The Story:
I was hiking from the Northern Panhandle to the Southern end of Botswana’s Okavango Delta. Following the tongue of the annual flood in early May as the life giving waters moved south and seeped slowly into the sands of the Kalahari Desert.
One night a storm front moved through, thunder and lightening raged for hours.
We were fly camping and our mosquito nets provided little protection from the rain. An uncomfortable, sleepless, soggy night was rewarded as I was able to photograph the receding storm, the rain still hanging from the edge of the clouds. The sun slowly began to creep over the eastern horizon and created perfect reflections in the calm still flood waters below. It was an awe-inspiring display of natural light, coupled with the perfect reflections, for a moment heaven really did find its place on earth.
HOW PURCHASING THIS PRINT WILL SUPPORT CONSERVATION:
As you will probably know I donate money from the sale of all my artworks to conservation organisations. Having lived in these areas for many years and been fortunate to meet and work alongside the people and organisations working hard to protect them, not giving back to support the places that I love would be incomprehensible.
The Okavango Delta is one of my favourite places, a completely unique eco-system, dependent on the rainfall in other countries and the inflow of water from rivers that flow into the Kalahari from surrounding regions. It is for that reason that I have chosen to support the Peace Parks Foundation through the sales of this print. The Peace Parks Foundation has an incredible vision that transcends man-made boundaries. They began with the concept of transfrontier conservation areas (TFCA), defined as the area or component of a large ecological region that straddles the boundaries of two or more countries, encompassing one or more protected areas as well as multiple resource use areas. Peace Parks Foundation has been actively involved with the establishment and development of ten of the 18 TFCAs found throughout southern Africa, all of which are in various stages of development. Currently the largest Peace Park is the Kavango Zambezi (KAZA), situated in the Kavango and Zambezi river basins where the borders of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe converge. It spans an area of approximately 520 000 km² and includes 36 proclaimed protected areas such as national parks, game reserves, forest reserves, community conservancies and game/wildlife management areas. Within this vast expanse sits the Okavango Delta. The amazing vision of the Peace Parks Foundation comes with huge challenges, not just creating cohesive relationships with multiple countries and their governments, alongside balancing private sector interests. But they have proved it is possible and they have exciting goals to continue pushing forward and impacting even more areas, forging new relationships and helping to ensure that these vast complex ecosystems and the wildlife and people that rely on them are able to thrive. If you would like to learn more about how your donation will support help or to learn more about the Peace Parks Foundation or support their work directly, you can visit their website here: https://www.peaceparks.org
EXTRA INFORMATION:
Instead of offering bulk mass-produced prints, I want you to know that you are buying something special and unique. I feel that people should purchase fine art photography prints because the artwork speaks to them and they feel an emotional connection to the print and the photographer. All my prints are strictly available as low number limited edition runs. As a limited edition print sells its price will appreciate accordingly in the online store, as fewer remain available to purchase.
Printed on Hahnemuhle Photorag: a 308gsm heavy fine-art paper with a fibrous finish. It offers a unique softness giving an almost watercolour feel to the print.
I recommend that when you receive your print that you have it properly mounted and framed by an experienced professional frame shop to ensure the maximum care and longevity of your artwork.
Should you wish to purchase a limited edition print in a different size to that listed, please contact me and I will be happy to discuss your requirements and provide a quote for the cost to produce the print in your desired size. I am also happy to provide quotes for framing or printing onto Chromaluxe if you would like to have your print sent to you ready for you to hang on your wall.
