In ‘A Shadow Falls’, first published in September 2009, Nick Brandt continues his ambitious and ongoing photographic project to memorialise the vanishing natural grandeur of East Africa. Brandt’s widescreen panoramas of animals and landscapes, in total 58 photographs taken 2005-2008, capture an epic vision of Africa that has not been seen before. His iconic portraits of its majestic animals are filled with an empathy usually reserved for human subjects.

Born and raised in London, Nick Brandt studied Film and Painting at St. Martins School of Art. He started photographing in December 2000 in East Africa, beginning the body of work that is his signature subject matter and style.

These unique portraits of African wildlife have received acclaim worldwide. As Nick says ‘Few photographers have ever considered the photography of wild animals as an art form. The emphasis has generally been on capturing the drama of wild animals in action, on capturing that dramatic single moment, as opposed to simply animals in the state of being.

I’ve always thought this something of a wasted opportunity. The wild animals of Africa lend themselves to photographs that extend aesthetically beyond the norm of 35mm-color telephoto wildlife photography.

Aside from using certain impractical photographic techniques, there’s one thing I do whilst shooting that I believe makes a big difference I get extremely close to these very wild animals, often within a few feet of them. I don’t use telephoto lenses. This is because I want to see as much of the sky and landscape as possible–to see the animals within the context of their environment. That way, the photos become as much about the atmosphere of the place as the animals. And being that close to the animals, I get a real sense of intimate connection to them, to the specific animal in front of me. Sometimes a deliberate feeling that they’re almost presenting themselves for a studio portrait’

Since 2004, Brandt has had multiple solo exhibitions worldwide, including in New York, Los Angeles at the Fahey Klein Gallery, London, Berlin, Sydney, Munich, Brussels, and Paris. His first large sole museum exhibition takes place at Fotografiska Museum in Stockholm, Sweden in October 2011.

Lady Lori is especially intrigued by the work of Nick Brandt, since he captures wildlife in those areas of East Africa where Lady Lori provides offers to a variety of destinations.