BLUE ICEBERG, ANTARCTICA, 1995

While traversing the Weddell Sea off Antarctica, I came upon an astonishing iceberg that looked like a turquoise cathedral sculpted by the force of waves.

When a group of chinstrap penguins came into view, they added reality to a surreal scene—their moment aboard the iceberg as fleeting as the life of the ice itself.

PAPYRUS REFLECTIONS, BOTSWANA, 2015

Stalks of papyrus shimmer like a liquid tapestry on the surface of a placid lagoon. In the heart of the Okavango Delta, papyrus form dense floating islands of vegetation that filter nutrients from the water and leave it crystal clear downstream.

ICEBERG, ANTARCTICA, 2016

Every iceberg is a snapshot of water frozen in time. Ninety per cent of all ice on Earth is contained by Antarctica, and as our planet warms, ice shelves and glaciers dislodge an ever-larger portion of it each year into the Southern Ocean—adding to sea-level rise. That’s how the life cycle of ice affects everyone living along a seacoast anywhere.

IMPALAS ALARMED, TANZANIA, 1986

A sense of danger is ever-present on the African plains. This image visualises fear by suggesting it. A snort from one impala transformed a placid scattering of gazelles into a scene of suspense. Their collective gaze is focused on a threat, real or perceived, hidden in the grass.

BAOBABS AT NIGHT, MADAGASCAR, 2018

Baobabs glow against a night sky in western Madagascar. These “upside-down trees” are associated with Africa, but while that entire continent has only one species, Madagascar is home to six species of baobabs, all of them unique to that wondrous island. Locally they’re called “Reniala”, meaning mother of the forest.