Solitary No.1

SOLITARY No.1

A brilliant image of a cluster of thorn trees photographed in the midst of a desert storm.

Artist: MARTIN OSNER 

Signed Open Edition

Medium: Archival print on fine art paper

The print is available in four sizes:

  • 80cm x 60cm / 31" x 23" (Including border) 
  • 100cm x 77cm / 39" x 30" (Including border) 
  • 120cm x 92cm / 47" x 36" (Including border) 
  • 140cm x 107cm / 55" x 42" (Including border) 

THE STORY BEHIND THIS PRINT

Picture this: it was back in 2012 when I found myself in the breathtaking Kuiseb Canyon of Namibia. I was on a mission to document abandoned structures for my Abandoned Collection. That afternoon, I stumbled upon an old building that served as a Church, Classroom, and Community meeting hall. It stood proudly in the vastness of nowhere. (View this print)

As I was wrapping up the shot, I noticed the horizon started to go dark as a windstorm headed my way. Ten minutes later, The Landy began to shake violently, and the sandstorm's fury left me no choice but to stop driving and wait for the storm out in the car.

As the wind raged outside, I noticed an impression forming in the distance—a fleeting vision of a tree. It would appear for a few seconds, only to disappear again. Inspired, I manoeuvred the car, set up my tripod inside the Landy and aimed my lens towards what seemed like a cloud of nothing. There was nothing to focus on, and the window glass hindered any chance of autofocus; I relied on the trusty hyperfocal rule, manually setting the focus just shy of infinity with my 300mm lens at an aperture of f8.0. The moment the illusion was revealed during a lull in the wind, I opened the window just enough to get a clean shot, and with a cable release in hand, I captured a few frames.

Let me tell you, my Landy turned into a desert terrarium within seconds, and I'm convinced it still holds traces of Namibian desert sand now. And to top it all off, the camera sensor got so dirty from this shoot that I could not use it for the rest of the trip, and even now, the old 5D has stage fright whenever I turn it on!

But despite the situation, I got the shot, and that's what truly matters. I've always believed in the emotional connection between a photographer and their subject, and "Solitary" perfectly embodies this sentiment. It took me six months to release this photograph, fearing that my incredible experience might overshadow its impact.
Remember my favourite saying, "f8 and just be there"? Well, this shot is the reason I say it.

Great landscape photographs are often captured in worse conditions. Sometimes, when you're there in the moment, embracing the elements and embracing life, magic happens, and that's what happened with "Solitary."

This photograph is more than just an image; for me, it's a moment in time forged through the power of nature.

ABOUT THE SOLITARY COLLECTION

A breathtaking, ongoing collection of solitary trees in nature. A portfolio that has taken over ten years to capture. It is a reminder of the power and stature inherent in a single tree as it stands alone—an elementary shape noticeable from miles around, beautiful and defiant in its stand.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

On a winter's day in 1984 "photography" and I met quite by accident, an encounter that redirected my life and changed it forever. My methodology has taken numerous detours over the past twenty-eight years while walking a self-discovery path. It is a journey that has refined a relaxed subconscious attitude, with a desire to express simplicity and honesty through my work. For me, a photograph holds an undeniable sense of realism, a new correlation that is easy to associate. I see I understand; I experience, I connect. In my photography, I allow day-to-day life to inspire ... Read More >>

$690.00

Available units: 5