Africa-Press – Namibia. PUBLISHING house Venture Media and photographer couple Helga and Pompie Burger have again proven that they are a winning combination.
In their latest publication, ‘The Unbearable Beauty of Trees’, Helga Burger is headlining, with husband Pompie in a supporting role, as they aim their camera lenses at the trees, which are part of the allure of Namibia’s north-eastern regions.
Pompie Burger’s remarkable photographs of birds have been collected in two books titled simply ‘Birds of Namibia’, and he and Helga Burger have collaborated on the titles ‘Birds of Nambwa’ – for which Helga mostly focused on flowers and plantlife found in the Nambwa area next to the Kwando River in Zambezi region – and ‘Chariots of Fire’, which is a beauty of a book about a colony of southern carmine bee-eaters, also in Zambezi.
In ‘The Unbearable Beauty of Trees’, sub-titled ’56 magnificent trees of Kavango and Zambezi’, Helga Burger has trees, rather than birds, in her camera’s viewfinder.
She writes that this is a book about the beauty of trees and her fascination with “the incredible detail and intricacy of their creation”. It is that, and much more – a mix of field guide and visual treat for the armchair traveller.
The Burgers take the reader on a journey through the Kavango and Zambezi regions, stopping at 56 trees and shrubs along the way to share their detailed observations of the species’ general appearance and things like the leaves, flowers, fruits, seed pods and striking features of each.
They include maps showing where examples of each featured species can be found, and indicate when these are in flower and carry leaves and fruit. With the accompanying photographs being dated, one can track the seasonal changes these trees and shrubs go through – useful for identifying the species at different times of the year.
While photographs of large trees by their very nature and size can leave one in awe, it is especially on a much smaller scale that Helga Burger’s photos are exceptional and capture the beauty of nature: when she zooms in on the delicate details of flowers, leaves, fruit and seeds.
This book invites the reader to slow down, pause, look more closely, touch, smell and reflect on what we see around us, but more often than not do not take the time to properly absorb.
Put together with the customary care and taste one can expect of Venture Media, this would be an ideal companion for a journey to Kavango and Zambezi regions. Or, for the home bird, it can help open the mind’s eye to the wonders of nature in a special part of Namibia. A last remark, from Helga Burger: “If you are interested in finding peace and rest for your soul, get to know the trees.”
For More News And Analysis About Namibia Follow Africa-Press
