In Africa during the winter, it happens only for a few hours. Every few days, at very specific times of the year, the sky becomes very misty and it’s stunningly beautiful. It is difficult to say when it will arrive and when its here, its tough to say when it will disappear. There is a constant in it all, when it takes hold the effects are mystical.
The vastness of this piece of Africa becomes restricted and the usual sense of space is no longer. Dead trees, the statues of the bush, now have more depth than the silhouette they were evening before. Character that is mysteriously emphasized by its simplicity.
A weary hyena looks over its shoulder as the mist starts to lift. Photograph by Simon Smit
The atmosphere is altered by it, a calmness that captivates. An expectation of the unexpected, when visibility is not only restricted by the bush but something more. A blanket of mist that swallows up the horizon and allows only to see what it allows.
The different layers lead into the soft colours of a winters dawn. Photograph by Simon Smit
Shapes appear from the cloak that conceals. The herds that roam the clearings are mere outlines and the sun perseveres to make its first appearance.
Fanoti Shabangu a great tracker and new friend. Photograph by Simon Smit
As the mist slowly lifts the first rays filter though, softened by the haze and the rich morning light warms another winter’s day.
The Sun rises an illuminates low lying mist. Photograph by James Tyrrell
Written by Simon Smit
Photographed by Simon Smit and James Tyrrell
Rich Laburn is filmmaker, photographer and writer who is based at Londolozi Game Reserve in South Africa. Spending his time capturing scenes of the wild and communicating the beauty of the African bushveld, he runs the Londolozi Blog as a way to entertain and engage people wishing to visit these wild lands.
