Ephemeral
A self-published photographic monograph exploring the hidden world of indigenous ground orchids within the fynbos and renosterveld landscapes of South Africa.
Some of nature's most extraordinary stories are the ones that remain almost invisible.
Over five years, I documented indigenous ground orchids across the Western Cape, following species that spend much of their lives hidden beneath the soil. Emerging only when rain, season and landscape align, their flowering is brief, delicate and easily missed.
Many are known only to those who have learned to read the landscape intimately. Their appearance is a quiet conversation between plant, place and time.
Set within the globally significant fynbos and renosterveld ecosystems, Ephemeral is both a photographic study and a meditation on impermanence, resilience and the extraordinary beauty that exists beyond immediate view.
Because sometimes the rarest things are not the ones that disappear forever.
They are the ones that were waiting to be seen.
Project Notes
Ephemeral is a self-published photographic book exploring indigenous Western Cape ground orchids through photography and poetry. Created over five years, the project documents the hidden botanical diversity of fynbos and renosterveld landscapes, focusing on species that remain dormant for years before briefly emerging into flower.
Questions From the Field
What is Ephemeral?
A self-published photographic monograph exploring the hidden world of indigenous ground orchids within the fynbos and renosterveld landscapes of South Africa.
How long did the work take?
Five years, documenting indigenous ground orchids across the Western Cape.
Why are these orchids so easily missed?
They spend much of their lives hidden beneath the soil, emerging only when rain, season and landscape align. Their flowering is brief and delicate, and many are known only to those who have learned to read the landscape intimately.
Do you take on long-form personal projects for publication?
Yes. Ephemeral is one of mine. Book-length work asks for years rather than days, and that is the point of it.
Is the book available, or can chapters be licensed?
Get in touch about availability, and about licensing images or extracts for editorial use.