Surma portrait

This is one of my favorite portraits from many tours to Ethiopia. This young girl is of the Surma tribe in the Omo River Valley. Her expression and her adornment drew my attention immediately. I like long lenses for portraiture -- in this case a focal length of 400mm -- because it allows me to stand back quite a distance and still fill the frame with the compelling subject. I feel I get a more honest expression if my camera isn't right in the subject's face. I was grateful for the diffused light, and the camera settings were 1/500, f/6.3, and 800 ISO. Remember that when using a telephoto lens, to guarantee sharp pictures the shutter speed should be the reciprocal of the focal length. In other words, if the focal length is 400mm, the shutter should be 1/400th of a second or faster.