Joel photographed the elephant as part of his Photo Ark project, where he documented thousands of rare species. He has previously said “Half of all the species on Earth could be headed irreversibly toward extinction by 2100. Not if I can help it.” He therefore took this photo to raise awareness of the ongoing threat towards the Loxodonta africana. The photo shows a sad looking elephant which takes up the majority of the frame with a black background which I presume has been added in after the photo was taken. 

The light isn’t too harsh however its bright enough to expose the wrinkles in the skin of the elephant in HD. I admire the gradient of grey tones which run along the elephants face. The angle makes the elephant appear bigger than it is. I like the photo due to its quality of detail. The top of the trunk is blurred slightly which is due to movement. The white of the tusks helps draw attention to the centre of the photo due to the rest of the photo being quite monotone. I personally am all for the cause the photo supports.  

Links : https://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-of-the-day/2013/10/elephant-zoo-colorado-sartore/

Andy Rouse is one of my favourite wildlife photographers. The image is from his and Aditya Singh’s book ‘Noor, Queen of Ranthambhore Fine Art Book’, which contains 160 pages of stylish tiger photography. It shows a tiger with a powreful glare staring towards something in the distance. From this angle it appears that the tiger is observing his surroundings potentially seeking out his prey. The angle shows that the photographers camera must have been hidden in between the tall grass as there are blurred blades of grass. Rouse states that “Because of this terrain landscape photography is tough so we decided early on to push the boundaries of our photography and use monochrome and infra-red imagery to really tell the story that we wanted to. The habitat is a harsh and unforgiving place, particularly in the extreme heat of summer (where it can be 47C and more), and we were determined to show that.”

He states that “It was Noor that really brought us together though, as over the years this incredible tigress has opened up her lives in front of us and treated us to some incredible intimate encounters. It is these encounters that form the backbone of this book and to which we invite you to share with us.” 

He has placed the tiger on the right hand side of the frame which gives room for the rest to be filled with the animals surroundings which appear to be grasslands. The similar colours between the tigers orange stripes and the field balance quite well. The suns natural lighting has created a golden hue which bounces off both the subject and the foreground. 

  

Links: https://www.andyrouse.co.uk/index.php?b=1&currentpage=11

The image shows an elephant seal pup resting on the rocks at sunset in The Falkland Islands.

Will Burrard-Lucas has used a high contrast between the foreground and the background in order to draw attention to both the seal and the sunset. The eye first examines the foreground as it contains brighter colours such as the light silver of the seal then is drawn to the fluorescent sunset in the background and then finally to the dark colours in the rocks. The colours in the sunset juxtapose the rest of the dark background, making the sky stand out alongside the seal. The angle the image was taken at shows both of the main items in the image in the right side of the plane. This is to show off the darker background as well as the other main features. It creates a sense of place as the viewer can see where the image is set.

The smoothness of the seal contrasts alongside the roughness of the rocks. I like how he has blurred the background to allow for the  seal to stand out. Overall I like the image because of its simplicity and colour. 

Links : http://www.burrard-lucas.com/gallery/portfolios/burrard-lucas_portfolio.html

Whats not to love about this photo? One of my favourite types of photography is wildlife photography. This photo taken by Suzi Esterhas is one I discovered during my A-Level art research. Its simply stunning. I like how she placed the otters in the centre of the frame making them the main focus. The amount of detail she was able to capture in the wet fur of the Otters is what makes this photo so captivating. Suzi is best known for capturing newborn animals and their families in the wild. She was able to record such great detail by earning the trust of the animals.

The photo shows a mother otter lifting her pup onto her belly which keeps it dry and comforts it. Eszterhas has been taking photos of otters for over 20 years. Eszterhas states “Sometimes, she swam right up to the dock and left her pup floating on the water’s surface right in front of me while she foraged for food. She did this so many times; it made me feel like a babysitter. It was adorable and it also really showed how vulnerable and trusting wild animals can be.” Eszterhas uses these photos to help raise awareness of the fact that the otters are considered an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

I like how she kept some ripples from the water in the frame. The photo seems as thought it had been cropped as the bottom half of the otter has been sharply cut off. This annoys me as I would like to see the rest of the otter in the frame. I also like the contrast of colour between the mother otters face and the dark waters. The photo produces a sense of nurturing care from the way the mother otter watches carefully as Suzi takes the photo and holds on to her baby. Suzi says she never gets bored or tired of wildlife itself however she can with the travel and physical/mental strain on some of her projects. 

 https://www.huffingtonpost.com/sierra-club/suzi-eszterhas-wildlife-photography_b_2131624.html?guccounter=1

https://www.suzieszterhas.com/index