English Edition: 978-88-317-2071-7 - SOLD OUT
Italian Edition: 978-88-317-2227-8 - AVAILABLE
Federico Veronesi, Marsilio Editori
ISBN:
English Edition: 978-88-317-2071-7 - SOLD OUT
Italian Edition: 978-88-317-2227-8 - AVAILABLE
240 pages, 140 color and black and white images
“Sometimes I come across a book that just blows me away. Light and Dust by Federico Veronesi does just that.
At 26 Federico relocated to Kenya and has been photographing there intensively ever since. His book is a testament to what great photographer can do when they have a true passion and focus on a particular part of the world”.
Art Wolfe, From Art’s Bookshelf, 2016
“Light and Dust is the result of twelve years of waking up before sunrise, long searches and hours spent waiting in the sun, of thrilling encounters with the most fascinating African mammals, with the amazing backdrop of the savannahs and deserts of Eastern Africa. Thanks to his in-depth knowledge with individual leopards, lions, caracals, elephants and cheetahs that he followed through the years, wildlife photographer Federico Veronesi reveals their emotions, their most intimate behaviours, their resilience and beauty, and that of the wilderness they live in. To take the images of this book, he sought the most dramatic weather conditions – morning mists, dust storms, heavy rains or rays of light shining through the clouds – and followed the animals on endless journeys along ancient trails, across dry lakes and raging rivers, seeing them fighting for survival with undying strength and determination.”
The English version of Light and Dust is unfortunately completely sold out. The Italian edition "Luce e Polvere", is still available here.
For english speaking people who are interested in purchasing the Italian edition, we now provide all the text in the book in PDF format, ready for downloading and printing.
Download English text for Light and Dust
Light and Dust features 140 color and black and white images of African wildlife, divided in nine thematic chapters. The short accompanying texts tell the stories behind many photographs, setting the context and taking the reader into the scene alongside the author. All along this photographic journey the animals are portrayed in magnificent settings, in dramatic atmosphere and lighting, and are captured in their most intimate and rarely seen behavior.
“…the choice of black and white alternating with colour images, in a subtle play of contrasts and connections. While colour portrays the dynamism and physicality of the scenes, black and white has the opposite effect. It seems to take away the subjects from the flow of events, from the here and now, and transfer them to a timeless classicality, transforming them in archetypes, almost eternal icons. Thus, the real and living Africa perfectly blends with Africa of our imagination and dreams.”
Forward by Cesare Della Pieta’, naturalist and author
The nine chapters are:
When the opportunity to finally make my first book came I had many ideas and themes in my mind. Through these years I collected so many images and followed so many stories. Each of them could have been a book on its own. But as a first book I opted for a wider approach, including the most representative images of my favorite subjects. It’s a recollection of all that I have done in the past twelve years, a glimpse into the moments and emotions that I lived in the plains of East Africa.
When I am out photographing, I love to follow the animals day after day, year after year. I love to catch up with them in different phases of their lives. I saw some of the animals featured in this book when they were tiny babies, and saw them become adults and have babies of their own. In the accompanying text, the animals that I followed more closely are referred to by the names given to them by guides or researchers. Having a chance to glimpse into the most private moments in their lives has been my biggest emotion and joy. I hope that the book captures this.
However, I think that only by showing the animals in their habitat of Africa’s endless wild spaces, their true wild spirit can be conveyed. So in choosing the sequence of images I always alternated between the intimacy of the stories and evocative images of animals surrounded by dramatic skies, wide open plains, dry lakes and forests.
The title Light and Dust has been roaming in my head for many years. I have always been attracted to images where these two elements blend, and many are in the book. Herds of Zebras walking through Acacia woodland, an Elephant dust-bathing in backlight, thousands of Wildebeests plunging in the river, a sand storm with two giraffes walking like ghosts in this surreal atmosphere.
But “Light and Dust” also takes a broader meaning. Light is the African scorching sun climbing rapidly into the sky, cracking the earth underneath into millions of dust particles under the hooves of wild animals. With the arrival of the rains, the sun beating on the dampened soil favors the growth of fresh shoots of grasses and plants. Source of life for the animals, protagonists of this book.
Thanks for taking the time to read this and welcome to Light and Dust, a photographic journey to Africa!
Format is 280 x 330 x 30 mm. Hard cover.
240 pages
140 images in black and white and color
Italian and English editions available.
