Covering most of Botswana and good portions of Namibia and South Africa, the semi-arid Kalahari desert is home to a host of wild animals and diverse peoples. The harsh area takes its name from local dialects, literally meaning “a waterless place,” and sees less than 7 inches of rain annually. The wide plain has a stark beauty, and is colored with the bright sun and dry dust of the earth.
Photojournalist Anton Crone recently completed a photo series of the area, his latest in a number of Africa based series’. In Kalahari 47° the images capture many of the beautiful people of the Kalahari area, without sentimentality, but with obvious respect for their individual experiences. To achieve the color and mood of his prints he employed a unique and appropriate process, literally putting his images through the desert extremes:
“In an effort to convey a sense of the intense summer heat in the Kalahari, I baked these prints for a few hours at 47°C – a not uncommon temperature in this region.”
The resulting images have a warn, cracked, vintage feel that adds to their appearance both warmth and a sense of well warn age. It’s a perfect match for the stunning place the images capture. You can find more of Anton Crone’s excellent photojournalism work on behance or you can follow him on twitter.
Via: creativeroots.org
Not sure exactly why, but I am absolutely in love with this series. It really pulls the mind into that dry, desolate environment. Very inspiring work! Thanks!
I know why. Because they are totally awesome and show fundamentally why photography can always go forward as an art form. The idea, the execution and the subjects are all perfectly blended.
I know Anton’s work and it always has an amazing empathy for the people he meets and photographs.