W ith more than 1,000 different tribes, Papua New Guinea is, to put it mildly, a people photographer’s paradise. As if our time spent up-river visiting remote villages and on the Sepik river wasn’t amazing enough, next we headed to the mountains, where Papua New Guinea’s largest Sing Sing festival is held. The Mt. Hagen Sing Sing originated in the mid-1900’s, as a venue for tribes to peacefully compete and share their music, culture and traditions, rather than to fight traditional tribal wars.
Today, Sing Sings like the one at Mt. Hagen continue to help keep Papua New Guinea’s rich traditions and rituals alive. These festivals also provide a truly incredible photographic experience for visitors willing to make the long arduous journey to Papua New Guinea. This year’s Mt. Hagen sing sing gave us unprecedented up-close and personal opportunities to photograph more than 80 different tribes as they prepared for and performed dances during the two-day, Mt. Hagen Sing Sing.
We still have a few spots available on our September 7-22, 2017 Papua New Guinea trip. To sign up or to put yourself on the interest list, click here.
even non-performers get into the spirit and paint their faces
Excellent series of pictures.
Thanks Ian, coming from you that’s a wonderful compliment. I am a fan of your work. Next time you’re in Siem Reap, give me a shout!
You found a wonderful wall to shoot against!! Gorgeous portraits Karl with lots of story in them them. Can’t wait to experience this.
Thanks Ivy, yes indeed it was a perfect concrete wall….we named that wall “the grey wall” and come back the next day to use it as a backdrop again!
Amazing colors. Simply stunning