While traveling to Africa I was fortunate enough to have met and photographed the people of Mathuki, Kenya. As we traveled throughout the country I was taken back by its beauty and danger. One of the reasons I named the show 'Hidden Africa' was that there were so many unknown dangers, although in plain sight, as foreigners we were blind. During a wedding we were treated to enchanting songs and dances. After one of the songs, a companion on the trip commented on how beautiful it sounded... Only to be told that the song was about how AIDS has been ravaging their country – at that moment we understood just how oblivious, as foreigners, we were. The photographic portraits are from Mathuki, Kenya. It is a place on earth, where time may seem as ifto have stood still for the average person outside Africa. Actually, it was a place that was more modern than most places that are four (4) hours outside a major African city. It is located within 100 miles west of Somalia and most people living there never see white people and almost all, never met an American. (We had the Kenya Military guarding us from being kidnapped, mainly from Somalians.) When I was photographing the people of Mathuki, I knew I was photographing some people who didn't trust me, some who were curious and some who were more than willing. But what I was truly photographing, were people who didn't know how to react infront of a camera and I was able to capture something unaffected. While I was photographing and later developing the photographs and the final images, I kept in mind the photographers before me, who were able to bring to light such new images and ideas. I kept in mind how they would develop their final images. Even though part of the process and printing was digital, all of the images were captured on medium format film and the images were digitally produced using the same techniques I would have with traditional photography; as if I had worked in a dark room. The photography shown here, is a part of Africa that is being "Hidden". When most of the images coming from Africa are from war torn villages, starvation and/or AIDS, (which are extremely important to expose) I wanted to show a part of the beauty and enchantment that is still a big part of this beautiful country.