ABOUT
Welcome to my website - the place where time stands still long enough to enjoy each moment as seen through my viewfinder.
Years ago, when given the book “Origins: African Wisdom for Every Day”, I immediately turned to the page for my birthday, the 2nd of April, and found the following proverb written by Sobonfu Somé:
“Nature helps us to be ourselves, to go through major changes and situations where our life is at stake. She brings us magic and laughter”
Up until now, these words have lingered in my thoughts as they originate from the continent of my childhood where nature’s beauty gives me a reason to be.
In 1986, a few weeks after my birth in Belgium, my parents returned home with me to Zaire (renamed to the Democratic Republic of Congo). From my first steps in Zaire up to the age of 18, I was fortunate to live in Madagascar, Senegal, Mauritania and Niger. During this time our family travelled to many African countries where I was exposed to the African outdoors.
Following in the footsteps of my father, uncle, grandfather and great-grandfather, I studied in Gembloux, one of Belgium’s oldest universities. My specialisation as an Engineer in Forestry and Wildlife Management enabled me to conduct a Masters thesis comprising game counts in Nazinga Game Reserve, Burkina Faso. University holidays offered me the possibility to discover South Africa where I qualified as a nature guide and tracker.
On conclusion of our studies at the end of 2010, my brother and I embarked on the trip of a lifetime - 100 days from Belgium to South Africa through East Africa on our old BMW motorbikes. Arrival in South Africa started a new chapter of my life where my Honours in Wildlife Management at the University of Pretoria presented ample opportunity to improve my English and to apply my book-smarts from Europe. During this year, I prepared my doctoral proposal for the use of advanced 3D scanning technologies to monitor lions from their tracks.
I have recently completed a doctorate in Zoology as part of a joint-degree between Belgium and South Africa. My Ph.D. title was: Monitoring lions (Panthera leo) using digital 3D models of their tracks.
Every turn of events in my life has led me closer to the heartbeat of Africa and nature. Along the way I have discovered the magical world of photography, which I consider the best tool for expressing myself and sharing the immense beauty our world has to offer.
I do not consider wildlife photography as a race from one sighting to another. I simply follow my destiny while using my camera to capture the light and freeze a moment in time where the magic will be immortalised. In addition to wildlife, I relish the opportunity to include adventure and photojournalism in my photographic portfolio. Adventure is the spice of life without which we are alienated by our society while photojournalism is an efficient medium to showcase both the past and the present.
I hope that my photographs will help you realise that the world is not all bad and that we are not born in a system where Terms and Conditions apply.
Enjoy!
- Antoine F.J. Marchal -