The Mountain of God

Photographing a natural marvel like the Mountain of God is a profound experience. Towering and majestic, trembling with energy and erupting with life, it truly earns its revered name. Rising to meet the clouds, it invites many interpretations, and it shows how raw power shapes the land and the life around it. For the Maasai it holds deep spiritual significance: they offer sacrifices and prayers to ask for its blessing of rain, a sacred bond between nature and culture.

For me, it was important to see the mountain through the eyes of the people who live beneath it, to photograph it with the same respect, and to help spread the gospel of Lengai.

Ol Doinyo Lengai translates directly as the Mountain of God. It is a sacred, active volcano in northern Tanzania, known for its rare carbonatite lava, which runs far cooler than ordinary lava, and for its dramatic ash cones. It rises to 2,962 metres in the East African Rift Valley, and from time to time it erupts explosively.

Lake Natron is a highly alkaline lake, turned a striking red by the microorganisms that live in it, and a vital breeding ground for the lesser flamingos of East Africa. Its heat and minerals can calcify animals that die in its waters, preserving them as if turned to stone. The lake spans 1,040 square kilometres near Ol Doinyo Lengai.