My Photographic Hero, Nick Brandt




Simplicity, Balance and Detail

  The portraits are so simple and dramatic. I think the majestic animals and the incredible landscape tell everything in the photo, they do not need anything added. Just to see these amazing animals up close and as they are for real in detail. Many of Nick Brandt's Photos are very simple and close up, or you can see herds of them in their environment. I can see that the symmetry, reflection, contrasts, rhythm and motion are used to compliment and portray these unique animals as they are in the wild.

Nick Brandt likes to photograph the animals close up as you would a human being. This allows you to capture the soul and personality of the animal. He states how you could not have a portrait of a person with a telephoto lens. When he is up close he can capture the sky and other important landscape features as well.

Simplicity and Balance

Reflection







Rhythm

 He shoots with a Pentax 6X7 camera. It uses 120mm film but states if he could shoot in 8x10 he would to give as much detail as possible. He is reluctant to use digital. He shoots only in black and white film and likes a sort of sepia tone to his portraits. He feels that it gives a sense of time in his portraits as if its from the 19th century or a bygone era. Nick finds the film gives him surprising "mistakes" sometimes with results making the portraits more interesting. He has damaged a lot of his film. Occasionally he uses infrared film and you can see how it changes the look of the trees to a negative image so they are lighter. Using Photoshop and Wacom Tablet he edits his film portraits by dodging and burning and likes the latitude in shadows and highlights. Photoshop compared to the traditional darkroom can give from a 7 stop range to a 15 stop range therefore allowing for more detail in the final result. He uses Hahnemuhle - textured cotton rag paper print for his portraits.





Contrast

I love the fact that he uses old technology and new as well to achieve his masterpieces. I enjoy his subjects as well - the Animals of Africa and the Africa Landscape. I enjoy looking at his work. It can be emotional for me. Many of the portraits are quite simple allowing you to study the animals up close and personal. You can see things you would never learn about them with out being so close. You get to know them. Many of the pictures look so perfect it is as if he had them pose. He stated that the animals "posed" for him wanting to have their portrait taken. I think that is so true. I would not have thought of taking a wild animals "Portrait" but this is what he has done. I love it, it is so dramatic. In the pictures here you can see he just has the subject in focus when there is nothing else you need to look at but when he wants to include the sky or tree (landscape) or reflection. You can see that in these portraits here. The portraits are also cropped down to the size needed for the individual portrait the zebra print is cropped down to just the zebra as well as the elephants. The giraffes and the Cheetah have more room to incorporate the sky with the clouds and the landscape. I like the way the giraffes have a long more panoramic style and your eye flows through each giraffe in the portrait and the simple close up of the elephant makes you look directly at it and study its details and the dust exploding of the body. I like the way Nick Brandt photographs these animals equal to human beings - Because they are. These animals look like they are content and at home.