DANIELA BATELEUR
MAY YOU LIVE ALL THE DAYS OF YOUR LIFE
Jonathan Swift
I love life with all its good and bad moments but I’m usually much better in remembering and capturing the good moments than the bad ones. I always believed that a smile can change the world.
I’m not very good in expressing myself with words but I love to share what I feel or what touches me through a simple click. My philosophy on life is this; ‘DON’T FOLLOW THE COMPASS OF CONVENTION BUT LOOK AT THE SKY AND ITS STARS WILL DIRECT YOU’.
BIOGRAPHY
I was born in Lugano, Switzerland in 1964 and as early as I can remember I had always wanted an elephant in my garden rather than a dog. At the age of 20 I began a journey that took me to many beautiful parts of the world but it was ten years before I found my elephant. It was in the Okavango Delta in Botswana where I lived my dream for 7 years, and it was here that my childhood passion for photography reignited and began to grow. I learned as much as I could from the beauty of the wilderness and the magic of my elephants, but photography brought on a desire to move once more.
I moved to Kenya, where I still live today, where wilderness and nature, people and cultures live side by side. I have been lucky to meet some well-known photographers and artists who have become good friends and who have generously shared some of their skill with me. I am so thankful to these special friends. Now I shoot photographs whenever I am inspired by a scene or a special moment, my photography doesn’t always follow a theme as I let my instinct and my emotions lead my work. I take pictures as I live my life, freely and without boundaries, and I hope that this spontaneity, freedom and emotion reaches out to others through my photographs.
I had an exhibition called “Art Revelation” in London’s Notting Hill, where I showed the result of experimental work I did with some wonderful Sudanese artists, combining their artistic talent with my photography.
I then exhibited in Nairobi at “The Talisman”, and some of my photographs are now displayed in Arusha Tanzania (at the Blue Heron and the Cultural Heritage Art Gallery).
In 2007 I realized a dream and have opened my own gallery,” My Eye”, in Shela -Lamu.
In between photographs I have been writing my biography of African years - the work is finished but still lies in a drawer patiently waiting for me to find an editor and a publisher.
Today's dream ? ....is to cover the history of the fishermen of East Africa.
The traditional ways of fishing are changing, but there are more and more fishermen always, because of population growth and poverty it's one of the last things that people can do. So it's a problem because there's less and less fish for more and more people ...
CONSERVATION
I love Africa as much as I love photography and I feel very privileged to live here among its people and animals. I have been blessed in becoming friends with some extraordinary people who continue to dedicate their lives to helping people, wildlife and our environment. If I can do one thing it is to help raise awareness for the essential work that they do.
David Obura: ‘CORDIO’ - Coastal Ocean Research and Development Indian Ocean
www.cordioea.org
Iain Douglas-Hamilton: ‘Save the Elephants’
www.savetheelephants.com
Tony Fitzjohn: ‘The George Adamson Trust’
www.wildlifenow.com
Nick Redding: ‘SAFE’ – Sponsor Art For Education
www.sponsoredarts.org
Richard Traeger: ‘The Animal Welfare Clinic’ Lamu
<LAWC[at]africaonline.co.ke>
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