Photojournalist Scott Ramsay has spent many years travelling the continent in search of its natural beauty. His latest book, Spirit of Africa, is evidence that he has found it. This is an extract from his introduction and a glimpse into how it all began.

Listen to this article 8 min Listen to this article 8 min The word "spirit" comes from the Latin "spiritus", meaning breath. It is in African wilderness that I feel most inspired. It is where I can breathe most deeply, where I feel most myself.

I grew up as a privileged urban South African, with a comprehensive Western education and the comforts and conveniences of a capitalistic society. Yet for many years I sensed a simmering disconnection and disorientation. I sometimes wondered: Where do I belong?

I once camped alone in the southern Kalahari, on the edge of a seasonal lake that fills with water during the summer rains.

At first, I felt a tinge of fear, knowing I was the only human in an immense landscape. Back home in Cape Town, I was part of an extensive human community. But in the Kalahari, and on subsequent journeys into the wilderness, I discovered a very different kind of community.

Gemsbok, springbok and zebras wandered past my campsite, seeking shade under camel thorn trees. A ground squirrel befriended me in return for food scraps, and a yellow-billed hornbill sat on my chair, squawking away. Lions came to investigate at night and...