While living in Mali, West Africa I had the extraordinary opportunity to live and experience the life of a jinnidon priestess. The jinnidon is society of women who practice a variety of rituals including trance dance healing ceremonies, animal sacrifice, and fortune telling. The title image of this collection captures a rare moment in the jinnidon society: a man in trance.
Join me on my journey through Bamako and into northern Mali through some of the oldest regions in Africa. Witness the flawless beauty of the Les Paix Dogon where I trekked 30 miles through tiny villages and the famed telem houses. Dance with me in Timbuktu, west Africa's oldest trading post, where I photographed these kids doing flips on a sand hill the heart of the Sahara Desert.
Those who haven't been to Africa are rarely exposed to the spiritual energy, magic, and sense of community that exists among Africans, specifically Malians. Malians are some of the warmest, hard working, and curious people I have encountered. These are some of the people that I met along my journey. Some of them I only connected with for an instant, and others, like this little girl whose eyes struck me immediately, become good friends.
View some of my earlier work in my personal collection. This collection includes some of my favorite pictures of friends and partners as well photos from my self portrait series.
