Being awestruck usually coincides with a place. I think of the desolate stretch of the Thar Desert leading from India into Pakistan. I think about the peak of Mt. Everest breaking through the cloud sea as if it was an iceberg frozen stoically in the distance. I think about Lake Tahoe’s basin and the turquoise waters of the inland, alpine sea. I think about the calm Pacific, rising and falling along the shores of Japan’s Taketomi Island. I can now add the salt flats of Dallol to the list of places that truly stir me.

The Afar region of northeast Ethiopia is as inhospitable as I can imagine. Dust storms. Acid pools. Extreme heat. It’s no wonder that the life expectancy for those who live here is a mere 45 years. Despite the conditions that define the region, I remain in awe of the vast expanse.

Momentarily, I thought about how to photograph the great expanse to show the magnitude of emptiness found there. I realized, though, that any attempt would be insufficient. The landscape is the epitome of negative space, where emptiness itself is the awe-inspiring subject.

Wish You Were Here,

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