Up Close: Land of Nothingness

Belgian photographer Maroesjka Lavigne on the ghostly quality of a poignant, serendipitous shot in Namibia’s Etosha National Park.

  • Words + Photography: Maroesjka Lavigne

I took this picture the second time I visited Etosha National Park in Namibia. I was with my partner, who hadn’t been before, and explained that since the park is vast [8,600 square miles] it’s necessary to be patient to get sightings of the larger animals.

Land of Nothingness by Maroesjka Lavigne.

So we arrived prepared for a long wait. Yet almost immediately we saw this rhino. I needed to organise myself quickly to grab the opportunity. It was amazing because the rhino was still covered in mud and the weather had just changed so it was in a hurry to find shelter before the storm. Even now I find it hard to believe it happened.

Maroesjka Lavigne is a photographer based in Ghent, Belgium.

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