Elephant drinking, Amboseli, 2007

Nick Brandt began his career directing music videos and it was during the filming of Michael Jackson’s Earth Song in Tanzania that he was inspired to pay homage to the animals that he discovered there, and that had left such a lasting impact on him. In 2001 Brandt began an ambitious photographic project to capture the disappearing natural magnificence of East Africa and the animals that inhabit it. Using his photography to raise awareness of the threats to wildlife in this area, Brandt sought to project the personalities of these wild animals in print. Deciding not to use telephoto or zoom lenses for his works, Brandt’s close proximity to his subjects imbues his works with a rare sense of intimacy and Elephant Drinking, Amboseli, 2007, one of the most striking examples of the series.