Gallery: The African Savannah Is Even More Beautiful From a Bird's-Eye View
Photos by Zack Seckler01Wanderlust
Animals in the Botswana series function mostly as reminders of scale, and as the subjects of isolation amid the abstracted landscapes that surround them.
02Tswana at Dawn
Starting as a photojournalist, Seckler became attracted to the more hands-on, creative approach afforded by art and commercial photography. Even so, this body of work represents a "hands-off" documentary approach guided by artistic sensibilities.
Zack Seckler03Tracks and Water
The Makgadikgadi Pans, where most of the series was shot, is one of the world's largest salt flats, home to almost no plant life save for a bluish-green algae.
Zack Seckler04Reflections on Delta
In addition to the salt pans, some of the photos were taken over the more lush Okavango Delta to the west.
Zack Seckler05Okavango Swirl
Seckler found that, by removing animals from the shots, many of the landscapes became abstracted to the point of being difficult to recognize as a landscape.
Zack Seckler06Okavango River
The narrow band of about 50 to 500 feet these photos were taken from represents a rare perspective, too high to be seen from the ground but far lower than most aircraft typically fly.
Zack Seckler07Lone Bull
The abstracted landscapes and isolated animals are a particular visual approach that sets the work apart from much of the aerial photography most people see in newspapers, for example.
Zack Seckler08Kalahari Crossing
Botswana is home to one of the world's largest zebra populations.
Zack Seckler09Intersection
Shots in the Botswana series were taken from an ultra-light aircraft, for the most part. Some were taken from a Cessna, a more robust small aircraft.
Zack Seckler10Earth Water Fade
Shot between 2009 and 2010, the photos comprise four flights on two separate trips.
Zack Seckler11Botswana Bath
Being a passenger in a small aircraft meant that the elements under Seckler's control were limited. "It would have been amazing to be in a helicopter," he says. "There you can really have a very controlled approach."
Zack Seckler12Dense Flora
The unified tonal palette of the series was achieved by slight adjustments to certain colors. It was also chosen to recreate the colors as the photographer actually saw them in the moment.
