Profile About Johann

I have 5 passions in life - my wife and my children, cooking, surfing and the BUSH. When I am not completely absorbed in the BUSH, I am submerged in the Big Blue - if I am not shacked within the green room, I am "pretending" to be a dinosaur or "an elephant doctor" with my 3 year old little girl and my baby boy. Jamming in the kitchen with Jack Johnson really loud, sends my imagination into a sensory overload as I prepare a simple meal for lunch. With the patio doors open and the soft-textured linen curtains blowing in the wind, I serenade the scent of a woman, my gorgeous wife, to the rhythmic beat of my heart as it chants, "my soul belongs in Africa", and together we dance to the light of the moon. Yes I am obsessed with my passions - I like it this way - they afford me strength, balance and flexibility. This is who I am - at the prime of my life - intent on breathing yet another breath just so that I can taste that elephant in my eyes, feel the leopard in my ears, hear the lion on my tongue and see one more impala calf gingerly stand up with utter tenacity to embrace the world. Meditations take the form of long bush trails lying down with giraffe and yoga when I am able. Through the lens of my camera, I observe the absolute perfections of nature. I stand humbly and respectfully in awe of the magnificence and intricacies of each eco-system, never failing the other but for man's greed. I am compelled into a thirst for a more holistic approach to the bush - I hunger for compassion and reverence for the great and mighty beasts that have gone long before and who will give testament long after we have passed.

I have roamed the African desert, crawled along the Skeleton Coast, tracked lions with the Masai, walked kilometers in search of one more rhino, shielded my eyes from the vibrance of the moon and the sun upon the meandering waters of the Okavango Delta, photographed the Himba, spoken not a word with a Bushman yet understood everything he meant to say, survived on scorpions and water lilies for days, not as an accomplishment but rather a quest… Summiting Kilimanjaro in February 2010 was a feat for my body, a victory for my mind and an enlightenment for my soul. With over 20 years experience within the Eco-tourism, conservation and teaching environments specializing in Dangerous Game, I have come to know the beautiful yet raw reality of birth and death - my eyes have born witness to many an umbilical cord dangling in the wind and so too, many "kills" where l ions have ripped buffalos and zebra apart simply to satisfy their basic need - survival.

I hold a SKS DG qualification with the Field Guides' Association of Southern Africa, a rare commodity in these present times. I aspire to clutch a Master Tracker acknowledgement and hopefully one fine day rest my head against the pole that supports my version of a safari camp, built only to shelter one from the fears of one's own mind as the stars of the night's sky reflect the greatness of the gods. I intend to uphold the highest regard for our heritage, teaching those who desire to acknowledge the symbolism of Gaia.

And so, may my totem animal guide me. May the souls of my feet never tire of the sand between my toes. May my hands never lose grip of the trees. May my heart always feel the tremble of the wind and may my inner child forever yearn to be close to that which I call home, the BUSH.

• View All Photography