Thijs Heslenfeld shows ‘a world where money, mobiles or managers mean nothing’

One man, a four-wheel-drive and ten thousand kilometres of dusty tracks and dirt roads. Those are the simple ingredients for Dutch travel photographer Thijs Heslenfeld’s new book ‘Hot – Life in the Australian outback’. And the Ltd. Edition comes with nothing less than an authentic piece of outback!

‘The outback is one of the few places left on earth where Mother nature is still in charge’, Thijs says about his motivation for this trip and the book. ‘This is the real world, where mobiles, managers and money mean nothing. The financial crisis doesn’t exist out there and nobody cares about the Dow Jones or what dress Paris Hilton wore last night.’

‘Travelling in the outback means you’re alone most of the time, and solely responsible yourself. If you get bitten by a snake, chances are you’ll die. And if your vehicle rolls over, you may not be found for the next couple of days, simple as that. But in fact it is exactly this simplicity and responsibility that brings me much closer to nature, and to myself.’

‘Hot’ will show the outback in a way even the local cowboys or jackaroos never look at it. As Thijs puts it himself: ‘My images are always about life and the beauty of it. This book is a showcase of everything I met on my way that touched me – people, wildlife, insects or beautiful skies. It is not a romanticised image of what the outback could very well have been. It is a picture of what it in fact is; a vast, inhospitable and incredibly beautiful piece of our planet.’

Australia is one of the least densely populated countries. And with 85% of the people living in the bigger cities and towns, the immensely big outback remains one of the world’s most remote areas. To shoot the images for ‘Hot’ Thijs Heslenfeld drove a four-wheel-drive bushcamper for ten thousand kilometres all the way through the continent, from South Australia to Northern Territory.

On the morning of May 4th 2009 Thijs Heslenfeld – camping all alone in the remote Simpson Desert – shot this image of two beetles making love. He loved the place so much he decided to take with him some of the beautiful red sand – so typical for Australia’s red centre. And every single copy of the limited edition comes with a little bit of just that!

The Ltd. Edition is available by pre-order via the website till 24 September 2009, with the official book launch on 9 November 2009. Visit: www.hot-the-book.com for more info or to order.

‘Hot – Life in the Australian outback’ is the follow-up to Heslenfeld’s book ‘Cold – Sailing to Antarctica’. ‘Cold’ quickly made it to one of the best-selling Dutch photo books of 2008, with two reprints in one year and sales to more than 20 countries.

PhotoIcon, UK’s authoritative magazine on fine art photography, described Heslenfeld as ‘one of Europe’s most accomplished travel photographers’. And just this August Shots Magazine published an 8 page feature on his work, describing him as ‘supremely talented’.

Heslenfeld’s images appear in magazines worldwide, including National Geographic Traveler, GEO Saison, Hide & Chic, Villa d’Arte and National Geographic Adventure. Heslenfeld has travelled extensively over all 7 continents, capturing the essence of places and people. Portfolio: www.thijsheslenfeld.com