Back to our Origins

Here’s a question for you… why does going to Africa feel like going home, to me anyway? I realize that sounds like a dumb question, but I do mean to ask it. And I’m not speaking mainly of photography.

Sure, I am a photographer and I do go to Africa to capture its abundant wildlife, wonderful landscapes and friendly people. But I do the same in many other countries, yet I do not have that same homecoming feeling.

Here’s my take on it, crazy or not. Africa is embedded in our very DNA. It is where homo sapiens first evolved. Before we spread out to occupy every little nook and cranny on Earth, we set our roots deep in the African soil. It is there that we first mated, raised families, hunted, gathered, socialized and formed communities. It is in Africa that we first felt the sun on our bodies, breathed the earthy air, took in the grandeur of its landscapes and nourished our bodies with its plants and animals. How could there not be an elemental feeling of “home” in Africa for any of us?

I’ve just returned from Africa, leading some of my clients on a photo adventure to Uganda to photograph the mountain gorillas and then to Tanzania to record life and death on the Serengeti plains and the Ngorongoro Crater. I’ll b e posting several blogs over the next two weeks describing various aspects of the trip and sharing some tips and techniques for those of you planning an African safari in the near future.

The good news is that while in Africa I breathed in the dusty air, felt the sun on my face, admired the landscapes, and marveled at the wildlife. I felt at home.