Blue Planet Photography

A couple from a recent model portfolio shoot on the Oregon Coast.

photo © Nick Brandt. Portrait of Lion Standing in Wind, Masai Mara 2006

Great work from a photographer promoting wildlife and environmental conservation. His work is beautiful and thought-provoking, with the feeling of 1800s era exploration and the wonder (and probable fear) felt by those early encounters with new, unusual and dangerous animals. However, this is the 21st Century and these animals and their habitat are under continuous pressure and encroachment, directly and indirectly by humans.

From my wildlife biologist’s perspective, Nick Brandt’s photographs capture an essence of the animal in its environment in a way we, as photographers, dream of. It’s obvious from the deliberate and careful treatment of each photograph that this is a photographer who “gets it”. Through knowledge of his subjects and time spent in the field, his eye has captured the subtle gesture of each animal defining its tie to the environment in which it lives. These photographs simply and powerfully illustrate the majesty, drama, and struggle all nature’s creatures (including humans) must participate in for survival.

As a photographer, I can fully appreciate the passion, dedication, preparation, and time required to produce such excellent work. His passion for African wildlife is openly visible in his portraits which tell their story in the simplest and most captivating way. We get a sense of the animal and its place, feel the wind, the weight and power resting on the earth, speed, delicacy, intelligence, and grace, the intimate connection animals have with their environment (that many of us seem to lack), and a bit of implied sorrow or tiredness caused by the unceasing drive to survive compounded by relentless pressure on their habitat.

Arriving on the scene with his “On This Earth” series in 2005, he has continued photographing African wildlife in “A Shadow Falls”. He has published two books of each portfolio series. View his portfolios on his website at www.nickbrandt.com.