My photographer in light today is the wildlife Photographer, Nick Brandt, who photographs exclusively in Africa (Kenya and Tanzania).
One of his goals is to record a visually poetic last testament to the wild animals and places there before they are gone at the hands of man.
He has captivated me with his serene, almost heavenly, look at the African jungle and its animals. With carefully thought out compositions and unusual aesthetics, it is impossible not to want to get to know more about the African continent and its wild life.
His first book, “On This Earth” (2005), was a vision of an Edenic paradise with lush landscapes and ethereal moments like a cloud of dust exploding over an elephant’s head while the scenes in his second book, “A Shadow Falls” (2009), become progressively emptier and drier.
By the end, the trees have vanished and the water has evaporated...
You will not find action shots or telephoto lenses, the usual hallmarks of wildlife photography, in his work. He opts for tight and solitary portraits in sepia or black and white. The resulting photographs feel like artifacts from a bygone era.
“I’m waiting for the moment where the animal seems like they’re posing or where they’ve set themselves into a landscape like an Edward Curtis,” Mr. Brandt said.
He plans to release his third book in September 2013 and says the title will complete a sentence he started with his two earlier book titles, “On this earth a shadow falls…”
Photos: by Nick Brandt
For more of his work, you can visit his website here.
Have a breezy day,
