From Europe to Africa
Originally from France, Valentin has always been drawn to wild Africa. He remembers he embarked on his first safari way back in 2012 when he was 23 years old. Now 32, Valentin is an avid safari photographer - his most recent trip being in September, when he explored the great plains of the Maasai Mara.
BA: What inspired you to become a photographer?
V: I don't consider myself to be a professional photographer - just an amateur at the moment. I remember my first trip to Kenya in 2012...I had been dreaming of going there for so long. I knew that I was going to live through something amazing and I wanted to be able to preserve my memories through photos. So, before leaving I bought myself a nice camera.
Giraffes in Tsavo West, 2012. Photo by Valentin Posco.
BA: What’s your process before taking a photo on safari?
V: I don’t think of anything before taking a picture! I like to live in the moment and take a lot of pictures of anything that catches my eye. My skills get better with each trip that I take.
BA: What’s a memory behind one of your favourite captures?
V: I have about a million amazing memories from safari. Among them is from the trip I took in September. We saw a lioness alone, but behaving in a ‘particular’ way. My guide, Elius, said that she wasn’t alone. Before long, we saw this magnificent black mane coming out of the grass - it was Maridadi. He and his brother, Kaka, lead the fig tree clan in the Mara. I never saw a lion with that kind of black mane before - I was living a dream in my favourite park in all of Africa.
Maridadi, the black maned lion. Photo by Valentin Posco.
