All Good Things Are Wild and Free

Elephant With Exploding Dust, Amboseli, 2004

A few weeks ago I discovered Nick Brandt. He is a wildlife photographer, but not the kind you are thinking of. These are not the journalistic, National Geographic-esque shots typical of magazines. No, these are the kind that you stop to stare at in a gallery, or in my case, the internet, and see something else.


My wanderlust is often ignited by photography, and Brandt’s lovely images of East Africa certainly did the trick. They make “buy awesome medium-format camera, then go to Africa and photograph wild animals up close without any experience, preferably avoiding attacks” move up at least 8 spaces on my to-do list.


Another reason why I am so impressed with Brandt is the fact that he gets such a stunning effect the old fashion way (minus the digital printing of course), and with a killer medium format camera, a Pentax 67II. However, in interviews he’s claimed that most the effects are done in camera but photoshop is used sometimes after he’s scanned the negs. I’m not sure to what extent but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt because I just don’t think you can fake these results, especially since he often gets within only a few feet from these animals when he shoots them- no telephoto lens- impressive, eh?

Crater Lioness, Ngorongoro Crater, 2000

If anything will encourage us to admire the kick-ass artistry of nature, and to feel a slight tug back at your natural roots, regardless of where you live, it's these photos of Brandt's. Sublime yes, packed with political message, always. And not to get too preachy, but I think Brandt really has achieved something special here. He creates such art to show us how beautiful the world can be, but also to remind us that it won't always be this way.

So just as film photography seems to be a slowly vanishing art, unfortunately so is the wild world of East Africa. Brandt admits a grim reality that most of the elephants that he has photographed have been killed by poachers, which is especially heartbreaking since he feels the strongest connection to his elephants. Brandt has extended his passions for sending a small, but powerful vessel from the African world to our art-without-guilt Western attitude in a mission to help preserve it.

Lion Before Storm- Sitting Profile,
Mas Mara, 2006

He has set up a fund called the Big Life Foundation, where the funds are directly aimed at efforts towards the prevention of poaching. Here is a link to more of his photographs: www.nickbrandt.com.

Rhino in Dust, Lewa 2003

 Oh, and the title is a quote by Henry David Thoreau. Being a nature enthusiast himself, I’m sure he too would have dug Nick Brandt’s photos.