THE ORIGINAL NAIROBI SIGHTSEEING TOUR………….DISCOUNTED TICKETS
Nairobi is cold, polluted, unjust and over congested…but I love it. Yes, I love Nairobi. There’s nothing more urban and at the same time nothing wilder. Let me show you around through some random pictures that I’ve taken in the last couple of years.
Note: This post is meant to be a light introduction to my main project “I’m a Star” – a series of portraits depicting a charismatic self-presentation by the street kids of Nairobi in their environment. The title could be be misleading and a tad incautious, as it was hardly an exhaustive tour of Nairobi I was aiming to portray. Many remarkable aspects of this beautiful city are totally missing from my pictures because I was of course more involved and more present in the areas where I was carrying out the main shooting with the street kids. I kindly encourage you to look at my homepage and welcome your feedback. Since this blog is a work in progress I confess that I didn’t find other ways to move to the homepage than mysteriously clicking on “Paolo Novelli” on the upper left side of any page. Enjoy
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such incredible landscapes!
Beautiful FACES — these photos are heartbreaking, heart warming, touching, introspective and evocative, all at once.
Thank you for sharing. TRULY!
Ditto!
All of your photos are, in a word, stunning. As a writer, I am incredibly impressed by the story you convey without a single word. Captivating post.
-Sam
http://www.travelgirlseesworld.com
wow – amazing photos
-grace
http://herumbrella.com
Really good pitures! All of them have their own stories, and it is so strong. This could be a nice exhibition!
Wow… blown away. Your pictures tell such a beautiful story. Thanks for posting for everyone to see!
I like much your photographs, they are very beautiful and release much emotion.
how old are these pictures?
nice photos btw
Hi, these pictures have been taken between 2009 and 2011. Thanks for your comment
You’ve certainly captured the poverty and business of Nairobi’s streets. Well done.
Loved the pictures…life throbbing in all its poignancy!
Wow… fantastic photos!
This is a really good job. And really realistic!
Hell I liked it… It’s like a documentary!
We don’t need any comment to understand.
I am also having a photo blog… It’s lighter, but i’d be pleased to have your point of you
http://jibsphotography.wordpress.com
Bye!
Hi, thanks for your comments. I’ve seen your blog. I like very much your panoramic shots. As you see I’ve chosen 6X12 as the main format for the view camera shots. ciao!
Very interesting photos!
Yea this is good!
Stunning photos! . . . Raw and powerful! So glad I stumbled upon them. You are very talented, Paolo!!
http://arabianmusings.wordpress.com/
Very nice pics!
Wow, you are incredibly talented.
Amazing pictures. You really give insight into the people and culture of Nairobi.
I love the photos. So much food for thought. One question- what is the reason so many have the bottles they’re carrying around in their mouths?
hey! the bottles contain glue, the cheapest drug in the market. Ciao and thanks for your comment. p
Hi. I think the correct name is rugby. It is the same as glue in purpose though, so you are not wrong. In the Philippines, we have the same problem. These kids are aptly called “rugby boys” here. These truly are amazing pictures. It tells so much.
I love the humanity in these images. Beautiful.
Your pictures are jarring and emotional. Excellent!
Stunning, stunning images.
amazing photographs! beautiful colors and images. thanks so much for sharing!
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loved your comment. I didn’t mean to bring sadness and I’m happy you felt it. thanks
This is amazing. What a broad, encompassing look into a country, a place, a culture. Magnificent photos that capture more description than words ever could.
incredible stuff
Beautiful photographs and people! Thank you for sharing.
Awesome, awesome shots! Which camera are you using and what kind of lenses??
Hi Laura. Thanks for your comment. I’ve used all kind of cameras. For the main shoot, the one that I’ve called “I’m a star” I’ve used a Linhof Tecknicardan view camera with 6X12 film magazine and a set of three lenses (55, 80, 135). For the rest of the shoot I’ve used Leica M6 with a 35 mm, Hasselblad 6X6 with an 80 mm, Hasselblad 6X4.5 with Tilt and shift adapter and a Canon 5D digital with the set of tilt and shift lenses (24, 45, 90). Ciao! p
Beautiful photos.
Wow! These are spectacular.
These photos are incredibly moving…thank you for posting them.
These are great pictures! Congrats!!
absolutely love these photos…
Fantastic images
Beautiful!
I TOTALLY LOVE THIS!!!!…
These photos are absolutely beautiful!
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A truly inspiring sequence of perceptive images. I love Africa, but I would never be able to match this quality of photography. Too old. To scared. We hope to go back next year, but concentrating on the safety of the wildlife.
This is unbelievable. I love how your captured the beauty, diversity and poverty of Nairobi.
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Incredible, intense images. I feel shaken.
Beautiful, if sometimes troubling photos.
What’s the deal with the kids with bottles hanging from their mouths?
The bottles contain glue, a very common and cheap drug in the ghettos. ciao
Amazing pictures! My favorite is the one looking down at the shoes in the dark room. Beautiful.
I would love to visit Africa. It’s been my dream since I was little. Thank you for bringing light to a dark and troubled place. And the amazing thing is that there is hope, joy and laughter in their faces. I will never understand this world completely, how it works, why so many people suffer and why those who don’t do not help. I need to do more….thank you.
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Thank you for putting up some pictures that also shows some part of prosperity. There is more to many of the 55 countries in Africa than just poverty and war.
Strong pictures. Especially the street boys with their glue bottles.
Thanks for sharing.
Perfect love
Those are some very good pictures. Shows the conditions the people have to live in and was very touching!
Great pictures!
Praise you for that…You never missed a moment of the piece.
Africa,
just being there to realise which it mean.
Thanks 4 bring us these photos. Heartbreakin’
I lived in Nairobi for three years, and I’m sick of photographers like you who get accolades for taking pictures like this. People in poverty, smiling under the sunlight? Is that Nairobi? Where is Nakumat, the country’s largest employer? Where is Javahouse or Runda. Where is Village Market? Where is Adam’s Arcade or any of the leafy suburbs? Where is Mama Ngina St with its bookshops and coffee houses? Where are the thousands of people who drive to work every day?
Shame on you for typifying Nairobi like this. No doubt, the city contains vast poverty, glue sniffing children and plenty of squalor. But if you really loved the city, you would hold a more balanced view of what it contains, and then people like me wouldn’t get pissed that you’re just another opportunistic photographer who probably means well, but ultimately makes things worse. Because of your photos, more and more people believe the lie that squalor and smiles are all what comprises Kenya. Because of your publicity, Kenya will continue to be seen in the eyes of the world as just another poor country of delightful idiots.
I know some Kenyan PhDs who could probably say this better than me.
I agree with you 100% Simon. As someone who has lived in Nairobi all her life, I get disgusted by foreigners who take such pictures and try to portray only one side of Africa “The Dark Continent”. No wonder majority of people in the “first” world believe we live in trees, communing with animals and all we know how to do is run. I can’t tell you the number of ridiculous questions I got when I was in University in the states. I can’t blame them though if this is the kind of pictures they were looking at.
I would be curious to find out where this photographer stayed during his period here. I am pretty sure it is not Kibera or any other slum for that matter.
I agree Simon! I currently live in Nairobi and these pictures (brilliant though they are) entrench the stigma that people already associate with many African capitals. We need a balanced view of the happier and other aspects of the normal life that is living in Nairobi.
My comment before I read the previous ones:
Cool photos and I guess congrats on these getting you to freshly pressed. However, I think its really sad that this is the only part of Nairobi you captured as its no different from what everyone sees on the news and assumes is Kenya / Nairobi in a nutshell. It would have been much nicer to include photos on the urban life, our malls, our suburbia, our fancy new overpasses, our efforts towards being a mega city with roads similar to the ones you see internationally, streets with cafes/restaurants and art galleries showing how Nairobians are moving towards an art culture, areas showing that we are now moving towards a multi-cultural city, the masaai markets all over Nairobi, Nairobi centre fashion, worshipping places in and away from town. There are many ways to capture the beauty of Nairobi, its sad that you captured the one angle everyone overseas already assumes of us. Make it a place worth visiting, not one they look at, feel bad and question their security before ever thinking of taking a plane ride out here.
Thank you!
I have been scrolling down the comments to see if those who’ve been to Nairobi or live here have seen this.
Most of these pics have been taken in Muthurwa, which is a small area and does not even begin to comprehensively represent the city.
Good photography alright, but I think Paolo could have been more balanced seeing as in his intro he talks of “Nairobi Sightseeing…”
Paolo, I’d suggest you even this out by depicting the posh areas of the city too.
wonderful shots
Wow!! These are some really great photos..like really really great! Each of ‘em telling a different story… I am in love with them!
Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed!
Beautiful pictures. They are truly humbling.
Thanks for showing us what we don’t see in the media. My favourite is the one of the shoes, as an artist, this shot is inspirational. Fantastic work!!
What a moving representation of Nairobi, you have a good eye. What beautiful hope-filled children, the old saying goes that eyes are the windows to your soul, I say our children are the manifestations of our hearts!
Thank you for sharing
you are truly, truly gifted. thank you so much for your talent and for sharing your love for nairobi via photography.
Wow! This are really beautiful photos. However, I think you should also capture the very beautiful side that Nairobi has, so people can see both sides of the coin.
The picture quality is amazing, and these photos brought tears to my eyes.
Beautiful, colorful photos! Congrats on FP!
Beautiful! Your photos really tell a story.
Awesome and compelling imagery! Your composition is amazing. I’d like to know what your using for equipment; your depth of field is very interesting.
I greatly enjoyed your pictures! Beautiful
Beautiful pictures. Life in Nairobi is perfectly captured in these photos.
You got wonderful pics, thanks for sharing.
Lovely pics…captures much of the Nairobi I have seen on my trips there….beautiful and ugly. Thanks for sharing…
Absolutely beautiful
Beautiful images of beautiful people. I lived in Central Province in the late 1980s. Nairobi has not fared well since then, but the spirit of the people comes through.
I went through a whole lot of feelings. I guess that’s that the photos were meant to do. It’s very hard for me to believe anyone lives this way. And to think we go beserque if out water goes off for 10 minutes and the power is out for an hour. If climate change is going to effect us all it makes you wonder how bad it will get for those poor souls.
I spent some time in Nairobi this summer, and loved it. Thank you for taking me back.
These are strking images, some heart breaking and some heart warming.
Either way, they are awesome.
Man – these pics are unbelievable – thanks for sharing!
That’s amazing. I feel like I just visited Nairobi.
A moving narrative of Nairobi. I enjoyed the interaction between you and your subject.
i hope that you will read this. I am deeply saddened by your partisan view of Kenya. I know in your heart of hearts you probably meant well when you put these photos up but you may have caused more damage than you imagined (hopefully you did not do this for mere publicity). I have lived in Nairobi for many years and there are millions of images you could have taken to represent “your beloved city” in better light. You are part of the reason why I have to contend with questions such as whether we live on trees in kenya or even whether i ever had clothes on before moving to the US. Please, in the future, try and move your camera around and enjoy the good scenery in Nairobi. You will genuinely love it, not because you sympathize with the poverty in Kibera. Do not mistake this for denial, poverty is a problem we are very much aware of. I just hope that there’s better things I can discuss with my american friends when they see your photos.
Power Pics…
those pictures are spectacular , i love it
Amazing photographs! Thank you for sharing them.
I am a Kenyan living in Nairobi and very disappointed. Mostly because your photo are intended to manipulate the poor and take advantage of their deplorable living conditions. Every city in the world has conditions like this, and I know that Nairobi city has several projects that are being undertaken to provide these people with decent housing.
I’m sure you go into Nairobi through an international airport. I’m also sure you did not also live among these people during your stay in Nairobi. Tell us the truth You were in some 5 star hotel in upmarket. My point is show both sides of the coin and also explain what the country is doing to help its people get out of such situations.
For anyone who wants to see the true unbiased images of our beautiful city Google search Nairobi and see the images of our city or copy and paste this link on your browser:
http://www.google.co.ke/search?q=nairobi&hl=sw&biw=1001&bih=619&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=OHOBTpjZIpOS0QXHmo2vAQ&sqi=2&ved=0CEwQsAQ
Next time you are in Nairobi, do not abuse our hospitality. We are a great and proud people.
these pictures really tell a story. great job.
good job
wow, these photos really tell a story Amazing.
Wow, this really left an impression
Must go to Nairobi
amazing …….. thanks for sharing !
Great pictures!
Amazing pictures !! Keep on shooting !!
DANI
http://daniplanaslabad.wordpress.com
amazine photos….
Great angles, great story… the Nairobi that’s often not shared
Great photos, really enjoyed looking through them. I wouldn’t want to live there, but it’s great to take a short tour with these pics.
great photos, completely awesome.
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Beautiful, beautiful photos. You captured the sentiment of the many of the things you see on the continent. It makes me miss NIgeria so much!!!
Just stunning. You have an amazing eye. Beautiful subjects.
incredible photographs. i don’t even know where to start. amazing.
Incredible! You’ve captured really beautiful people and moments. Thank you for sharing!
Incredible! You’ve captured really beautiful people in impeccable moments. Thank you for sharing!
Your photos convey such a powerful message. I actually have friend who is in Nairobi right now and based on what I saw today in your shots, I must say his photos may have concealed the true face of Kenya, specifically that of Nairobi. You just changed my perception of that place and of the people. I was really moved. Thanks for sharing this!
Good job on being Freshly Pressed! Nice photo composition, very spontaneous. Keep it up!
really awesome.. breathtaking rather..
If they receive Yeshua, son of God
their life will change
Very remarkable pictures! You managed to beautifully reveal all layers of Nairobi.
nice pictures ….
Wherever you go or whatever you post on the internet, whether good or bad, everyone’s always going to have their opinions. Commenting about your photos, I loved them! Very raw and captivating! You have a true talent with photography! That and you’ve got good cameras! I was just skimming through other people’s comments about showing the good side of Nairobi as well and etc… at the end of the day, Freshly Pressed still put Nairobi on the front page, whether people liked the photos or not. That should be taken as a positive because people like me have never dreamed of going to Nairobi, but you know what, I just opened up a new tab and started googling the entire country in general and I’m quite interested. I want to see the other good things that Nairobi also has to offer now. This was a great post overall. Congrats!
Thank you for sharing. Simply incredible! Contrast.
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Beautiful and alarming pictures…some of it reminds me of what I’ve been seeing in Ghana. Thanks for sharing!
I have some photos on my blog if you’d like to compare: http://ghanaseewhaticansee.wordpress.com
amazing… great work. Some are just brilliant
Phenomenal. Absolutely phenomenal photos. Thanks for sharing!
First up, congratulations on your photos. They are as stark as they are beautiful. However I am using beautiful for the abject that is shown explicitly. Your photos do tell a story and one cannot turn away from the reality that is.
I have been to Nairobi this year and have totally fallen in love. Agreed there is the debate about touristy photos vis-a-vis the in-yopur-face-reality types. Nairobi does have a lot more to offer than the desperate smiles and stories of poverty. You work reminds me me of a handful of critically acclaimed Indian film directors, back in the 80s, who have highlighted poverty. Obviously, there is a lot more to romantacise about. Nairobi for me will remain that.
Your fellow Nairobi-lover: Calmdev
So beautiful, the humanity here. Such a struggle is life coming into the modern.
AMAZING photos! Thanks for sharing
Thank you for a long overdue “trip” back home. You have such an eye for humanity and to show the beauty of a person regardless of current situation. I would love, however, another series on the sheer beauty of the city.
Well Well Well N is cold congested polluted unjust but not for everybody you can see from your photos who this description relates to. Why so few words perhaps the absence of text from pictures is because photographers often cannot describe, tell tales of situations in life which are not part of their experience. visual artists can simply point and snap and collect beautiful images of the miseducated, misinformed and fatalistic. This is the part of the world where the first evidence of human civilisation were found today de African is struggling for survival in the homeland. Reeducate the mind, freedom from mental slavery through a process of lifelong learning which places these Africans, and all oppressed peoples at the centre of change and development and they will built their own positive lives and communities. ohhhhh dear here i go again pontificating, soz ppl – spiffing pics what oh!!!!!
Very remarkable pictures!
I’ve been living in Nairobi for a few months as well and couldn’t agree more!
Wow! This was just refreshing….lovely!
Loved the one where they’re playing football, there’s a lot of motion in that one.. loved the rest too of course.
You’re an amazing photographer. The Nairobi CBD images you shot are some of the best I’ve seen in awhile! Also love your other photos. Nairobi looks so chaotic. I can’t wait till I visit someday.:)
Thanks Eddy! Yes Nairobi is a city that most of the travellers try to avoid when visiting Kenya, but it’s definitely full of energy. In the good and the bad. I’ll post some new stuff in the next days. Hope you will like it. Keep in touch