Virginia's Tree, Story Behind the Fine Art Print
The low rumble of thunder in the distance sounded the arrival of the first storms of summer. Bolts of lightning danced across the skies. The clouds were a Velvia purple and spread out across the western sky. The mood in the Masai reserve was electrifying, the air tingled with anticipation of the first rains, from time to time, the low sun in the east would filter through the rain clouds. Our safari vehicle bounced along the dusty roads. We were five, me, our driver Benson, who suffered from selective hearing, I believe this was a learnt skill as he had three wives.
A husband and wife from Belgium, today I was their wildlife photography tutor. It was our second trip together. I enjoyed their company and passion for wildlife photography. Our fifth guest is known to all us from the "Big Screen." I was more than slightly star-struck. The previous day she had given a presentation on her lifework, the Born Free Foundation or as Virginia like to call it, the Born Free Family. Yes, the beautiful, gifted and passionate lady sitting next to me was none other, Virginia McKenna, the actress who starred with her husband in the lovely movie "Born Free". In the autumn of her life, eyes sparkling, a captivating aura and full of energy. Virginia is still the voice, of the voiceless, the ever-diminishing wildlife on our troubled planet. After decades of standing firmly and resolute against institutions, governments, individuals her resolve has not waivered, her determination and passion shine brightly for all to see.
Benson, our driver, wakes me from my reverie, Lions! I could hear the murmur of excitement grow from my guests, I said, let's go. Off we went in a hail of mud, and grass as Benson manoeuvred the 4x4 expertly from one muddy swamp to the next, then we started to climb towards a woodland, as we entered the wood, it was eerily quiet, dappled light and the smell of crushed mint filled our senses. As we exited the forest, the scent of mint was replaced by the putrid smell of a hippo carcass. Vultures were in attendance in large numbers, Egyptian, Hooded, Lappet-faced, White-backed and even the Ruperts. The lions were as I suspected, asleep, lying flat in the shade of some trees. Still, my guests were happy just to come across these elusive predators.
I turned to the occupants with me, and with all the persuasiveness I could muster, I said, "Let us leave the lions, for now, photographically there is nothing of note here". The ladies present were happy as I could see the lingering smell of death was affecting them. A few days previously, I had noticed a magnificent specimen of a tree, a shepherds tree, on a hill close by, I decided this would make a perfect subject with the impending storm as a dramatic backdrop. Once we arrived at the location, I directed Benson to the best position to photograph the tree, then explained to my guests my intentions of photographing this magnificent tree against the beautiful storm clouds.
Usually, tripods would be the order of the day, but we were in a "Big Five" game reserve, getting out of our vehicle was a non-starter. With the strong winds, we were better protected photographing from the 4x4, using bean bags or even hand-holding. I am Fujifilm X-photographer, oddly I found myself holding a Hasselblad X1D2 and composing the amazing tree against the dramatic storm clouds in the Hasselblads viewfinder. How did this come about? A lovely gentleman, now a good friend called Pablo, and I chatted over coffee that morning about cameras. Pablo is an excellent photographer and a collector of medium format cameras. When Pablo opened his aluminium case, my heart skipped a beat at the contents. He knew I was using Fujifilm GFX 100, although mine is a pre-production camera belonging to Fujifilm South Africa, Pablo had the GFX100, 50R and a shiny wonderfully engineered Hasselblad X1D2. He saw the sparkle in my eyes and kindly offered the camera to me for the day, out of politeness, I declined, but at lunchtime, he offered again. This time my curiosity got the better of me, I accepted.
While photographing, I was explaining to my guests my thought process and settings. It was then I turned to Virginia and said, "I can't help but a draw a comparison of the tree standing firm against the impending storm and the battles you fight on behalf of our wildlife against those who seek to destroy for profit or pleasure." Virginia's eyes smiled and sparkled; the heavens opened, and the deluge turned our field into a swamp.
Benson jumped outside and began to batten down the canvas hatches, we all helped, and within a few minutes, the 4x4 was crawling its way back to a road. We eventually found a thatch structure that we could park underneath. As we sipped our gin and tonics, we recounted the afternoons' beautiful experiences and which was our highlight. For me, sitting next to Virginia Mckenna and photographing "Virginia's tree." against the most amazing African storm I had ever seen, will be forever engrained in my memory. I turned on my camera and took a quick peek. I smiled, looked up, held my glass out. Slainte, and Virginia replied "Slainte, as our glasses clinked, thunder rang out, and lightning danced all around.
