Canopies

Praslin, Seychelles. November 2011

During November 2007 the company I was working for had charter flights to Seychelles. With great generosity 10 guides were selected to go for a week holiday. At that time I had stayed away from Africa for a full year and was missing it terribly and I just got my new digital camera to play with but saw no real opportunity to enjoy it if it wasn't for wildlife.

Seychelles start from the point we approached it looked from the air like a paradise. The green forest on the dark rocks of Mahe, looked like nothing I had ever seen before. And there I was, traveling in this paradise, trying my new toy, diving, cycling, swimming, meeting a friend from Kenya and loving every minute of it.

By the 3^rd day of course, like every beginner, I have mistakably erased all my beautiful photographs.

By the 4^th day I had almost the same amount I have erased just to cover up for the fuc up.

But by the 6^th day I found myself walking in the strange forest of Coco de mer with a friend. As most of the plants there resembled house plants of Israel, ones we grow in small pots and get small results, this canopy of huge leaves was like a dwarf tour in the land of giants. I was trying to photograph but felt like I was playing around. Just as I was going to pack my camera and give up, I heard a sound from the dry leaves covering the floor of the forest. I sent away my friend and was waiting to see what's coming out. For at least half an hour I was lying and waiting and sure enough, from the thick dry cover, came out a rodent with a long nose, like a Shrew. It was there only for a moment, the moment I needed to catch it in the frame. We looked at each other, smiled, and it went away. I wasn't in the wild savanna of Africa nor was I watching a pride of Lions but this small Shrew made me feel at home. In different times of our lives we may wear different hats but some hats will always be more comfortable. Although I was never a wildlife photographer by training nor by the type of equipment I was using, it was always the hat I felt most comfortable under.

It took years to be able to set a routine in my life which Africa is a big part again. It felt like a long way to cover up for the years of distance. But that small Shrew was one of the first steps just by reminding me of a feeling I lost and wished to have again.