Here’s an early entry for your holiday shopping list: “African Air,” due out Nov. 1, is a gorgeous coffee table book by Glen Ridge photographer/author George Steinmetz. The images — page after page of mindblowing aerial views of Africa’s sand dunes and cities, farmlands and forests — are amazing. The book is very much a celebration of the visual, and yet it’s the immediacy and honesty of Steinmetz’s writing that really drew me in. The stories behind the photos are as eye-opening as the images themselves.
Pick up a copy and you’ll be ahead of the curve: In 2009, the Museum of Natural History will unveil a year-long exhibit of Steinmetz’s photos and the paraglider he used to capture many of them.

21 replies on “Out of Africa”

  2. nice stooopid comment, Hans. maybe you should go out and get ‘bombed’ tonight to shake out the cobwebs.

  3. SOme people, hansi, and quite a few of them are liberals, think America should have some kind of ongoing military involvement in Africa.
    In Darfur, say. Nigeria to secure the pipelines for all-important oil. Even in Somalia again, to blow those pirates out of the water and to finish the job we began in the early 19th century.
    Or would you simply let these situations and others (Zimbabwe! Libya! Algeria!…) go to hell ASAP?

  4. Anyway… back to the book.
    WOW. I wish there were more than 4 images on the Amazon site, but it’s enough for me. I think I’ll get this for my dad the photog for Xmas.
    I was fortunate enough to take a hot-air balloon ride over the Serengeti several years ago, but I didn’t capture photos that were anything like these. Perhaps because I was too busy clinging to the side of the basket in terror. (Alas, fear of heights–my lingering phobia.)

  5. Actually, I just took a look and there are many images from the book on the author’s web site–one more exquisite than the next.
    The photo of the salt works in Niger and the church in Ethiopia are especially stunning.
    Sigh… now my wanderlust is newly stoked. Maybe I could just ignore this whole Huge Economic Meltdown(tm) thing and pretend I have the dough for a grand adventure to, say, Madagascar or diving the sardine run in South Africa, ooooohhhhhhh…

  6. If you go, Katebirdrex, be sure to go in platoon strength or better, and only with your weapons on full auto.

  7. So far, my African adventures have required no defenses stronger than Malarone, but I’ll consider your advice, Cathar. 😉
    …although apparently when you dive the sardine run, there is some risk of getting beaned in the head by birds torpedoing into the water to fish. The guy I know who did it described it as sounding like percussion grenades going off all around him.
    Fantastic!
    If some wealthy Baristavillian out there wants to spot me $10k or so, I will be happy to 1) go dive the sardine run, 2) have someone take lots of pictures of me battling sharks underwater, 3) photoshop your face into the photos so you can brag to all your friends!
    How about it, folks??

  8. Wow, nobody has taken me up on my proposal in the last 21 minutes.
    Jeeez!
    OK, how about this: I will plaster your company’s logo all over my wet suit, and have someone take lots of photos of me while I’m battling (or making out with–your choice) sharks. And you can use the photos for your ad campaign. And also, there will be at least, like, 8 imprints on the other people crazy enough to be there with me.
    It’ll be like Wandeful!, except underwater and with apex predators!

  10. Thanks, MB–sweeeeet! I’ll put your logo on my left elbow.
    Anyone else got the other $9980 I’ll need to make this happen?

  11. Katebirdrex, I’ll offer to back your trip in a slightly different way. If you’ll visit Harley dealerships in Africa (you can get their addresses from the company’s web site), I’d gladly pay you double whatever a t-shirt costs at one. Up to four dealerships. That’s a pretty good offer, I think.

  12. DEAR MR AMERICAN CATHAR FRIEND. I AM WRITING TO YOU IN CONFIDENCE AS I HAVE A BUSINESS PROPPOSITION TO MAKE FOR THE FORMER MINITER OF HARLEY TEE SHIRTS IN MY COUNTRY. PLEASE SEND YOUR BANK ACCOUNT DETAILS SOONEST SO THAT WE MAY TRANSFER TO YOU TEE SHIRTS OF MANY HARLEY AFRICAN BIKE MERCHANTS.
    MANY BEST REGARDS,
    MR. APPLE ANTHONY KWA-ZULU

  14. But Cathar, there’s only one! It is in Capetown, though, which does work with my proposed itinerary. Still, how about one t-shirt, *and* you throw in the same deal on a Road King? It comes with a free year of medevac service!
    I think that’s a pretty good deal? Yes?
    Nellie, I see your chihuahua and raise you one pit bull, one pug/peke mix, and one fluffy little white dog of indeterminate origins. I am sure they would all *love* to strap on some gear and visit the great blue beyond with me… as long as there are liver treats down there. 🙂

  15. According to my old list, Katebirdrex, there are also dealerships or at least accredited repair facilities in Accra, Cairo, Tunis, Fez, Addis Ababa and several other places. You’re doing to “do Africa,” right? Not just South Africa, which is only one country.
    And no Road Kings! You might consider a Buell (which is still technically a Harley) for ease of repair and reliability.
    Appletony, that was spot-on parody.

  17. KBR,
    I have a large, immoderately aggressive, scent marking, terratorial, but affectionate Norwegian Forest Cat that would be available to serve as a personal bodyguard during your trip to the dark continent.
    His fee will be 3 cans of Friskies ‘turkey and cheese’ and 1000 mexican pesos / diem.
    Interested?

  18. Appletony, thanks for making me laugh! I can’t tell you how many emails like that I get. I’ve answered a couple, “FU” but they don’t answer back.

  19. Well, I was originally talking about just diving the sardine run in SA (and possibly doing a big 5 bike safari in Botswana)… but yeah! If you guys, my Swell New Sponsors, can come up with another 3 or 4k, I’ll do the whole shebang!
    Always wanted to make it to Addis. So far I’ve only passed through the airport, but I’ll make it one day for the music and food alone. Oh! And now the Harley t shirt, of course.
    MB, do you think your immoderately aggressive kitty would enjoy riding in a Harley sidecar with my 3 adorable canines on our pan-African odyssey? If so, he’s in! (As long as I can get a kitty motorcycle goggles-and-helment endorsement.)
    Boy, this is really taking shape already… whew.

  20. KBR,
    That might be a deal breaker. Tubby has a ‘no-dogs’ clause in his boilerplate contract.
    I’m still in for the twenty though. 🙂

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