It was the year 2011 when photographer Nick Brandt was out for a shoot regarding the disappearing wildlife of East Africa. Soon after, he discovered a 'lake' across the ravaged land that seemingly turns animals into stone.
"Seeing those stoned animals around the river was a surprising experience itself," said Nick Brand. The first thing that crashed into his mind was to take photos of those stoned animals.
Lake Natron, in northern Tanzania, is a salt lake that means- Water flows but it doesn't flow out, so it can only evaporate. It leaves behind highly concentrated salt and other minerals like at the Dead Sea. Unlike those other lakes, though, Natron lake is extremely alkaline, due to high amounts of the chemical in the water. The Ph value of it as high as 10.05- nearly like ammonia.
This highly reflective Lake surface gives an illusion of a glass door. Not just birds or animals it also fools humans, not long ago, a helicopter pilot tragically fell victim to the same illusion, and his crashed aircraft. During the dry season, chemically-preserved carcasses wash up along the coastline.
Brand roamed around the area for about three weeks. though shooting near that caustic lake was a life-taking risk, he managed to take some extraordinary pictures of well-preserved birds and other species with the help of some local guides.
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