March 14, 2017

LALIBELA: Faith and Devotion in the Mountains of Ethiopia

March 14, 2017/ Lisa DeSimone

I am fascinated with the idea of faith. Specifically, I am drawn to places where I can witness and capture the power of faith. Devotion, spirituality, worship - whatever you may call it - I am intrigued by people with high levels of reverence and enthusiasm for something beyond the physical. Religious observances are particularly interesting to me, so it only made sense that I head to Lalibela, Ethiopia to photograph the celebration of Orthodox Christian Christmas.

March 08, 2017

ETHIOPIA'S OMO VALLEY: Enlightening, Challenging, Humbling

March 08, 2017/ Lisa DeSimone

I feel like I’ve been seeing photographs of the tribal people who live in Ethiopia since I was little. As a young girl growing up in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, I had no idea where these people lived, but I was fascinated nonetheless by the women with the lip plates, all the colorful beads they wore, their seemingly easy way of life. When I decided to go back to Ethiopia earlier this year, I knew I had to visit the Omo Valley and photograph these interesting people for myself. I wanted to truly live out a “National Geographic moment.”

February 26, 2017

ON SAFARI IN KENYA: finding peace in the stillness

February 26, 2017/ Lisa DeSimone

Some three weeks ago, I returned from a week on safari in the Maasai Mara of Kenya. The trip was everything I had hoped it would be -- and more. I didn't just come home with 4,000+ images; I also came home with a newfound appreciation for the calm I've created in my life since I stopped working. Read more about the unexpected ways in which this trip moved me - and why I still can't stop thinking about my time there.

February 17, 2017

2016 HIGHLIGHTS: An amazing year of travel

February 17, 2017/ Lisa DeSimone

Whew - 2016 was quite a journey! I was on the road for nearly half the year, traveling to 11 countries (5 of which were new to me). I found myself at sea level and at 18,000 ft — and at lots of points in between. This last year of travel was a near-perfect combination of solo adventures and shared experiences with old and new friends. It was also my most aggressive year of travel yet: at times I was exhausted, lonely, and/or sick — but honestly I wouldn’t trade any of those moments for anything!

March 01, 2016

MYANMAR: Visiting the Remote Tribes of Burma

March 01, 2016/ Lisa DeSimone

In early 2016 I had the good fortune of returning to Burma (Myanmar), this time on a photography trip where we focused on the fascinating - and vanishing - minority tribes of Burma. We visited with several remote tribes, taking planes, boats, and car, as all as hiking, to reach these folks who typically live far removed from the mainstream. These are their portraits.