I took this picture of this extraordinary group of elephants two days ago in Amboseli. I am hugely privileged - the front row is a colossal front row and is led by two of the world’s biggest elephants - Tim and Craig.
Black Panther broke many records on its opening weekend and he is now a new cult superhero. I wanted to try to take a picture of a panther that did the animal and the superhero justice. We took many shots and in the end, we came home with just one. But that is all we will need.
Gold - The Circle of Life
The reason I think this is probably my strongest elephant shot is that I still get emotional when I see it in print - 3 years after I took it. It maybe a day after
#WorldElephantDay
, but elephants don't know that and it's tomorrow that matters more.
Amboseli is one of the best canvases to work with in the world, I almost always return to Nairobi with something. But this image ‘The Circle of Life’ stood out and the reaction from those I quickly showed it to homed in on the image’s grace and serenity.
Its taken time, but yesterday morning, I think we finally got there. There is energy and a sense of scale to this image. In fact, it is really all about the sense of scale. The horse is beautiful - but that is a given - Icelandic horses have genes on their side.
Twins
This simple image, taken 10 days ago in Kenya, is emblematic of the good news on conservation in specific areas of East Africa and we must embrace good news. The elephant population in Amboseli is thriving. In the last 12 months, over 130 elephants have been born.
The wind here in Iceland has been ferocious. The upside to these bizarre conditions was the sea was just one big monster of waves and white horses. No better accomplice in the foreground therefore than an Icelandic white horse. This image just about conveys the storm.
Predator
.
I must have spent several days waiting at this point in the river over the last few years and this is the best image yet. I just wanted to convey size and sovereignty - nothing else really mattered. This is raw Alaska at its best.
Now in Zambia, it’s been a full on week with lions, crocs, hippos. This image was no picnic to take. Myself and the crew were in a cage and she was very interested. I was lying on the ground with a faster than normal heartbeat but we got what we wanted. What a magnificent animal.
THE WALK OF LIFE - I hope that the serenity and power of this image will allow it to stand the test of time. If so, give the credit to the elephant not me. To quote John Donne; "Nature's great masterpiece, an elephant; the only harmless great thing.”
It is important in these types of portraits for the eye contact to be emphatic. If the lion is not looking at me, the power of the image is reduced. It will be his eyes that tell us he is focused, alert and on the hunt. That “Basic Instinct” was the narrative I was looking for.
The Untouchables
Such a lucky image in that I was shooting right into the evening sun with a remote camera and a wide angle and the elephants head blocked the sun. Bingo and a 1/1000 chance.
I am very saddened to hear this morning that Tim - probably the world’s most famous elephant - has passed away at the good old age of 50.
This is sad news, but it is no tragedy -today we should celebrate his life and the efforts of all those in Amboseli.
This image - Big - from 2013 was one of my first successes with remote controls. It was taken on a 35m lens and it is still my “go to“ wide angle for this kind of work although the new Nikon 28m is a fantastic prime.
Tim is huge - perhaps the world’s biggest
#elephant
. He roams around a 100 km² area inside and outside Amboseli National Park. To be in his company and to be this close is an exhilarating and primeval experience.
I'm not sure where my career will take me and I am not sure whether I have taken an iconic image yet, I'll let others decide. But I do know that the photograph unveiled today for the
#TAGHeuer
#DontCrackUnderPressure
campaign is probably the most powerful shot that I have taken.
Finally on
#EndangeredSpeciesDay
; the rhino. This image was taken late one afternoon in Mkomazi Game Reserve in Tanzania, 2016.
This image is named ‘The Departed’ to honour the 99% of rhinos in Tanzania that have Departed. What a dreadful legacy of our tenancy of this planet.
The Old Testament
On
#WorldLionDay
, I am happy to share a lion image that is as good as I can do. The best ideas tend to be simple and the best photographs can often have simplicity at their heart, rather than intimacy or visual overload.
To those countries who celebrate today, Happy Mothers Day from the African bush. The most important job in the world. This fortunate image from 2018 is both poignant and allegorical.
Our next image for
#EndangeredSpeciesDay
is the Orangutan. They are “Critically" Endangered with approximately 80% of the population lost in the past 75 years mainly as a result of deforestation.
This image was taken in 2018, I will never forget that morning and I am damn proud.
On
#WorldWildlifeDay
, I wanted to share with you this image of WaiWai, one of the worlds most impressive black rhinos.
She is a truly special animal and a prime example of why days like this must exist; to spread awareness about the spectacular biodiversity of our planet.
The shimmering heat of the high sun, the mirage behind the giraffes and the composition itself have combined to create an almost surreal image. It’s an “animal Times Square” in the heat of East Africa. I have never had this number of giraffes all within 100 yards of me.
Bagheera
It is the magnificence of the cat that is key to this image, I just happened to have the very best equipment and be in the right place at the right time. Whilst luck is the “residue of design”, I totally acknowledge that this is a lucky image. But then again, who cares?
White Horses
Iceland is a truly remarkable country and the horses that live there have a uniquely wild beauty. I think this image just about does justice to both.
The Untouchables
For
#WorldElephantDay
, I am happy to share one of my big photographs of 2017, this is an immersive study of the elephant kingdom.
Working with a wide-angle lens from a cage in a river in lion territory is an abnormal way to spend the day, and a very low percentage way to take a photograph of note. Lions do jump, but it is not common and even when they do, there is little chance of catching the leap well.
Legends Of The Fall
This is the strongest image I have taken at Skogafoss over the last 10 years. I think we were all done by 7am. It is always rewarding when the end result is far better than the preconception.
In some ways this is a ridiculously lucky picture – it is rare to have this sort of access to polar bears in the wild. Furthermore, the positioning of the second polar bear is almost perfect and that was totally outside of my control.
This photograph - taken high up on the North Slope of Alaska - is special for us. It is a photograph I have always aspired to take. The best pictures can never be retaken.
The Dream.
When these two stunning Icelandic horses stopped below the waterfall and turned to face each other, I had my chance. I was in about a foot of water but opportunities like this don't come everyday. I have no problem getting wet, if this is the result.
The American Idol
This powerful image of a large bull bison was captured near Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. It is as good as I can do.
Charge
On
#WorldRhinoDay
, I wanted to share an image I took of a rhino in Lewa, back in 2013.
I feel comfortable in my assertion that this angle of view makes the image fairly unique. It is a high-impact photograph of a magnificent and gravely endangered animal.
I had the perfect encounter with a male gelada in exactly the kind of spot I would have dreamt of. I do my job for moments like this. This photograph - as well as any I have taken in the last few years - hammers home the diversity of our planet.
Homeland
This is probably the best photograph I have taken in Scotland, because it scores highly on both subject and context. If one or the other is mediocre there is no image, but in this case, the 14 pointer stag is magnificent and the rest is Scotland as Scots know it.
JAWS
When my curtain is drawn, this will still probably be my most widely published reportage photograph. It came after twenty eight unsuccessful hours lying face down on a boat deck in False Bay near Cape Town.
Kingdom
We will soon release this image of the most famous lion in Kevin Richardson’s sanctuary - Vayetse.
I hope it will strike a chord with all lovers of the lion & remind us that the eyes are the windows to the soul - whether they be the eyes of a human or the eyes of a cat
Leaving the giants of Amboseli after 51 hours of filming over last 9 days. Thank you to the
@kwskenya
. I look forward to sharing some content next week. Off north now for more action.
The elephant population is up 5% in Amboseli this last year.
I am proud that Kevin Richardson has asked me to become an ambassador to his foundation - an invitation I readily accepted.
Kevin and I have worked together for 6 years and we know images like this can reinforce the importance of protecting the kings of Africa.
We are delighted to be able to support the London Air Ambulance (
@LDNairamb
) charity last night at their annual gala. Our image Kong in the smaller size raised £25,000 for this amazing cause.
Man Eater
I have a few time honoured rules when photographing in the wild - stay low, get close and work against the light. Following this shoot in India, I added another - “always stay calm”.
So it’s been an exciting morning in the studio in LA. There are so many layers to the image and it’s not an easy print - especially around the roof top of Kilimanjaro. You only find out when you go this big.
Certainly it’s up there for me! “Africa” indeed. Goosebumps.
Defense
The 18 elephants in this group probably weigh as much as five London double-decker buses. It is a formidable group to be staring down at a single human lying on the ground in front of them.
I would like to thank all those that have encouraged us forward in 2019. The new year will bring new challenges, but we will work hard to make sure that the highs of the last 12 months are matched in 2020.
Day 23 in East Africa as we head north for the final assignment.
I have had a few moments these last 3 weeks, but without a shadow of a doubt the best thing that happened was that my 17 year old son - Cameron - took an enormous picture. I did not help him one bit.
Mana Pools, on the Zimbabwe side of the Zambezi, is a raw wildlife experience. I was out there with Australian rugby player
@pocockdavid
.
We focused on one pool and one enormous hippo. When he surfaced and mock charged me, it all came together perfectly for this photograph.
Like Father Like Son
Pictures of more than one gorilla in the same setting tend to be a little messy & it is odds against each gorilla being the same focal distance from the camera, hence some are sharper than others. On this day, I was clearly most fortunate.
With this image, my instincts were to include the small reflection in the puddle ahead of the lead polar bear – that in itself gives a clue as to just how close I actually was.
Zebras are not photographers’ friends. Their skittish nerves and herd instincts make it hard to get close.
The Grevy’s Zebra of East Africa offers the best chance of proximity and also the best facial aesthetics. I knew as soon as I pressed the shutter that I had the image
The Prize
Where it all really started. Taken with remotes in Amboseli, Kenya some six years ago now. It is still up there as a shot and certainly as a memory!
White Lines
This photograph - taken a few days ago in Lewa Downs in Kenya - was preconceived, but the execution as many will know is damn tough.
Grevy's zebra - by far the most aesthetically spolit of the species, are skitiish & do not tend to allow a vehicle too close.
Orangutans are just like us - around 97% some say. But they are so much more magnificent than us - look into the orange persons face!
I will never forget Sunday morning in Borneo. We have to show this in colour. It is what it is.
WAKANDA
We don’t have many strong images of Black Panthers, but the three that I have from the last twelve years are all coveted. I don’t think there is another animal that tests our camera systems and indeed our camera work as much as these beautiful cats.
Squad
A big image from 2019 - perhaps up there in my elephant work over the last 10 years. We will get back there in 2020 - I have no doubt, but maybe not until the autumn. East Africa is not a good news story right now.
Ice Age
I am suffering from the flu after 3 days in Yellowstone. It is a stunningly raw and beautiful park in the winter, but it can also be extremely cold. The steam from the thermal activity freezes on whatever it can, including the big bisons that gravitate there to keep warm
Cigar
There’s an amount of luck involved in this image; the clear sky allowing Kilimanjaro to add to the narrative & the fact that we found Craig in open ground
I guess I still had to do my bit and I probably held my nerve for longer than I expected as he advanced
CONTENTMENT
I am often asked why I almost always print in black and white and this image offers many of the answers. Andy Warhol said that his favourite colour is black and his other favourite colour is white.
A time for reflection and personal appreciation of some of the moments I have been lucky enough to have over the last couple of years. Maybe now we can fully appreciate how fortunate we are to co-inhabit a planet that is quite remarkable.
Stay safe and be kind.
My new book, to be released globally this autumn, opens with this image, as it is very much my style - close, immersive and eye to eye. We are very excited to see the book being printed in Verona, Italy this week. It has been a big team effort and I am proud of everyone.
Scarface
This is unquestionably the meanest, toughest wild lion that I know in the world. There is a heavy-duty security fence between us that has a section designed so I can take this exact kind of portrait.
No Nearer
There is an intensity to this image – it has an almost hypnotic pull that draws our eyes back time and time again to the adult’s eyes. Her eyes conveyed both protection and alertness. Meanwhile, the baby hippo offered great context to the enormity of an adult’s face.
The Grevy’s Zebra of East Africa offers the best chance of proximity & also – by good fortune – the best facial aesthetics. I knew what I was looking for, it was all about the lines & the patterns in a small group. I knew as I pressed the shutter that I had finally got the image.
It’s
#WorldElephantDay
tomorrow and no animal has been more giving to me as an artist. So our next 3 posts will all be from Amboseli - a place that I visit several times a year. I have taken loads of full elephant shots, but in ascending order, here are my top 3 - The Crossing.