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Tracks

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March 2014, no. 359

Tracks

by
March 2014, no. 359

Capturing the essence of Robyn Davidson’s journey across 2700 kilometres of Australian desert was a visual challenge for National Geographic photographer Rick Smolan. Convinced the magazine would misrepresent her, Davidson knew that the challenge was coming to terms with her decision to ‘sell out’ (her words) in agreeing to let an American photographer intrude on her personal quest. Following the successful article she penned for National Geographic, and the tidal wave of attention it created, Davidson then chronicled her experiences in Tracks, two years after she reached the Indian Ocean. The book has never been out of print since its publication in 1980 and, despite warming to Smolan during her travels, Davidson still sees his images as beautiful, glossy lies. Now the tale of the famed ‘Camel Lady’ is once again refocused for the rapacious eye of the tourist, only this time in moving images.