Before he arrived for his three-day stay, Jurica Galić knew that the South Sudanese Mundari people set fire to dried cow dung before sunset to repel mosquitoes. What the Croatian photographer and travel journalist didn’t know was the depth of harmony between the tribe and their cattle, nor how he would capture it.

“Ankole are breeds of domestic cattle originating from east and central Africa, characterised by their huge horns,” Galić says. “My goal was to capture the relationship between man and nature, and while staying in the camp I came up with the idea of taking some photos through the horns of one of the animals. They became the frame, leading the viewer to the scene. Meanwhile, the smoke rising, in combination with the setting sun and the remaining rays, created the most magical backdrop.”

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Galić had packed his professional camera, a Canon EOS R6 Mark II, but just at that moment the batteries were powering up on a weak solar charger, so he reached for his phone instead. When editing later, adjustments were kept to a minimum; Galić insists that the vibrant yellow sky colour “was nearly identical to what appears in the final photo”.

“The shot has made me very proud, and it has won some awards,” he adds. “My plan is to go back to South Sudan, look for the man in the image, donate part of the prize money to him and tell his story.”