ENTRY DESCRIPTION
Amboseli, Kenya, August 2019

It was my third trip to Amboseli - in my dreams I saw a picture in front of me: how an elephant family passes in front of Kilimanjaro - who doesn't wish to find a situation like that. This late afternoon the Kili was almost completely covered in clouds but no matter, I thought ... We drove off, it took surely 20 minutes and my impatience grew with every kilometer we covered. As we got closer, I asked Juma to keep about 1 km distance and to drive far around the herd to stop with enough advance directly in their direction of travel. I got out of the car and lay flat on my stomach in the lake bed - the family was surely still 400 m away. I asked Juma to drive the Landcruiser farther away so they wouldn't feel disturbed and perhaps change running directions. My tension increased. The mighty animals were still running in a row, led by the matriarch.I guess she stopped about 20 meters in front of me, she saw me and decided to stop for a moment before she changed her running direction slightly and passed me on the right. As ordered for me, the clouds in front of Kilimanjaro had moved in the meantime - royally the glacier shone in the evening sun. With about 30 meters distance I was close enough that the elephants paid me again and again their attention - what a uniquely beautiful situation!
I wish with all my heart that we finally stop climate change and regain respect for nature, so that we can still show our grandchildren and great-grandchildren such breathtaking sceneries and that the title of my picture does not come true.

AUTHOR
Born in Germany in 1973. I discovered his love for black-and-white photography in the age of 15. After graduating from high school I worked for four years as a photography assistant followed by studying photography as a student of Prof. Gottfried Jäger and Prof. Gerd Fleischmann.

I work as a fashion photographer and, from 2003, run my own design office based in Oelde/Westphalia. Since 2013, I have been working on various freelance projects, always in black and white, alongside my commissioned work. In 2017, I opened my first gallery in a Bauhaus pavilion made of wood and glass built for the purpose.

Fascinated by a first trip to Africa it is not surprising that wildlife photography has captivated me the most. The closeness to wild animals, the tranquillity of untouched nature and the people in these environments never cease to fascinate me – I travel into the wilderness as often as I can, capturing unique moments in black and white. In 2018, this work become my new trademark after I hung up fashion photography completely.

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