Nick Brandt

Despite the fact that I have been involved with photography on a daily basis for many years, there are some photographers who intimidate me. Any question that comes to mind for an interview immediately seems banal for the simple reason that their photographs speak for themselves and have no need of comment. Brandt is one of them. With his fine art images, he succeeds in restoring to nature its full dignity. And he does this by exerting an almost "regal" power to evoke from our inner depths that indissoluble tie we have with it.
I still vividly recall the first time I saw an original by him, printed in large size and exhibited at Photo l.a. in Los Angeles, in January. For an instant, I felt the presence of that marvelous elephant, there, at the exhibition.
And if I try to imagine a photo I would like to own, I think of that original.
Nick Brandt뭩 photographs are of animals who are free, taken with the same sense of respect normally used for human subjects who are able to tell you whether or not they like what you are doing.
One of his secrets is to get as close as possible to these animals in the wild, without ever making use of a telephoto lens. The limpid nearness we perceive in his photographs perfectly renders the effort and patience of this artist.
Another characteristic of his way of photographing is his preference for shooting when the sky is grey and cloudy, unlike most photographers who prefer bright sunlight. "Choosing to photograph when the sky is covered might seem a bit strange, but the diffused light renders the figure of the animal neater, more graphic, more iconic."
Nick Brandt has no trouble admitting that this photographs only show the idyllic aspect of Africa. He has actively decided not to look at nature from its brutal side and cannot stand watching as animals are hunted and killed. His is an aesthetic study aimed at documenting the beauty of these animals, of capturing their magnificence, appeal and naturalness. Perhaps at the same time succeeding in making people aware of the dangers menacing these creatures.
In the preface to his book, On this Earth-Photographs from East Africa (Chronicle Book), Alice Sebold maintains that Brandt tends to anthropomorphize his subjects, but his reply to this is: "I don뭪 think I anthropomorphize my subjects, I just think we and animals share many feelings." And there are many who would agree with him ?
by Rosanna Checchi