This baby baboon has left its mother’s back to climb a termite hill, creating a strong diagonal line that runs from the upper left hand corner down through the middle of the picture. The strong backlighting brings a glow to the baby’s body, giving this image an incongruous, otherworldly effect. Its mother is backlighted as well, as she searches for nutrients in the soil. The late afternoon light enriches the lush green context that makes up the background, representing the larger world beyond the little hill, with all of its dangers and possibilities. This image speaks of curiosity, risk, and independence. The mother does not even watch its baby explore its new world. These abstracted baboons offer a metaphor for man as well – symbolizing challenges to be explored and threats to be understood and acted upon.