The Aloba Arch, on the Ennedi Plateau in northeastern Chad, is one of the most magnificent rock arches in the world.
And with an elevation of 122 metres (400 feet), it is one of the highest, too. But its remote location means it's also one of the more seldom seen. Travel to this area can be particularly difficult because of the lack of facilities, political unrest and highway banditry, but Marsel decided to go there anyway. The plateau is, he says, 'a sandstone bulwark in the middle of the Sahara, assailed by the sands on all sides, with a geology similar to the Colorado Plateau and a number of similar landforms.' He wanted to photograph the arch in a way that would create 'a feeling of awe and wonder,' choosing a night shoot, with enough moonlight for a light source but not so much that the stars wouldn't be visible. 'The clear night sky,' says Marsel, 'made this wild place look almost otherworldly.'
The Netherlands
Marsel is a professional nature photographer from the Netherlands. He and his wife, Daniella, are the founders of Squiver, a company that runs specialised wildlife and landscape photography tours for small groups of all experience levels to destinations worldwide.
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