STJ 4.4
VISIONS SPECIAL PHOTO ISSUE
A BIRD ’ S EYE VIEW
A MOZAMBICAN INTERSECTION BY TEAGAN CUNNIFFE
“ They don ’ t have an official name yet , but this purple baboon spider was first found on Benguerra ,” says Charlotte Levens . Charlotte manages the horse riding on the island and has a keen interest in the local wildlife . Using her cell phone , she captures images of unusual spiders that cross her path and uploads them to a scientific database . Some , like this one , register as unknown . “ And these birds are the green malkoha . They ’ re shy and rarely seen , but we have a big population here .”
Benguerra is one of five islands found in the Bazaruto Archipelago . This pristine area is 143 000 ha in size and encompasses calm , clear waters , mangroves , coastal dunes , crisp white beaches and miombo woodland . Not only is it wildly popular with tourists , it ’ s also a conservation hotspot and the last viable refuge of the western Indian Ocean ’ s dugongs . These placid animals share the waters here with whale sharks , manta rays , sea turtles , sharks , dolphins and humans .
The billowing sails of dhows are a common sight around the archipelago as they travel in search of fish . The waters sustain 5 800 island residents and countless others on the mainland , all of which means there is no better place to build a research centre . This is why I am on Benguerra , standing with my feet in soft sand and listening to the call of the green malkoha in the trees above .
I ’ d been commissioned by Hooper and Louw , an innovative construction company , to photograph the newly-built Bazaruto Centre for Scientific Studies . The marine research facility and laboratory sits on the northwestern bank of the island in a sheltered bay . Here , scientists and environmentalists spend months monitoring , tagging and tracking mega-fauna and reef systems , amongst numerous other tasks . Paying volunteers and students are invited to stay in the facility and assist with the large scope of the work .
The centre is sensitive to its landscape
and was built with sustainable local materials . It runs entirely on solar power – the only African field marine station to do so – and operates on a zero-waste policy . Coconut wood was used to make the desks , doorways and beds , and long palm fronds trail from the thatched roofs , framing the walkways . I ’ d photographed these features from the ground and now it was time to send my Mavic Pro drone up .
One of the most important challenges of architectural photography is to capture a building in its surroundings so as to
“
The result was an image that tells the story of the area : the ocean laid bare and open , with the tiny fishing dhow and the research centre .
“ provide a sense of its location . Drones have become irreplaceable tools for this task and offer surprising perspectives .
On this day , the tide had seeped out of the bay and left abstract scrawls on the surface of the sand that contrasted with the green bush surrounding the lodge . I was drawn immediately to these patterns and set about composing an image that included the research facility , the tiny dhow on the shoreline and the looping pathways . The result was an image that tells the story of the area : the ocean laid bare and open , with the tiny fishing dhow and the research centre . These are key components in the future of this ecosystem .
I hope that this image sparks the imagination of marine scientists and volunteers alike , that they travel to this archipelago and play their part in the conservation of its inhabitants .
© CUNNIFFE
MAKE MEMORIES FOR LIFE // 39