A photographer (the Greek φῶς ( phos ), meaning "light", and γραφή ( graphê ), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who uses a camera to make photographs .
52-501: Nick Brandt (born 1964) is an English photographer . Nick Brandt's photographs focus on the impact of environmental destruction and climate breakdown, for both some of the most vulnerable people across the planet and for the animal and natural world. Born in 1964 and raised in London, England, Brandt studied painting, and then Film at Saint Martin's School of Art . He moved to California in 1992 and directed many award-winning music videos for
104-449: A CNN feature in October 2024 about the work, CNN journalist Alaa Elassar writes: “Brandt strikes a flawless balance when bringing together harsh and soft elements, in this case the delicate reunion between the roughness of the desert - and the refugees stories - with the warmth of family. The refugees come alive through his photos; the physical connection to emanate affection, and in the eyes of
156-765: A business license in most cities and counties. Similarly, having commercial insurance is required by most venues if photographing a wedding or a public event. Photographers who operate a legitimate business can provide these items. Photographers can be categorized based on the subjects they photograph. Some photographers explore subjects typical of paintings such as landscape , still life , and portraiture . Other photographers specialize in subjects unique to photography, including sports photography , street photography , documentary photography , fashion photography , wedding photography , war photography , photojournalism , aviation photography and commercial photography. The type of work commissioned will have pricing associated with
208-441: A bygone era". Using a Pentax 67II with two fixed lenses, Brandt photographed on medium-format black and white film without telephoto or zoom lenses. He writes: "You wouldn't take a portrait of a human being from a hundred feet away and expect to capture their spirit; you'd move in close." A book of the resulting photography, On This Earth , was released in 2005 and constituted 66 photos taken from 2000 to 2004 with introductions by
260-416: A particular group or with the general public. Those interested in legal precision may explicitly release them to the public domain or under a free content license. Some sites, including Wikimedia Commons , are punctilious about licenses and only accept pictures with clear information about permitted use. Amboseli National Park Amboseli National Park , formerly Maasai Amboseli Game Reserve ,
312-557: A poster or in television advertising may be higher than for use on a limited run of brochures . A royalty is also often based on the size at which the photo will be used in a magazine or book, and cover photos usually command higher fees than photos used elsewhere in a book or magazine. Photos taken by a photographer while working on assignment are often work for hire belonging to the company or publication unless stipulated otherwise by contract. Professional portrait and wedding photographers often stipulate by contract that they retain
364-428: A prime portraitist’s intuition of character...as elegant as any arranged by Arnold Newman for his human high achievers." In additional introductions, philosopher Peter Singer , author of Animal Liberation , explains why Brandt's photographs speak to an increasing human moral conscience about our treatment of animals: "The photographs tell us, in a way that is beyond words, that we do not own this planet, and are not
416-617: A profoundly original body of work, one that represents an entirely new approach to climate-conscious photography…although they are several meters below the surface, the subjects of Brandt’s mesmerizing photographs do not float or swim. Incredibly, they sit on sofas, stand on chairs, use seesaws, and pose in ways they might on land. The effect is otherworldly, as though the familiar laws of physics have stalled in this strange, liminal zone between land and sea." The first large institutional exhibition featuring all three chapters of The Day May Break simultaneously took place at Newlands House Gallery in
468-460: A project titled The Day May Break , the first chapter in a global series of photographs portraying people and animals that have been impacted by environmental degradation and destruction. The photographs for this series were taken by Brandt in Kenya and Zimbabwe late in 2020. Each photo captures threatened animals living in wildlife sanctuaries alongside people in those countries who have suffered from
520-601: Is a national park in Loitoktok District in Kajiado County , Kenya. It is 39,206 ha (392.06 km ) in size at the core of an 8,000 km (3,100 sq mi) ecosystem that spreads across the Kenya- Tanzania border. It harbours 400 species of birds including water birds like pelicans, kingfishers, crakes, hamerkop and 47 raptor species. The local people are mainly Maasai . The park protects two of
572-425: Is an artist and witness who seizes bleak and desperate fates, and by some mystery and alchemy, transmutes these into a gesture of poignant and painful beauty. It has been an eon, and then some, since I experienced contemporary photographs of people of African roots created by a person of Euro-American origin, that were this tender, human and gorgeous." In October 2021, LA Weekly art critic Shany Nys Dambrot said of
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#1733085486490624-781: Is likely to take photographs for a session and image purchase fee, by salary or through the display, resale or use of those photographs. A professional photographer may be an employee, for example of a newspaper, or may contract to cover a particular planned event such as a wedding or graduation, or to illustrate an advertisement . Others, like fine art photographers , are freelancers , first making an image and then licensing or making printed copies of it for sale or display. Some workers, such as crime scene photographers, estate agents , journalists and scientists, make photographs as part of other work. Photographers who produce moving rather than still pictures are often called cinematographers , videographers or camera operators , depending on
676-443: Is steadily, tragically vanishing before our eyes." Returning to Africa repeatedly from 2005 to 2008, Brandt continued the project. The second book in the trilogy, A Shadow Falls , was released in 2009 and featured 58 photographs taken during the preceding years. Writing in the introduction, Goldberg states: "Many pictures convey a rare sense of intimacy, as if Brandt knew the animals, had invited them to sit for his camera, and had
728-528: Is turn funded by Banco Intesa Sanpaolo). In September 2010, in urgent response to the escalation of poaching in Africa due to increased demand from the Far East, Nick Brandt and Richard Bonham co-founded the non-profit organization Big Life Foundation , dedicated to the conservation of Africa's wildlife and ecosystems. With one of the most spectacular elephant populations in Africa being rapidly diminished by poachers,
780-549: The Amboseli ecosystem —which straddles both Kenya and Tanzania—became the foundation's large-scale pilot project. Headed up in Kenya by conservationist Richard Bonham, multiple fully equipped teams of anti-poaching rangers have been placed in newly built outposts in the critical areas throughout the more than 2-million-acre (8,100 km) area. This effort has resulted in a dramatically reduced incidence of killing and poaching of wildlife in
832-549: The Hands of Man, Amboseli, Kenya 2011. This photograph features a ranger employed by Big Life Foundation, a foundation started by Brandt in 2010 to help preserve critical ecosystems in Kenya and Tanzania. The ranger holds the tusks of an elephant of the Amboseli region killed by poachers. Across the Ravaged Land includes a series of photographs entitled The Petrified in which he collected animal carcasses petrified after drowning in
884-633: The Lake Natron in Tanzania, as if their frozen carcasses were still perched in real life. The collection was featured in the Smithsonian Magazine . In 2014, Brandt returned to East Africa to photograph the escalating changes to the continent's natural world. In a series of panoramic photographs, he recorded the impact of man in places where animals used to roam. In each location, he erected a life size panel of one of his animal portrait photographs, setting
936-530: The Olkejuado County Council and the Maasai tribe. Some observers saw this as a political favour in advance of a vote on a new Kenyan constitution; legal challenges are currently in court. The degazetting would divert park admission fees directly to the county council with shared benefits to the Maasai immediately surrounding the park. Amboseli National Park was home to Echo , the most researched elephant in
988-478: The Syrians photographed are forced to move their homes up to several times a year, moving to where there is available agricultural work, to wherever there has been sufficient rainfall to enable crops to grow. The stacks of boxes that the families sit and stand together on aim skyward - a verticality implying a strength or defiance - and provide pedestals for those that in our society are typically unseen and unheard. In
1040-776: The United Kingdom. The Echo of Our Voices is the fourth chapter in the ongoing series The Day May Break . This latest chapter was released in September 2024, and ties in with an exhibition at Fahey/Klein Gallery in Los Angeles. The photographs feature rural families, who fled the war in Syria, now living in Jordan. Jordan is considered the second most water-scarce country in the world. Living lives of continuous displacement due to climate change,
1092-410: The actual creation of a photograph or photographs). An additional contract and royalty would apply for each additional use of the photograph. The contract may be for only one year, or other duration. The photographer usually charges a royalty as well as a one-time fee, depending on the terms of the contract. The contract may be for non-exclusive use of the photograph (meaning the photographer can sell
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#17330854864901144-490: The animals simply in the state of Being. In the state of Being before they are no longer are. Before, in the wild at least, they cease to exist. This world is under terrible threat, all of it caused by us. To me, every creature, human or nonhuman, has an equal right to live, and this feeling, this belief that every animal and I are equal, affects me every time I frame an animal in my camera. The photos are my elegy to these beautiful creatures, to this wrenchingly beautiful world that
1196-495: The children are crystal-clear dreams. Some of the women look straight into the camera with expressions that scream resilience...In a world that so frequently dehumanizes Arabs, especially Arab woman who fall victim to stereotypical depictions of oppressed voiceless beings, Brandt has made an effort to give these women a platform to reclaim their power.” The Echo of Our Voices was partially funded by Gallerie d’Italia Museum in Turin (that
1248-409: The commercial context. The term professional may also imply preparation, for example, by academic study or apprenticeship by the photographer in pursuit of photographic skills. A hallmark of a professional is often that they invest in continuing education through associations. While there is no compulsory registration requirement for professional photographer status, operating a business requires having
1300-402: The conservationist and primatologist Jane Goodall , author Alice Sebold , and photography critic Vicki Goldberg . In the afterword, Brandt explained the reasons for the methods he used at the time: "I'm not interested in creating work that is simply documentary or filled with action and drama, which has been the norm in the photography of animals in the wild. What I am interested in is showing
1352-431: The copyright of their photos, so that only they can sell further prints of the photographs to the consumer, rather than the customer reproducing the photos by other means. If the customer wishes to be able to reproduce the photos themselves, they may discuss an alternative contract with the photographer in advance before the pictures are taken, in which a larger upfront fee may be paid in exchange for reprint rights passing to
1404-406: The customer. There are major companies who have maintained catalogues of stock photography and images for decades, such as Getty Images and others. Since the turn of the 21st century many online stock photography catalogues have appeared that invite photographers to sell their photos online easily and quickly, but often for very little money, without a royalty, and without control over the use of
1456-427: The ecosystem. Big Life Foundation now employs several hundred rangers protecting approximately 2 million acres of ecosystem. Photographer As in other arts, the definitions of amateur and professional are not entirely categorical. An amateur photographer takes snapshots for pleasure to remember events, places or friends with no intention of selling the images to others. A professional photographer
1508-401: The effects of climate change such as farmers displaced and impoverished by years-long severe droughts. The people and animals were photographed together in the same frame at the same time, and were taken at five sanctuaries and conservancies. In the foreword to the book The Day May Break, published in the same year the project was released, author Yvonne Adhiambo Owour writes, " Nick Brandt
1560-474: The five main swamps and includes a dried-up Pleistocene lake and semiarid vegetation. In 1883, Jeremy Thompson was the first European to penetrate the feared Maasai region known as Empusel (meaning 'salty, dusty place' in Maa ). He, too, was astonished by the fantastic array of wildlife and the contrast between the arid areas of the dry lake bed and the oasis of the swamps, a contrast that persists today. Amboseli
1612-417: The hands of humans, showing a world where, overwhelmed by runaway development, there is no longer space for animals to survive. The people in the photos also often helplessly swept along by the relentless tide of 'progress.'” Representing a thematic and technical evolution, the series required Brandt to develop and perfect a demanding new process. The Brooklyn Rail described it as: An ambitious undertaking,
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1664-411: The image's usage. The exclusive right of photographers to copy and use their products is protected by copyright . Countless industries purchase photographs for use in publications and on products. The photographs seen on magazine covers, in television advertising, on greeting cards or calendars, on websites, or on products and packages, have generally been purchased for this use, either directly from
1716-509: The likes of Michael Jackson (" Earth Song ", " Stranger in Moscow "), Moby (" Porcelain "), Jewel (" Hands "), XTC (" Dear God ") among others. It was in 1995 while directing "Earth Song" in Tanzania that Brandt fell in love with the animals and land of East Africa . In 2001, frustrated that he could not capture on film his feelings about the destruction of the natural world, he realized there
1768-520: The looming apocalypse for animals habitats in Africa... The resulting images are simultaneously beautiful and horrifying, because they illustrate the irreconcilable clash of past and present". Brandt's next project, This Empty World , was released in February 2019. The series was published in book form by Thames & Hudson. This new project, "addresses the escalating destruction of the African natural world at
1820-469: The natural world and humans themselves. This third chapter was released in September 2023. This third chapter focuses on South Pacific Islanders impacted by rising oceans from climate change. The local people in these photos, photographed underwater in the ocean off the coast of the Fijian islands, are representatives of the many people whose homes, land and livelihoods will be lost in the coming decades as
1872-756: The next, and at the end back into the supply chain. Says Brandt, "People still think the major issue with the destruction of wildlife in Africa is poaching , but especially in East Africa it's no longer the biggest problem. The biggest problem is the population explosion that is happening. With that comes an invasion of humanity and development into what was not so long ago wildlife habitat." The resulting large-scale prints (up to 60x130 in / 140x300 cm) were exhibited in near-simultaneous exhibitions in London (Waddington Custot), New York (Edwynn Houk Gallery), and Los Angeles (Fahey/Klein Gallery). In September 2021, Brandt released
1924-479: The only beings living on it who matter". In 2013, Brandt completed the trilogy On This Earth, A Shadow Falls, Across the Ravaged Land (the titles designed to form one consecutive sentence) with Across the Ravaged Land . A book of the photography was released the same year. Across the Ravaged Land introduced humans in Brandt's photography for the first time. One such example is Ranger with Tusks of Elephant Killed at
1976-680: The panels within a world of urban development, factories, wasteland and quarries. A book of the work, Inherit the Dust , was published in 2016. In the book, Brandt writes, "We are living through the antithesis of genesis right now. It took billions of years to reach a place of such wondrous diversity, and then in just a few shockingly short years, an infinitesimal pinprick of time, to annihilate that." Writing in LensCulture , editor Jim Casper stated: "The resulting wall-size prints are impeccably beautiful and stunning, as well as profoundly disturbing. They convey
2028-559: The photo, the market it will be used in, the products it will be used on, time duration, etc. These online stock photography catalogues have drastically changed the landscape of the industry, presenting both opportunities and challenges for photographers seeking to earn a living through their craft. Commercial photographers may also promote their work to advertising and editorial art buyers via printed and online marketing vehicles. Many people upload their photographs to social networking websites and other websites, in order to share them with
2080-429: The photographer or through an agency that represents the photographer. A photographer uses a contract to sell the "license" or use of their photograph with exact controls regarding how often the photograph will be used, in what territory it will be used (for example U.S. or U.K. or other), and exactly for which products. This is usually referred to as usage fee and is used to distinguish from production fees (payment for
2132-579: The photographs were found across Bolivia, and like in Chapter One, had all been negatively impacted by the effects of climate change, from extreme droughts to flooding. The animals were all rescues as a result of habitat destruction and wildlife trafficking, and live at Senda Verde Animal Sanctuary in the Yungas Mountains where the photographs were taken. As in Chapter One, the people and animals, largely habituated to humans, were photographed together in
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2184-468: The project required six months to complete, and necessitated the building of large sets and night shoots amid relentless dust-storms. Initially, partial sets were constructed on Maasai land—one of the few places where animals and humans still coexist—and motion-activated cameras hidden from view. After many weeks, the animals became comfortable enough to enter these strange domains, triggering the camera as they did so. The requisite next-step involved completing
2236-519: The question the project poses “is whether the day will break like sunrise, or like glass. For as gorgeous, rich and operatic as the images are, this is not an Edenic vision of coexistence, it’s an urgent plea for taking action.” In the book The Day May Break , curator, author and photo historian Phillip Prodger wrote, "A landmark body of work by one of photography’s great environmental champions. Showing how deeply our fates are intertwined, Brandt portrays people and animals together, causing us to reflect on
2288-722: The real-life consequences of climate change. Channeling his outrage into quiet determination, the result is a portrait of us all, at a critical moment in the Anthropocene." Photos from the project were featured in public exhibits worldwide. The second chapter of Brandt's global series, The Day May Break, was photographed in Bolivia in February and March 2022. This body of work was released in September 2022, and first exhibited at Edwynn Houk Gallery in New York and at Polka Galerie in Paris. The people in
2340-518: The same frame. The book of the work was published in spring 2023 by Hatje Cantz Verlag in Germany. SINK / RISE is the third chapter of The Day May Break , the ongoing global series portraying people and animals that have been impacted by environmental degradation and destruction. The themes in Nick Brandt's work always relate to the destructive environmental impact that humankind is having on both
2392-419: The same photograph for more than one use during the same year) or for exclusive use of the photograph (i.e. only that company may use the photograph during the term). The contract can also stipulate that the photographer is entitled to audit the company for determination of royalty payments. Royalties vary depending on the industry buying the photograph and the use, for example, royalties for a photograph used on
2444-408: The set—a petrol station for example or a highway—and enlisting a cast of local residents to populate each scene, before taking the second image, almost always from the same position as the first. The final photograph is created from a composite of both images; producing scenes in which large mammals appear lost within a human-dominated milieu. All the elements of the sets were recycled from one set into
2496-426: The vast spaces and light of contemporary Africa with a cinematic immersion and incredible detail. When standing in front of his images, the viewer is transported into the scenes – sometimes with wonder and awe and joy, and other times with overwhelming sadness, despair and disgust." Photography critic Michelle Bogre further noted: "Nick Brandt’s new photographic work, Inherit the Dust , is his visual cry of anguish about
2548-454: The water rises. Spread across the planet, there is a common link between the countries in which each chapter of The Day May Break is photographed : They are among the countries that are the least responsible for climate breakdown. Their global carbon emissions are tiny compared to industrial nations. Yet they are disproportionately harmed by its effects. In an article by CNN's Catherine Shoichet, Brandt describes
2600-401: The work as “pre-apocalyptic”. Everything is shot in-camera underwater. It's the first series that Brandt has photographed exclusively with people as his subjects, without any animals. In March 2024, SINK / RISE, the book, was published by Hatje Cantz Verlag. In the book's Foreword, author Zoe Lescaze writes, " Faced with a seemingly impossible task, Nick Brandt has created
2652-503: Was a way to achieve this through photography. In 2001, Brandt embarked upon his first photographic project: a trilogy of work to memorialize the vanishing natural grandeur of East Africa. This work bore little relation to the typical, color, documentary-style wildlife photography. Brandt's images were mainly graphic portraits more akin to studio portraiture of human subjects from a much earlier era, as if these animals were already long dead. "The resulting photographs feel like artifacts from
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#17330854864902704-537: Was set aside as the Southern Reserve for the Maasai in 1906 but returned to local control as a game reserve in 1948. Gazetted a national park in 1974 to protect the core of this unique ecosystem, it was declared a UNESCO site in 1991. The park earned $ 3.5 m (€2.9 m) in 2005. On 29 September 2005, Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki declared that control of the park should pass from the Kenya Wildlife Service to
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