Held Against Time

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Held Against Time
Charcoal on Canson Montval 300gsm
70cm x 90cm


There are moments in the field that last only a few seconds.

This was one of them.

I had been watching the herd when I noticed this young zebra beginning to move away from its mother.

Only a few steps.

For a moment, it was on its own.

There was something about that little body standing apart from the herd that caught my attention. I watched, and somehow managed to isolate it from everything around it.

But it didn't last.

A zebra this young is rarely far from its mother for long.

Almost as quickly as it had ventured away, it was back beside her.

Safe again.

It made me think about how much of growing up begins with these tiny acts of independence.

A few steps away.

A moment of curiosity.

The first small exploration of a world that, until now, has been experienced from close beside a mother.

Then the return.

There is no drama in it.

Nothing has been overcome. Nothing remarkable has happened.

And yet, watching that little zebra take those few steps, I felt I was witnessing something that has happened countless times before — and will happen countless times again.

Perhaps that is one of the reasons I photograph animals.

These moments disappear almost as soon as they happen.

The foal moves back towards its mother.

The herd closes around them.

The moment is gone.

But sometimes, if I am fortunate, I have caught it.

And later, when I draw it, I can hold it there for a little longer.

Not the animal itself.

Not the moment as it truly was.

Only my memory of it.

A few seconds preserved against the passing of time.

Held against time.


Continue exploring


Collected Moments of Survival
Explore the drawings, stories and book behind the project.
[Explore the project ]


Original artwork
Original works from the series are available to reserve ahead of the December exhibition.
[View available works ]


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Before the Water


Location: Namibia

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