African photo project earns top prize for Bob

Africa House guide and accomplished photographer Bob Demchuk has won a top Paris photography prize. His ‘Pokot Women’ collection was awarded the Gold prize in a category for documentary book proposals in the 2011 Prix de la Photographie Paris (Px3) competition.

A photograph of a grandmother from Bob Demchuk's
award-winning book proposal, 'Pokot Women'.

The photographs are a beautifully shot series of portraits of women from the Pokot tribe, a group who live in parts of Kenya and Uganda. Bob’s motivation for the works is both aesthetic and moral. On one level, the elegance of the Pokot people and their way of life is strikingly evident in Bob’s photos, with his production techniques adding a magical, distant quality. But there is also a serious side to the project as Bob wanted to highlight the gender inequalities which constrain the freedom and dignity of Pokot women.

Bob has decades of experience in photography and movie directing. His career has taken him to some of the world’s most spectacular and remote places. The people, wildlife and scenery of East Africa have been a particular passion for the US-based photographer and we’re delighted that he shares his love of the region with our guests when he works alongside us as a guide.

To see more of Bob’s photography and learn about his work in supporting women’s causes, visit his website.