SPLICED Magazine Issue 04 April/May 2014 | Page 25

LIFE / BLACKBEARD'S CHEST / A COLLECTION OF RANDOM TREASURES ISSUE 04 Flora Christopher Rimmer www.christopherrimmer.com Driving along the pot-holed Wild Coast road after sunset is never wise, so on a recent trip I found myself making a stop in Port St Johns, my childhood home until I was 5 years old, to spend the night before heading on. I stayed at a river lodge and spent the early evening chatting to other guests. That’s when I met Christopher. He showed me the most amazing photograph of a bull on the local beach with a moody, breathtaking blue sky in the background and I was hooked. The following day he said he planned to use a carrot to see if he could lure a donkey to the beach and take a similar shot. I continued my journey the next morning, but thanks to Facebook, I saw that he had indeed succeeded in luring the donkey, and the result is perfection - I have enjoyed many more of his beautiful photographs since then. Christopher’s story is as astounding as his images. Christopher Rimmer was born in England and emigrated to South Africa as a child. After immigrating to Australia in 1981, he studied photography formally, firstly under Werner Hammerstingl and then later at Rusden College under Paul Green. His critically acclaimed photographs of Africa have been widely published and he has exhibited in group and solo shows both in Australia and in the United Kingdom and France & the U.S. He is a member of the Royal Photographic Society and was shortlisted for British magazine B&W Photographer of the Year for his work in Southern Africa in 2011 and again in 2012. I’m glad he is back in South Africa and am wowed by his latest offering! Above all its good to know that journeys can hold infinite surprises and new friendships even when the road is a familiar one. 25