In The Tracks of Giants - A Trek for Conservation

Tracks of Giants: Biking the Interior, Namibia from The WILD Foundation on Vimeo.

Tracks of Giants is an initiative of the WILD foundation,an epic trek from Namibia's frigid western Skeleton Coast to the eastern shores of the warmer Indian Ocean,"connecting major conservation nodes to promote a greater awareness of conservation, human community and leadership issues specifically relevant to southern Africa." This video profiles the Kaokoland/Damaraland part of the trek - an area very close to my heart, with insights from pioneering local conservationists Margaret Jacobsohn & Garth Owen-Smith, amongst others. The project is being filmed by experienced cameraman & producer Nick Chevallier.

More about the initiative on the WILD site and follow the treks progress on Facebook.

Heat, Dust & Dreams - Every Book Needs a Cover

Himba ochre pots - an essential fashion accessory for any Himba woman, Kaokoland, Namibia. Copyright: Heat Dust and Dreams

Unbeknown to me at the time, this was to become the cover image of the book. At the time I had merely snapped a shot of the ochre pots as a record of these traditional Himba 'make-up' accessories. The striking red ochre is central to the daily routine of all Himba women, who lather this mix of soil and butter fat into their body. The red ochre is derived from a red soil/stone which is typically crushed into powder form with a stone pestle. The pots themselves are made from cow horns, with leather lids and bottoms. Plastic is beginning to replace the cow horn in some communities.

When it came to selecting a cover for the book, I had initially expected an image of a desert-adapted elephant to grace the front dust jacket. Struik/New Holland in-house designer Janice Evans clearly had other ideas - and an eye for a striking image! Complete with the text the image really comes into its own, as you can see below.

Heat, Dust and Dreams: Kaokoland Photography

The Himba are inventive with their decoration and ornamentation - here a man has fashioned a necklace from goats ears. More photos of this to come, largely drawn from the book I published on this area, Heat, Dust and Dreams.

Heat, Dust and Dreams: Kaokoland Photography

Himba shadow, Kaokoland, Namibia. Copyright: Heat Dust and Dreams

A Himba elder casts an elegant silhouette against the mud daub wall of his home.  The Himba are semi-nomadic pastoralists that inhabit the remote north-western corner of Nambia - a region of harsh, largely waterless semi-arid desert.  More photos of this to come, largely drawn from the book I published on this area, Heat, Dust and Dreams.

Elephants from the perspective of a mouse

Photograph: J&B Photographers/ Steve Bloom Images/ Barcroft Media

Barrie Wilkins and Jill Sneesby captured the  unique shots of the colossal animals by digging a bunker in Etosha National Park, Namibia, and patiently waiting in silence for the perfect moments to capture them on film. 

Always Lightly Tread?

Always Lightly Tread is going to attempt to touch on (mostly) environmental topics with a smattering of news, photography and culture - which could be anything that inspires me from music, blogs, books, photography to video and film.  The subject matter is also going to have a strong African bias, though I may digress occasionally.  To kick off one of my (own) favourite photographs taken in Namibia's Kaokoland region...where this giraffe is an incongruous sight on the gravel plains of the Namib Desert.

Desert dwelling giraffe, Kaokoland, Namibia. Copyright: Heat Dust and Dreams

For a preview of  more photos, and the book I researched and photographed there see the link here: Heat, Dust and Dreams, published by Struik/New Holland.