John Rizzo Photo Tours

07/12/2017

16/11/2017

Near 5000 attendees and almost as many cases to produce the show...Expo 2017 is produced by the Futures Industry Association each year in Chicago, and includes 2 days of informative programming and three nights of networking with worldwide colleagues. I am always looking for the image that defines the scope of who and what has been assembled to create this event...and there it was. While I was standing at the perimeter of the room, I peeked behind the curtain, then composed that curtain directly in the center of my frame. "The Show" and what it took to make it happen.

24/01/2017

I met Mark at the offices of the International Film Festival, for a photo shoot and interview for Magazine. He is a genuine and generous guy who is looking for ways to make a difference in the community, especially through helping young children who are involved in sports. Upon meeting him, because of his humble nature, you would never think that he is the same man who has accomplished so much, as per the Wikipedia bio as follows: "Mark Teixeira was an integral part of the Yankees’ 27th World Series championship in 2009, leading the American League in home runs and RBIs while finishing second in the MVP balloting. Teixeira was a three-time All Star, won five Gold Glove Awards and three Silver Slugger Awards, and also holds the all-time major league record for most games with a home run from both sides of the plate, with 14. He was the fifth switch hitter in MLB history to reach 400 home runs." Thank you Mark, for the good work you are doing!

24/01/2017

Steve Young was in his hometown of Greenwich, CT giving a speech at Greenwich High School and then doing a book signing at the Cos Cob Library. I was given a short window of about 5 minutes to work with him for a feature story in WAG magazine. Amid the excitement and enthusiasm from old friends to say hello, my window got even shorter. Several hundred people were already in line outside my door as I made the decision that I just had to go and get him away from the crowds and bring him to my studio setup. With pressure to begin and very little time left, I was unlucky in that at the very moment when I raised my camera to begin, an old friend of Steve’s leaned into my frame and handed him a book to sign. Being the patient and thoughtful person that he is, Steve took a long 4 minutes to write a personal message. I then went into my 2 minute offense. Steve’s last words to me…”thanks, you’re fast!”

23/06/2016

2 SPOTS REMAINING FOR GEREWOL FESTIVAL, October 3-15th, 2016. The Gerewol Festival is an annual courtship ritual competition among the Wodaabe Fula people of Niger. Young men dressed in elaborate ornamentation and made up in traditional face painting gather in lines to dance and sing, each vying for the attentions of single young women. The Gerewol occurs each year as the traditionally nomadic Woodabe cattle herders gather at the southern edge of the Sahara before dispersing south on their dry season pastures. The actual dance event is called the Yaake, while other less well-known elements, such as bartering over dowry, competitions or camel races among suitors make up the week-long festival. This festival is a colorful and unforgettable spectacle. Our camp will be set among them, giving us the opportunity to photograph their daily life, watching the care of their animals (zebu and cows), their preparations for the festival, and intimate tribal life. There are only a few spots remaining. www.johnrizzophoto.com and www.internationalphotocenter.com

13/05/2016

16/04/2016

18/11/2015

Today is the first day of our 2015 tour of the lower Omo Valley in Ethiopia. Everyone has arrived in anticipation of our once-in-a-lifetime chance to get up close with the tribes that have made their home here for thousands of years. After our welcome dinner in Addis Ababa to watch traditional Ethiopian dancing, we will depart at dawn.

17/11/2015

Our 2015 Omo Valley Tour in Ethiopia begins tomorrow. We will be visiting the Mursi, Karo, Daasanach, Hamer and many other tribes on a thrilling journey into tribal life.

05/05/2015

These photographs were taken in Northern Tanzania and includes scenes from village life along with a circumcision ritual that is regularly preformed. The Maasai people are trained from birth to build unity and love towards one another. Conflicts in personality are secondary to protecting their village.

http://www.internationalphotocenter.com/

31/03/2015

I selected these Maasai men from a group of villagers who were waiting for me when we arrived on motorbikes. There are no roads to this village, only a footpath, so the only way to access the village was by foot or motorbike. The sky was clear and the sun high with no shade, so I decide to work with them indoors, inside the largest house I could find. The ceiling was about 7 feet tall with no lights except for what came in from the doorway. I asked them to sit down, since they were all in excess of 6 feet tall and there wasn’t enough room to set up the electronic flash unit. I directed them into the poses I wanted, and asked them to demonstrate to me how each each headdress should be worn and the proper way to hold their weapons. I took some create license to add to the drama of these warriors. I was working in near darkness, with very little light, on my knees.

http://www.internationalphotocenter.com/

19/03/2015

An ostrich feather headdress, called enkuraru, is worn by warriors who have not yet killed a lion. It was originally worn during raids and wars to give psychological advantage by its added height, but is now mostly used for major ceremonies and dances.

http://www.internationalphotocenter.com/

23/02/2015

The Sage's Wish: "Like Sun, from the East, may you continue to rise, smile and shine.”

http://www.internationalphotocenter.com/

17/02/2015

Singular strength.

http://www.internationalphotocenter.com/

09/02/2015

I returned to one of the villages I spent time with 2 years ago to bring them some portraits I had taken of them, along with photos of them singing and dancing at the circumcision ceremony they had allowed me to participate in. The tall man in the red shuka is my Maasai guide Amani, who was raised in this village. The people went crazy over the photos, as they were quite surprised to see themselves and enjoyed the fact that I had remembered them.

03/02/2015

These boys are already Junior Warriors since they have passed the circumcision test. The amount of time that they walk around like this varies, depending on each family’s decision on when to begin

Oftentimes they also wear a mixture of charcoal powder and cooking oil over their entire bodies along with black clothing. This particular group was not wearing the charcoal powder and cooking oil, but opted instead to wear painted faces and elaborate feathers on their heads.

They took turns painting one another, while watching through a small compact mirror. This village was not accessible by car, as only a walking path leads to it. We road motorbikes along the path to get there, with the photo gear strapped to the back of the bikes. While there, the elders offered me Maasai tea, which is a mixture of both boiled water, tea and boiled milk and very delicious.

http://www.internationalphotocenter.com/

27/01/2015

Dare to dream.

http://www.internationalphotocenter.com/

19/01/2015

Such faces.

http://www.internationalphotocenter.com/

13/01/2015

Lion skin portrait.

http://www.internationalphotocenter.com/

05/01/2015

Portrait on Tour.

http://www.internationalphotocenter.com/

30/12/2014

Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. -Helen Keller
I met these women quite by chance near Arusha in Tanzania. They were dressed and on their way to attend a government meeting, whereby their attendance en masse in traditional dress was an appropriate show of support for the new measures that were being considered. They we're gracious to me, as they always are, and even a bit flattered that I got so excited when I approached them. Sometime I just talk to them in English, although they don't understand a single word, they get the message that I am happy to see them, which makes them laugh, and then break the ice for the work we will do together.
http://www.internationalphotocenter.com/

25/12/2014

This is the lobby of the St. Regis Hotel in Singapore, a very lovely place with excellent service and ambiance. A great place to spent time with the family

22/12/2014

Tanzania - http://www.internationalphotocenter.com/

16/12/2014

Teachers can change lives with just the right mix of chalk and challenges. --Joyce Meyer

Behind the scenes of a photo tour in Tanzania.

http://www.internationalphotocenter.com/