Maroesjka Lavigne, Land of Nothingness

Elexa Thomas
May 13, 2016
2 min read

Belgian photographer Maroesjka Lavigne travels through the Namibian Desert in her latest photography series ‘Land of Nothingness’. Against the desolate scenery, Lavigne delicately captures the insignificance of human presence, exceptional encounters with wildlife and the ever-changing colours of the vast Namibian landscape.

Where did your journey as a photographer begin? I started photography in high school when I was about 14. I was looking for a creative outlet and was originally inspired by the classic documentary photographers such as Robert Doisneau and Bresson. However, I quickly realised this wasn’t my type of photography. In college I was exposed to another type of photography, the kind where you tell a story through photographs.

How do you work as a photographer, do you plan to spend a day in a certain place or do you always have your camera on you? I plan my trips. I don’t take my camera with me all the time. I really need to know ‘today I’m going to take pictures’ and have some kind of plan. I need to turn something on in my mind that motivates my photography.

What compels you to document the places you visit? Because some places are very much worth documenting. While living in Belgium I don’t often get time to spend in ‘real’ nature, or places that haven’t been touched by people. Going to these places and capturing this pureness is something that motivates me. As well as the sometimes absurd relationship between people and nature - sometimes I think it’s difficult for people to realise that we’re just travelling through. The world has been here so much longer than us.

What was your favourite part of your travels in Namibia? I loved every bit of Namibia. I loved the fact that you could drive from one colour into the next. The desert made the landscape very dry and the colours were washed out and then you arrive in Dead Vlei where you have the brilliant pink hues of the dunes.

Tell us a story behind a memorable moment while photographing in Namibia. Bumping into the white rhino at the perfect moment was overwhelming. It’s one of those moments where your heart starts beating like crazy. You realise the perfection of the moment and you get a big adrenaline rush. Where would you like to travel next? I would like to visit more of earth’s beautiful secrets.