Keld Bach Photography

My first sight of the Zambezi River from a small town called Lukulu in northwestern Zambia. The rainy season had just begun.
Image scanned from a colour slide taken in December 1972.

The mighty Zambezi River as seen from the far end of my backyard. Not a bad vista to wake up to in the morning. The width is about 400 meters
(440 yards) and it usually took me 20-25 minutes to swim across to the other side. Luckily, Crocodiles and Hippos were not seen here very often.
Image scanned from a colour slide taken in the middle of the rainy season, 1973.

The mighty Zambezi River as seen from the far end of my backyard. By the end of the rainy season, water level has raised to its maximum,
causing river banks and the plains behind them to become flooded. Image scanned from a colour slide taken in 1973.

The mighty Zambezi River as seen from the far end of my backyard. In the dry season the water level would fall drastically and a huge
white sand beach emerged at the opposite bank. Image scanned from a colour slide taken in 1973.

A late afternoon view of my backyard in Zambezi with the Zambezi River flowing at the far end of the premisses.
Image scanned from a colour slide taken in 1973.

In the dry season, when water level is low, beautiful white beaches emerge along the Zambezi River for everyone to enjoy.
Images scanned from colour slides taken in 1974.

Back in 1973 I did an eleven-day trip down the Zambezi River in a traditional dug-out canoe (about 20 feet long) together with a Dutch friend.
The photo was taken by him and then scanned from a small paper print.

The Victoria Falls, Livingstone, Zambia. Since it was the dry season, we were able to leap from rock to rock along the edge of the falls. One wrong step could have been fatal though. Hippos and Crocs occasionally get caught by the strong current and quite a few tourists have lost their lives here as well when trying to swim too close to the edge. Model is Tania Sakalesu, wearing an Indian Sari dress. Image scanned from a colour slide taken in 1973.

The Knife-Edge Bridge across the Zambezi river, facing the spectacular Victoria Falls, Livingstone, Zambia.
Model is Tania Sakalesu, wearing an Indian Sari dress. Image scanned from a B/W negative taken in 1973.

The Victoria Falls, or in Tonga language, Mosi-oa-Tunya (the Smoke that Thunders). The falls are located just
outside of Livingstone town in the southern part of Zambia and it’s the mighty Zambezi river that gets so abruptly
interrupted here. While it is neither the highest nor the widest waterfall in the world, it is claimed to be the largest.
This claim is based on a width of 1,708 metres (5,604 ft) and a height of 108 metres (354 ft), forming the largest
sheet of falling water in the world. The spray from the falls typically rises to a height of over 400 metres (1,300 ft),
and sometimes even twice as high, and is visible from up to 50 km (31 mi) away. Victoria Falls is roughly twice the
height of North America’s Niagara Falls and well over twice the width of its Horseshoe Falls. In height and width
Victoria Falls is rivalled only by South America’s Iguazu Falls. Image scanned from a colour slide taken in 1973.

Portrait of my girlfriend Tania during my time in Zambia from 1972-75. Scanned from a colour slide that was
taken in very harsh lighting, but I managed to restore a good deal of details and colours in Photoshop.
The girl was sitting on my veranda with the flooded Zambezi River running in the background.

My Zambian girlfriend Tania posing at home. Image scanned from a B/W film taken in 1974.

Two Zambian friends, Julias and George, captured on my veranda in Zambezi while sharing a smoke of the local ganja after work.
Image scanned from a B&W film taken back in 1973.

Most Africans love to dance whenever they get the chance and Tania was no exception.
Image scanned from a B/W film taken in 1973.

My Zambian girlfriend, Tania, captured on my veranda with the Tembo family’s eldest child.
Image scanned from a B/W film taken in 1974. Some more from the same occasion below.

My Zambian friend, Eddie Tembo, visiting my place with his family in late 1974.
Eddie was a teacher at the primary school in Zambezi and a big fan of James Brown.
Image scanned from a B/W film. More from the same occasion below.

A friend of mine, Mrs. Tembo, with her youngest daughter. I applied a Texture filter to compensate for the rather soft focus.
Image scanned from a B/W film taken in late 1974.

My passport photo taken by Father Luke in Zambezi, late 1974. Image scanned from a B/W film.