A Photographic Challenge Well Met : Kurt Lolo's Sunrise at the Assekrem of Tamanrasset

Photography is a demanding art form. It has a sense of immediacy because technology today allows photos to be shared across the globe almost instantly. For all its immediacy, there are places on this planet that seem beyond time, that seem to belong to a different world, a different perception and interpretation of physical reality. The immense Algerian desert is such a place. Highly photographed as one of the geological wonders of the world, and part of the UNESCO World Heritage classified sites since 1982, the world's largest desert that occupies more than four fifths of the country, is as mesmerizing a challenge to photograph as any seasoned photographer could hope for.
This past December, nature photographer Kurt Lolo of Lolo Pics undertook a ten day journey to the Ahaggar Mountains, and brought back enchanting photographs of the Assekrem in Tamanrasset.
One such photograph is the photo he shared on January 25th, of the rising sun at the Assekrem, that he titled " La Magie de la Nature se defile devant nos yeux ", "Nature's magic unfolds before our eyes." The photograph is bathed in gold bronze colours of the sky, with the rising sun a glowing white disc rising to the left of the scene, creating a magnificent ambiance with the jagged volcanic rock formations that like petrified spirits seem in awe of the sun's stunning morning light. Kurt Lolo has managed to give a sense of belonging, of poignant intimacy to this photograph of the otherworldly landscape of the Algerian desert so renown worldwide. The warm gold and bronze colours of the sky that have a hint of green sheen, are beyond magnificent. This photo makes the observer reach for the formulation of new words to comprehend the stunning beauty of this hypnotizing desert sunrise. Kurt Lolo's photo has created a theatre where the rising sun's warmth embraces the ancient volcanic rock formations in a deeply spiritual gesture.
The enchantingly dramatic beauty of the Algerian desert is well documented and it is impressive that Kurt Lolo has managed to create a photograph that is unique in its portrayal and perception through this thrilling rendition of a sunrise at the Assekrem of Tamanrasset. I saw more than a hundred photographs of the rock formations at the Assekrem, taken at different times of the day, and this captivating, poised and seductive sunrise by Kurt Lolo is by far the most striking in its aesthetic and emotional impact and flawless technique of maximum effectiveness in both colour and composition of its silent inscrutable protagonists.
Trudi Ralston