Seydou Keïta
PhotographerKnown for: formal studio portraiture in Bamako, Mali
Seydou Keïta operated a portrait studio in Bamako, Mali, from 1948 to 1977, photographing residents who came to be documented for identity cards, family records, or personal commemoration. Working with artificial lighting, a twin-lens reflex camera, and patterned fabric backdrops, he made formal portraits that his subjects used to project their own aspirations and identities. His work was largely unknown outside Mali until it was shown at the 1994 Bamako Encounters festival.
Gear & Materials(1)
Rollei
The 2.8F, produced from 1960 to 1981, is the final production version of the twin-lens Rolleiflex. It uses a Zeiss Planar 80mm f/2.8 taking lens and produces 6×6cm negatives on 120 film.
“Keïta used a twin-lens Rolleiflex camera in his Bamako studio; the waist-level viewfinder allowed a less confrontational relationship with portrait subjects. His camera is documented in accounts of his studio practice and in catalog essays accompanying his exhibitions.”
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