[dropcap size=big]T[/dropcap]he sheer grandeur and wildness of Africa have inspired numerous writers to juxtapose human drama against its exotic backdrop. Isak Dinesen gave us Out of Africa, Ernest Hemingway, tragic stories in the African bush, to name just a few.

For Dr Ng King Kang, senior correspondent of Lianhe Zaobao and managing editor or ZbBz, the continent is a life-changing destination. “Africa’s nature and wildlife will humble you. You start wondering why you’re pursuing material goods, which only give temporary satisfaction.”

(10)《自信》鸵鸟/Ostrich
A confident ostrich captured mid-stride.
Photo: Ng King Kang, “Eastern Pen, African Footsteps”

He captured his visceral reaction to the continent by taking more than 10,000 photos on recent trips to South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda. Thirty of them are on display this week at his solo exhibition “Eastern Pen, African Footsteps”.

On each, he inscribes what he was feeling the moment the photo was taken. The Wild Run, a snap of wildebeests in the Serengeti, for example, symbolises the inevitable march of life. A well-timed shot of a zeal of zebras captures the arresting aesthetic of their striped flanks.

(8)《马屁》斑马/Zebra
Getting the perfect frame entails hours of patient waiting. Photo: Ng King Kang, “Eastern Pen, African Footsteps”

Many of the shots were the result of hours of waiting, with a few kilograms of photographic equipment on his back to boot. But those are hardly Ng’s most challenging moments on safari.

“Once, in Kruger National Park, I think my perfume attracted an elephant. We had to hide behind a small tree when we thought he was going to charge at us. The guide even had his rifle out, but the jeep quickly came to our rescue,” says Ng.

“We had to hide behind a small tree when we thought (the elephant) was going to charge at us.”
Dr Ng King Kang

The photos cost between $1,900 and $3,000, and part of the proceeds will be donated to Wildlife Reserves Singapore. “Eastern Pen, African Footsteps” will be on until Sept 25, #01-08, The Fullerton Hotel.

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