rivalry between Kibera and Dagoretti.

Gogo fans are real, they dress up, match colours. If only we can invest our resources into more grassroots football as a country

You guy my guy that line is nowhere close to straight.
Anyway of importance is the game and we are ready

We always have this guys, very good juggling but can match up the skill on the pitch…..just for show. We had them as opening act

I couldn’t figure out who some of the fans were supporting but we had a lot of fans who don’t support Gogo fc and they were a lot

Rules are simple here. You want to feel VIP, you pay Ksh 20 and you get yourself a chair for the game. You have to return the chair to the hirer since they know you otherwise you might end up buying a new chair.

Told you guys about young ones and business here, they are very good at it. In other places, kids his age are playing or studying but here he is and will still go to school and pass his exams very well. you might be wondering why? This is Kibera, families don’t make enough therefore the Dad or Mum will ask the kids to go out and supplement the family income. Some kids will even be asked to go out and work to earn their school fees. Options are so limited, they have to.

Started off well with both teams balancing well in the middle of the pitch

Less than 10 mins and the favourites Gogo got a penalty

Tough game but GOGO FC eventually won 2-1 against PING FC

You remember my boy Shirao?

He won the Golden boot!
Ayub Timbe, a national team (Harambee Stars) winger who also plays for Vissel Kobe Fc in Japan awarded him the trophy and some nice boots to keep him scoring more and more.

I had great memories shooting these games from young ones coming over to me and wanting to try shooting with my camera, to great photographers I met while at it. I had a good time. I look forward to shooting again, hopefully I can get myself a Canon R5 which I have been aspiring for a while now. Let’s see how this goes.

Cheers and thank you for reading ad sharing….

Follow me on instagram and twitter for more of my work. My handles are @ogetoevans and @evansmarube respectively.

To more greatness, stay blessed my people.

#MASKEDBUTUNSILENCED

ByEvans Ogeto September 17, 2020 8 Creative Portraits / Photography for social change

On this day I became teary as sorrow filled my heart, on that day pain befell, in that very hour our Joy was taken away, is what the tongue spoke as days passed since the onset of the novel Corona Virus. In a time when the voices that we never thought would be heard, a time when the world is in economic turmoil, a time when the black voice is fisted to the hearts of the global community, a time when social vices reign during a time capsule that was crucial to replicate our human innate virtues. This project comes to reflect on the social changes and emotional rides the people have been going through. The brutality, the rape cases, the addictions, the gender-based violence, the embezzlement of funds and the increase in the unemployment curve that brought depression with it. Could the grass possibly be greener?

This project sets to create an escape from all the happenings. It is a reflection of the implications of Covid19 to our society and the globe at large. It aims to trigger the emotions of the consumers for them to understand the depth of the issues. We are all affected and our hearts weep in pain yet we choose to keep quiet. Yes, it might not be us at the moment, it might not be our family members but imagine a society where your child grows to have to run away from what they were taught would keep them safe. The project aims to express the joyful pain that is the smile of a crying soul. It will aim to discourage double standards and motivate individuals to stand up for what is right. At the end of it all, we shall overcome together for we are #MaskedbutUnsilenced

The model shows the African pain where rape is on the rise among other depicted challenges. In a ‘utopian’ society where the system only works theoretically with the very leaders that promised the people positive change yet, they are not there for them. In this set, the model’s face is not facially detailed, as a sign that it is indeed our responsibility as a society to take care of each other and not just one gender. This set is aimed to sensitize society to come together for a positive change.

This set seeks to show how different classes of people have different lives. The model has two sides, one clean and one dirty. One is mistreated and one that has to give a kind of incentive to live a better life. At the end of the day, we all have to suffer economically or physically. It is a show that we need to hold each other’s hand. Even when it’s hard to live in a perfect society let’s teach the youthful generation to learn to come together even in our differences. This set seeks to bring the society together for the betterment of us all, hence the two faces of both sides dominated by the one facing forward.

This set is a tribute to the lives lost from police brutality. The roses and the cloth-covered with blank green cards represent the lost lives. They are blank as it can happen to anyone. The box is a representation of how we have the power to elect our leaders yet we sometimes fail to exercise it. This set aims to create awareness to the youth to be knowledgeable of their rule of governance as it is the very aspect that influences their livelihood. A set that aims to evoke more emotions.

A set that seeks to show every individual that it’s our task to enforce change. It starts with us. The model is a silhouette holding a flower that is colourfully visible. It is a show of how we are our own enemy but love conquers all and we need to tap into that to bring that change we want. We should not hide it and learn that the change we want starts with us.

Let’s unlearn the negatives and take this journey towards positivity for we are #MaskedbutUnsilenced.

The team:

Concept/creative direction @__mulei
Models @uciu_nuu
@my_fingers_just
@mumbi_keziah
Photographer @ogetoevans
MUA/SFX @flor_sfx
Retoucher @otienonyadimo
Studio space United pictures

socialchange #pamojatwaweza #mentalhealthawareness

Lowkey101

ByEvans Ogeto August 27, 2020 4 Portrait / Studio

Fam, it has been a long break. Not just a break rather a forced one. How are you guys doing? I hope you are keeping safe.

Technically I have been working on this new website since April and I’m very happy we are ready to go now. Good news is that at least we are not changing this site again, it will take a long time. On a different day I will tell you my websites story, it is one to look forward to from con website designers and now where I have to do everything by myself.

This is more like welcome back guys.

Not so much has been happening especially with the current Covid -19 situation, the hardest hit has been us in the events industry. 80% of what keeps me busy has always been either those corporate events or social events. What to do? we have to make more and more content……