This photograph was taken in Namibia, in Etosha Park during a trip last year. In the evening, at dusk, animals come to drink at the waterholes. Water points have been set up around some of the campsites inside the park, making it possible to watch animals coming to drink water there all day long. These waterholes have a crucial role in this desert region and are vital in the dry season too. The highlights of the day are sunrise and sunset. We enjoyed beautiful light at those times, which normally escape us, since vehicles can only move in the park after the sunrise and before the sunset. We could have even stay around these water points all night long if we wanted, because they were illuminated with a spotlight (animals are accustomed to this diffused, soft and warm light, which does not dazzle them).
These waterholes are fabulous features of Etosha; it is one of the best places in the world to have the chance to observe the black rhino. I had that chance and I was able to observe and photograph the reflection of this black rhino in the beautiful light of the sunset, which gives this picture the orange color. The small rocks between its legs and those of the bank add a graphic effect, and the bird - a poetic touch. The photo is flipped upside down to give it a dreamlike feel, and for me, slight waves made by the wind add an evanescent dimension, evoking a dissolution, a slow disappearance of these animals – this is what I would like people to bear in mind. Rhinos, and especially black ones, are under Critically Endangered status on the IUCN Red List.
