Tania Cholwich puts into words what few photographers are able to
do – express what it is that renders her art sublime, setting it apart
from the labours of the regular crowd. In Through my Lens: A Love
Letter to Craig, she demonstrates that true artistry requires much
more than excellent technical skills, a mastery of equipment, or a
clinical understanding of the science of photography.
Instead, Cholwich reveals the greatest secret of beauty, unveiling
the key to her success – and indeed, the success of every master
artist. It is love. This book, dedicated to one of Africa’s most iconic
“Super Tusker” elephants, is a testament to the profound
connection between the photographer and the wild. As David Drake
beautifully penned in his poetry, an elephant “owned the road as an
elephant owns the veldt… and moved with massive grace and
dignity.” It is precisely this massive grace and dignity that Cholwich
captures so flawlessly.
She loved this great animal deeply. Her work reminds us of the
profound truth shared by conservationist Lawrence Anthony in The
Elephant Whisperer: “There are no walls between humans and the
elephants except those we put up ourselves.” Cholwich tore down
those walls. She shows us that to do ultimate justice to a subject, a
photographer is compelled to love and understand it. To capture the
soul of a subject – whether it is a person, a landscape, or a giant of
the earth – one must approach it with a vulnerable heart, just as
Tania loved Craig.
Koos Marais Chairman AFO Fotografieklub
National Director PSSA