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The magazine of the art-form of the photo-essay “A free, really high quality photo-essay magazine.  Fabulous!” Stephen Fry. British actor, writer and film & documentary maker
Dec 2013 back issue
Bobby Model
To celebrate the work of the great National Geographic photographer, Bobby Model to whom this December 2013 issue of Life Force magazine is dedicated. With special thanks to Bobby’s dear friend and sister, Faith Model. "Wherever we are, people share certain universal emotions. We're really all the same." Bobby Model.
Bobby Model, Kenya.
Nepali women lighting yak butter lamps, Khumbu, Nepal.
Nepali Sherpa girl with baby, Phakding Nepal.
Ty Mack bouldering above camp "El Paso Superior" in Patagonia, Santa Cruz, Argentina. Rarely do weather windows allow for a few hours of bouldering in the Fitz Roy range.
A Rajput shepherd tends his flock of sheep near the rural village of Roopawas in Rajasthan, India.
An informal Portrait of a Rajput boy in Roopawas in Rajasthan, India.
Student and rodeo cowboy Boe Krick takes an eight second ride in the bareback event at the Cody Nite Rodeo in Cody, Wyoming. High School rodeo is a popular sport in rural communities. The National High School Rodeo Association (NHSRA) was incorporated in 1961 to promote interest in rodeo sports among high school students, as well as to keep students from dropping out of school. The NHSRA sanctions over 1,100 rodeos every year.
Beth Bronkema smokes a cigarette while she waits for her friend Amber Pelkey to finish "making out" with student and cowboy Dan Christman behind the rodeo grounds in Cody, Wyoming.
A young boy picks corn kernels that spilled from dropped bags after a World Food Program (WFP) food drop in Turalei, Twic County, Sudan. The Government of Sudan used food as a weapon against the South during the 1983-2004 Civil War. Thousands died from malnutrition and starvation. The war claimed approximately 2 million lives.
A young Balti girl poses for an informal portrait in the Hushe Valley of remote Baltistan.
A Balti porter gazes out through a makeshift tent. Baltoro Glacier, Baltistan.
Above the Baltoro Glacier in Baltistan, Ali Raza, a Balti porter, faces Mecca to begin evening prayers.
A Burundian drummer practices drumming in the Buyenzi Slum in Bujumbura, Burundi.
Detail of a bandolier of bullets around the neck of a Burundian military escort. This image was taken near the Burundi and DRC border.
Yahya Abdulhakem leads a dromedary camel across the Sahara Desert. In November of 2004 writer Kira Salak and photographer Bobby Model retraced Hugh Clapperton's route through the Sahara Desert. Idehan Awbari Region of Libya.
Informal portrait of a Tuareg guide while crossing the Sahara Desert to the oasis of Trona.
Mohamed Ramadan a muslim prays near Gabraoun Oasis in evening light. Idehan Awbari Region, Libya.
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www.m-11.com Very simply, I chose some of my favorite images for this spread. I can almost feel my brother's discerning eye challenging some of my choices, but my intention is to share a collection of shots as varied and dynamic as my brother himself. If I were to identify a theme for this selection, it would be that these compelling images remind me that the world is so much bigger than I can even comprehend, but that we are all somehow connected. The power lies in the easy, but stirring way each shot reveals a truth in the human story and the world we inhabit. But ultimately, these images speak for themselves. Part of what made Bobby such an exceptional photographer was his extraordinary sensitivity. His quiet strength, humble manner, wholehearted compassion, absolute dedication and completely irreverent sense of humor will forever inspire all who knew him and all who will learn of him. He was a devoted and loyal son, brother, cousin and friend to so many whose lives were enriched by his presence. Whether sharing a strong coffee somewhere in the remote reaches of the world or drinking a beer on his deck in Cody, time spent with Bobby was always an adventure. One of Bobby's greatest gifts to us was a body of work that celebrates life--in all it's beauty and grit--everywhere. Faith Model
(1973 - 2009)
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