The Wild West II
Montana, USA 2015
There are many times in this digital age, that a photographer on checking what he or she has on the LCD screen at the back of the camera body, succumbs to an adrenaline rush. Indeed there should be times like this, otherwise perhaps the photographer is not investing enough passion in their art. The joy of photography surely comes as much with the retrospection as it does with the preparation. The bit between is too short – a picture takes 1000/1 second – that is not enough time for accompanying emotion. When I saw this shot and its sharp focus on the back of my Nikon D4s, I gasped.
This staged image was great fun to put together. The gold rush saloon was very much as it was left – next to the brothel and in a fenced off “final frontier” street. We spent the afternoon opening up the bar, lighting candles and waiting for the light to go down so as to bring out those candles. The facade was as good as it could possibly be and then all that was needed was for the captive mountain lion to cooperate. These extraordinarily beautiful animals have enormous energy and when he was released from deep inside the saloon, he leapt magnificently out of the doorway. Luckily this was exactly what I was told to anticipate and I was ready. We nailed it as a team.
Before its general release , I showed this image to a number of people and the only negative comment I was given was that it was simply too good to be true. The mountain lion is positioned perfectly for the interior candles and the light snow flakes, as well as floating so majestically in the air. I can understand why some might then think that I computer engineered this image and simply pasted the lion into the doorway. That would ruin my career.
As I drove to the Montana airport with my cameras packed away, I knew what I had to do – I had to also release the images in the sequence either side of the shot. There is no way I could make this sequence up. Pixar maybe could , but there is no animation here – it is very real. I have this shot in my home – I think it is very special.
Available size options with and without framing are below;
- Large: 92 x 71 inches framed
- Standard: 52 x 66 inches framed
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your artwork. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.
Economy
Available size options with and without framing are below;
- Large: 92 x 71 inches framed
- Standard: 52 x 66 inches framed
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your artwork. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.
The Siberians
Available size
- Large: 67 x 112 inches
- Standard: 52 x 82 inches
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your artwork. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.
Mystic River
This is such a powerful image – an unmistakable sense of intent pervades across every aspect of the photograph. The tiger’s eyes are focused, the body structure eager and the water movement suggests movement, speed and aggression.
Available size
- Large: 67 x 84 inches
- Standard: 48 x 59 inches
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your artwork. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.
Follow The Leader
Tanzania, 2020
The annual migration in East Africa is a challenge to photograph in a manner that does justice to its enormity. One single photograph is unlikely to have an expansive enough narrative and often film footage is a more effective medium. Strong artists such as Nick Brandt have taken some evocative stills, but much of the work I see, including my own, has left me unmoved.
The river crossings in normal years attract huge numbers of jeeps laden with cameras and a rather undignified dash for pole position accompanies the start of each crossing. I have not enjoyed these experiences over the years as I find it something of a chaotic scrum. The quiet serenity of the Serengeti is interrupted by the noise of 500 camera motor drives each being operated with the finger pressed firmly down on the shutter release. It’s akin to the paparazzi greeting a celebrity exiting a night club.
But it’s all rather different in 2020 as traffic numbers are down 90% and there is room to be on your own and avoid others. Last week my guide gambled on a likely crossing point and at first light, we crawled down the bank to the river’s edge with a view to shooting at 90 degrees to the crossing, not the 180 so often chosen. I knew it could be a long wait and I even took a book with me to kill time. That was a little naive given crocs and hippos hang out in the same area – this was clearly no library. I never turned a page.
But after a couple of hours, I had my moment. There is even a semblance of order to what is normally the most chaotic scene imaginable and the olympic leap from the lead wildebeest certainly made the assignment successful. Not perhaps before time.
Available Sizes (Framed Size)
- Large: 71” x 117”
- Standard: 52” x 82”
Available Editions
- Large: Edition of 12
- Standard: Edition of 1
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your artwork. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.
The Puzzle
Lewa, Kenya 2013
Zebras are not photographers’ friends. They couple a rather clumsy running style with skittish nerves and herd instincts. In some parts of Sub-Saharan Africa it is very difficult to get close and after a while, there are few photographers that have the will-power to bother. The Grevy’s Zebra of East Africa offers the best chance of proximity and also – by good fortune – the best facial aesthetics. I knew what I was looking for with this animal – it was all about the lines and the patterns within a small group and then hoping the light would help. I knew as soon as I pressed the shutter that I had finally got the image.
AVAILABLE SIZES:
LARGE - Edition of 20
- Image: 56" x 66"
- Framed: 71" x 81"
STANDARD - Edition of 20
- Image: 37" x 43"
- Framed: 52" x 59"
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your artwork. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.
The Factory
Archival Inkjet Print
Available Sizes
- Large: 67 x 86 inches (Edition of 12)
- Standard: 48 x 61 inches (Edition of 12)
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your artwork. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.
Parallel Lines
Archival Inkjet Print
Available Sizes
- Large: 38 x 114 inches (Edition of 12)
- Standard: Sold Out
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your artwork. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.
The Focused Wolf
Montana, USA 2015
Jim Brandenburg’s iconic shot of half a wolf’s head peering out from behind a tree, arguably marked the moment that wildlife photography became art. All those that ply Jim’s trade have much to thank him for – after all that single image – which can never be repeated – elevated the business of taking top tier wildlife imagery to an art form that was collectable.
I often ask myself to articulate what was so special about his photograph. I tend to home in on the simplicity of the image as well as its menace and the rule breaking incompleteness. It nails the character of the animal and the behavior that defines it.
Wolves may indeed have menace , but they are also unquestionably beautiful. I can’t compete with the Brandenburg shot and nor when I went to Montana, did I want to even try. There is no mileage on borrowing ideas, but I recognised the power of simplicity.
There are two aspects of my picture that make it quite special. Firstly, the limited depth of field brings every human eye to the wolves eyes – this was mathematically necessary as the low early morning light required opening up the lens aperture, but it was also the way to play the idea. A nice coincidence.
The other aspect to me is that the wolf is such a smart and focused animal and therefore I wanted to be sure that he was portrayed with crystal clear focus too. There is no room for lack of sharpness – that would not do this alpha animal justice.
It was very cold , but I guess that is conveyed.
AVAILABLE SIZES:
Available Sizes (Framed Size)
- Large: 71" x 95" (180 cm x 241 cm)
- Standard: 52" x 68" (132 cm x 173 cm)
Available Editions
- Large: Edition of 12
- Standard: Edition of 12
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your artwork. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.