In 1990 Swiss photographer and Africa lover Hans Feurer photographed Christy Turlington in ‘Tropical Whites’ for Vogue US.

Sadly, the gifted photographer passed last January, 2024 at the age of 85.

The typical ingredients of a Feurer image involved an outdoor setting — frequently on or near water — bathed in natural light. Always working in lush, cinematic color not reliant on retouching, Feurer images celebrated the female form in approachable ways.

These images of Christy Turlington underscore the approach.

“I love women. I have a lot of respect for women and find them more interesting than men. The person I am drawn to is intelligent, strong and beautiful. Women are the main reason I became a fashion photographer,” Hans Feurer.

Feurer’s imagination was always in technicolor.

“Life is colour, I see everything in colour, so 40 years ago I decided to only photograph in colour,” Feurer explained.

In 1966, Feurer — who was not a person of privilege — grew restless with what had become his London life working at J. Walter Thompson. “Very quickly, because of a love affair with a very beautiful Chinese lady, I had to leave Paris with her,” he says, explaining why he transferred to the company’s London office in 1962.

Now, four years later, seeking a more adventurous life, Hans Feurer quit his job, bought a Land Rover and shipped his body, spirit and select belongings to Cape Town, South Africa.

The photographer, who lived on the continent for two years, is widely quoted as saying:

“I spent two years traveling across Africa, sleeping by the fire and having amazing adventures. I am very lucky I survived because I got myself into some pretty hairy situations. I almost got trampled by a hippopotamus, got shot at a few times and spent 10 days in a prison in Malawi. But it was incredible.”

Supermodel Christy Turlington developed her own special relation ship with Africa with many fashion shoots over the decades.

It’s her personal relationship with women — and specifically with mothers — that continues to bring Christy Turlington to Malawi, scene of Feurer’s near-death by hippopotamus.

Turlington founded Every Mother Counts in 2010, to provide essential maternity care in Haiti, Uganda, Malawi, Indonesia, and the U.S. [See more links end of post]