AFRICA

1. My initial reaction to Nick Brandt's photographs is disbelief. The animals in his pictures look extremely surreal, as if they are painted. Turns out, these creatures are just naturally magnificent and Brandt is blessed with their presence.

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3. This photograph depicts a caring lioness holding her cub in her mouth. At first look, it seems she has caught and killed her prey, but the reality is quite different. This image is my favorite because it shows the compassionate side of an animal usually portrayed as a vicious creature. 

4. Simplicity is evident in this photo, demonstrated by the simplistic background. The rule of thirds is also used because the lioness's head is in the top right third of the picture. Her head and the cub balance out her large body. 

5. Brandt used a Pentax 67II with merely two fixed lenses. This is important because he doesn't use a zoom lens like most nature photographers. He chooses to get within point blank distance of his subjects.

6. Nick wanted to display these beautiful, ethereal creatures in their natural habitat. He wants to fill viewers with awe and encourage others to support the well-being of these animals.

7. He hopes that, after viewing his photos, viewers will have sympathy for the animals in East Africa and help to make them safer or donate to certain charities.

8. "In 1995 I first drove the main road from Nairobi down through southern Kenya to Arusha in northern Tanzania. Along the way, in completely unprotected areas, I saw giraffes, zebras, gazelles, impalas, wildebeest. A few months ago, just 13 years later, I made the same drive. I didn't see a single wild animal the entire four-hour drive." -Nick Brandt