Monday, December 6, 2010

Kenya 2010: Taking in the Long View



Safari is to adrenaline as waterfall is to tranquility... 
The rush of being face to face with the giants that inhabit the African savanna is a challenge for me to articulate. While our images often convey the majesty of these animals, they can lack my emotive response to the experience. The same can be said for the vastness of the African wilderness. 
A wildlife safari is the antithesis of a landscape expedition. Participating in big game safaris limits mobility, perspective, and point of view. Restricted to a vehicle and roads that cut through vast wilderness, this is no place for a tripod carrying photographer. With predators looking for easy prey, the soft flesh of a plump human might be an irresistible hors d'oeuvres for a hyena lurking in the bush. As a result, our African landscapes are often feeble attempts to document a sense of place. They, sadly, are made as an afterthought, a brief opportunistic moment, and during the waning seconds before meals.
After leaving Africa for the second time, I could not help but think about the missed opportunities. "What about the landscapes"... another error in judgement... another time?
I love landscape photography... 
In fact, I like to think that our photography is more about the place than about the animals who live there. It's the ecosystem that motivates my own vision. I strive to illustrate the tension between flora, fauna, and geography in an attempt to portray the conflict and harmony inherent in every living landscape. The way I see it, life exists on the edge defined by adaptation, change, and unpredictability; it is in the greater landscape that we can all peer into this reality of a vibrant and diverse natural world.
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