Fully Engaged
Dinokeng, South Africa – 2022
“Over the years, I have marginally tweaked my approach to filming lions at Kevin Richardson’s sanctuary in South Africa. Lying flat in my cage in the grasses, I now accept that in their winter, at first light, I am going to get dirty and cold. I want to shoot 20 degrees either side of the rising sun to get some backlight without too much flair. The key variable for me, however, is for there to be a real sense of engagement and that does mean that we need to work close and put full faith in both Kevin and the sturdiness of his cages.
Immersive photography of big cats is not a high percentage game, and we accept that we fail more often than we succeed. The upside is, when everything does work, especially with a handsome male lion like Yame, the rewards are high.
I would be the first to say that in photographs such as this, the credits go to Kevin, the lion and the high- performance camera. I come in equal fourth with the laundry service.“
-David Yarrow
Available Sizes:
LARGE: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image: 56" x 79" (142 x 201 cm)
- Framed: 71" x 94" (180 x 239 cm)
STANDARD: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image: 37" x 52" (94 x 132 cm)
- Framed: 52" x 67" (132 x 170 cm)
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.
Dawn Run
Dinokeng, South Africa – 2017
“I have been working with Kevin Richardson’s lions in South Africa with remote-control units for about six years now. We have had some good moments, and the front cover of my last book featured this lioness—Meg— coming through the grass with the first rays of sunlight. It was exactly the same recipe with this image, which was taken as part of Nikon’s media promotion for its new D850.
I am often asked two questions about my collaboration with Kevin: How can I monitor what the camera has taken given that I can’t be outside a jeep with these big cats wandering around? And how can our collaboration help the plight of the African lion?
Clearly the second question is far more important than the first. However, with regard to the first question, I tend to work in manual focus and prejudge the focal plane where ideally I want to take the picture. I will never know until the camera is back in my hands whether I have an image. About 98 percent of the time, for one reason or another, there is no picture. That’s what makes immersive images like this one special. Meg’s facial features are so sharp.
The answer to the second question is twofold. First, Kevin has a big say in the future of the African lion through his sanctuary and charitable activities and we hope to continue supporting him. Second, I hope my photographs of the lions at his sanctuary are sufficiently emotive that they remind us all of the big cat’s beauty and intelligence. The lion needs help, and I hope my work raises awareness and encourages action.”
-David Yarrow
Available Sizes:
LARGE: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image: 56" x 79" (142 x 201 cm)
- Framed: 71" x 94" (180 x 239 cm)
STANDARD: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image: 37" x 52" (94 x 132 cm)
- Framed: 52" x 67" (132 x 170 cm)
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.
Hotel Bond
Furka Pass, Switzerland 2025
“No film franchise has enhanced the fame of specific locations more than Bond. To be the backdrop narrative to a sequence in a Bond movie – no matter how dated – bestows heavyweight status on the map coordinates. It is product placement at its most acute level.
In 1964, Goldfinger, the second 007 movie, was released and, in retrospect, it was the key to the franchise. The movie recouped its investment in just two weeks and is still cited as the film that established many of the iconic elements and tropes of Bond movies. For many aficionados, Goldfinger is THE Bond movie – Rotten Tomatoes – the exacting review aggregation website, score it at 99%.
Goldfinger rammed home the Box Office of Sean Connery and brought names like Oddjob and Pussy Galore into our lives. It also made famous the hairpin bends of the Furka Pass in Switzerland and the quintessential Belle Époque buildings lining its route. The jewel in the crown of these is the iconic Belvedere Hotel – which sits precisely on the inside of one of the hairpins. It is an Alpine monument to the glittering days of the Swiss hotel industry in the late 19th century.
I do not like driving, or even being driven, on mountain pass roads – especially ones with token barriers accompanying 3000-foot drops. Bond may have enjoyed his car chase on this road, but I am no Bond and this project certainly reminded me that I have some embarrassing vertigo issues.
The Furka pass is inaccessible until late May and, given my leaning to film with as much snow in the backdrop as possible, this was always going to be an early June shoot. The Belvedere Hotel is long closed for business and I want to thank the owners for allowing to us to open the shutters and somehow put some lights on. I am sure Wes Anderson would have done the same and it did make all the difference.
If there was ever to be a Bond Hotel – I think it should be here.”
-David Yarrow
Available Sizes
Large - Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 56” x 101" in (142 cm x 257 cm)
- Framed Image: 71” x 116” in (180 cm x 295 cm)
Standard - Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 37” x 67” in (94 cm x 170 cm)
- Framed Image: 52” x 82” in (132 cm x 208 cm)
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.
Hotel Bond (Colour)
Furka Pass, Switzerland 2025
“No film franchise has enhanced the fame of specific locations more than Bond. To be the backdrop narrative to a sequence in a Bond movie – no matter how dated – bestows heavyweight status on the map coordinates. It is product placement at its most acute level.
In 1964, Goldfinger, the second 007 movie, was released and, in retrospect, it was the key to the franchise. The movie recouped its investment in just two weeks and is still cited as the film that established many of the iconic elements and tropes of Bond movies. For many aficionados, Goldfinger is THE Bond movie – Rotten Tomatoes – the exacting review aggregation website, score it at 99%.
Goldfinger rammed home the Box Office of Sean Connery and brought names like Oddjob and Pussy Galore into our lives. It also made famous the hairpin bends of the Furka Pass in Switzerland and the quintessential Belle Époque buildings lining its route. The jewel in the crown of these is the iconic Belvedere Hotel – which sits precisely on the inside of one of the hairpins. It is an Alpine monument to the glittering days of the Swiss hotel industry in the late 19th century.
I do not like driving, or even being driven, on mountain pass roads – especially ones with token barriers accompanying 3000-foot drops. Bond may have enjoyed his car chase on this road, but I am no Bond and this project certainly reminded me that I have some embarrassing vertigo issues.
The Furka pass is inaccessible until late May and, given my leaning to film with as much snow in the backdrop as possible, this was always going to be an early June shoot. The Belvedere Hotel is long closed for business and I want to thank the owners for allowing to us to open the shutters and somehow put some lights on. I am sure Wes Anderson would have done the same and it did make all the difference.
If there was ever to be a Bond Hotel – I think it should be here.”
-David Yarrow
Available Sizes
Large - Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 56” x 101" in (142 cm x 257 cm)
- Framed Image: 71” x 116” in (180 cm x 295 cm)
Standard - Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 37” x 67” in (94 cm x 170 cm)
- Framed Image: 52” x 82” in (132 cm x 208 cm)
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 Black Panther Club
Dinokeng, South Africa – 2025
Archival Pigment Print
“The making of this photograph has been on my mind since I saw the promotional material that accompanied Nat Geo’s Black Panther film release of 2020. The posters leant on composite art not a photograph and whilst they were very true to the panther’s facial structure, it is not easy to achieve the highest of granularity in the face with a paint brush. Nevertheless, the PR campaign certainly grabbed the attention with the black negative space adding to the sense of the panther’s menace.
We set about building a structure in a black panther’s 4-acre sanctuary in Dinokeng, South Africa and brought in a heavy-duty cage for me to work from and then it was simply an exercise in patience as well as the unique talents of Kevin Richardson – The Lion Whisperer. Our 12-year friendship has forged exceptional trust and we both know how to get the best out of each other. There is no way we could have taken this image a few years back – we have learned and iterated. Panthers are dangerous and safety and creativity had to find a balance. At all times I was working from the cage.
The key to me in this one off portrait is the position of the pupils in the panther’s eyes. They equate to less than 1/400th of the total photograph but they elicit a proper sense of menace. A bit lower down in the eye and his menace is lost. It is about the smallest of details and today’s cameras, in low light, are high performing enablers.
I think the cinematic format is perfect for this photograph. After all, the term Black Panther elicits heavy Hollywood vibes. It is an animal that has created many metaphors.“
-David Yarrow
Available sizes
Large: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 49″ x 103″ in (124 x 262 cm)
- Framed Image: 64″ x 118″ in (163 x 300 cm)
Standard: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 37″ x 78″ in (94 x 198 cm)
- Framed Image: 52″ x 93″ in (132 x 236 cm)
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your masterpiece. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Asmus Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.
The Black Panther Club (Colour)
Dinokeng, South Africa – 2025
Archival Pigment Print
“The making of this photograph has been on my mind since I saw the promotional material that accompanied Nat Geo’s Black Panther film release of 2020. The posters leant on composite art not a photograph and whilst they were very true to the panther’s facial structure, it is not easy to achieve the highest of granularity in the face with a paint brush. Nevertheless, the PR campaign certainly grabbed the attention with the black negative space adding to the sense of the panther’s menace.
We set about building a structure in a black panther’s 4-acre sanctuary in Dinokeng, South Africa and brought in a heavy-duty cage for me to work from and then it was simply an exercise in patience as well as the unique talents of Kevin Richardson – The Lion Whisperer. Our 12-year friendship has forged exceptional trust and we both know how to get the best out of each other. There is no way we could have taken this image a few years back – we have learned and iterated. Panthers are dangerous and safety and creativity had to find a balance. At all times I was working from the cage.
The key to me in this one off portrait is the position of the pupils in the panther’s eyes. They equate to less than 1/400th of the total photograph but they elicit a proper sense of menace. A bit lower down in the eye and his menace is lost. It is about the smallest of details and today’s cameras, in low light, are high performing enablers.
I think the cinematic format is perfect for this photograph. After all, the term Black Panther elicits heavy Hollywood vibes. It is an animal that has created many metaphors.“
-David Yarrow
Available sizes
Large: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 49″ x 103″ in (124 x 262 cm)
- Framed Image: 64″ x 118″ in (163 x 300 cm)
Standard: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 37″ x 78″ in (94 x 198 cm)
- Framed Image: 52″ x 93″ in (132 x 236 cm)
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your masterpiece. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Asmus Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.
The Lion
Dinokeng, South Africa – 2025
Archival Pigment Print
“I had a peculiar dream recently in which I was having a drink in an isolated, but unidentifiable, members only bar. It was a cold and rainy evening and the bar represented a place of relative warmth and comfort. There were a handful of customers in the club and I have no idea why my unconscious mind was taking me here – it was certainly not a place known to me. I have had the odd drink alone in a bar when the weather has been awful outside, but it’s not an obvious lifestyle trait.
Anyhow, at some stage there was some noise outside and the barman asked me to open the door to the club and check out what was going on. I did as requested and there, in the doorway, in the pouring rain, was an enormous male lion.
I woke up immediately in a panic and remembered the dream more vividly than normal. The imagery of the wet lion standing in the rain stayed with me and as time passed, I started to muse as to how we could create such a photograph. The idea was certainly authentic and I knew with the help of my dear friend Kevin Richardson – The Lion Whisperer – that anything was possible.
Kevin and I spitballed over the phone as to how we could make this happen. It was not an easy premise to convert as lions do not like to get wet and will either seek shelter or shake off any surplus water immediately. But we worked out an approach with the rain and coupled that with a cage set up that would keep me safe. The key was then to convey a sense of nighttime even though we would be working at dawn.
I haven’t seen a picture like this before and even better, I have never had the dream again. They are both hopefully one-offs.“
-David Yarrow
Available sizes
Large: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 49″ x 103″ in (124 x 262 cm)
- Framed Image: 64″ x 118″ in (163 x 300 cm)
Standard: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 37″ x 78″ in (94 x 198 cm)
- Framed Image: 52″ x 93″ in (132 x 236 cm)
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your masterpiece. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Asmus Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.
The Lion (Colour)
Dinokeng, South Africa – 2025
Archival Pigment Print
“I had a peculiar dream recently in which I was having a drink in an isolated, but unidentifiable, members only bar. It was a cold and rainy evening and the bar represented a place of relative warmth and comfort. There were a handful of customers in the club and I have no idea why my unconscious mind was taking me here – it was certainly not a place known to me. I have had the odd drink alone in a bar when the weather has been awful outside, but it’s not an obvious lifestyle trait.
Anyhow, at some stage there was some noise outside and the barman asked me to open the door to the club and check out what was going on. I did as requested and there, in the doorway, in the pouring rain, was an enormous male lion.
I woke up immediately in a panic and remembered the dream more vividly than normal. The imagery of the wet lion standing in the rain stayed with me and as time passed, I started to muse as to how we could create such a photograph. The idea was certainly authentic and I knew with the help of my dear friend Kevin Richardson – The Lion Whisperer – that anything was possible.
Kevin and I spitballed over the phone as to how we could make this happen. It was not an easy premise to convert as lions do not like to get wet and will either seek shelter or shake off any surplus water immediately. But we worked out an approach with the rain and coupled that with a cage set up that would keep me safe. The key was then to convey a sense of nighttime even though we would be working at dawn.
I haven’t seen a picture like this before and even better, I have never had the dream again. They are both hopefully one-offs.“
-David Yarrow
Available sizes
Large: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 49″ x 103″ in (124 x 262 cm)
- Framed Image: 64″ x 118″ in (163 x 300 cm)
Standard: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 37″ x 78″ in (94 x 198 cm)
- Framed Image: 52″ x 93″ in (132 x 236 cm)
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your masterpiece. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Asmus Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.
Someting's Gotta Give
Dinokeng, South Africa – 2025
Archival Pigment Print
“This is Thor – the lion that I am most wary of in the world. He is a rare white lion who lives under the loving care of Kevin Richardson (The Lion Whisperer) in his sanctuary in South Africa. I have known Thor for 10 years, but neither his age nor familiarity have led to a mellowing of his behaviour; he would kill me in 10 seconds given half a chance.
I am always in a cage when filming Thor and more recently a cage within a further cage. We made this extra defence as last year he tried to dig under the cage to get to me. It’s not a comfortable experience. There is a calm countenance to this preconceived portrait that is at odds with his basic instincts and the reality of the situation.
It does not take top percentile visual sensibility to recognise the splendour of white lions and my goal on this set was to celebrate every detail of his face. In this kind of light, there is every chance, provided Kevin, with his unique ability, can facilitate the engagement.
I loved the film Something’s Gotta Give and it’s not a bad title for this portrait. I often think of that beach house in the Hamptons and its emblematic cocktail of whites and creams. I think Thor would have fitted into those interiors seamlessly from a visual perspective but may have impacted the calm serenity of that rarified stretch of Long Island.”
-David Yarrow
Available sizes
Large: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 60″ x 56″ in (152 x 142 cm)
- Framed Image: 75″ x 71″ in (191 x 180 cm)
Standard: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 40″ x 37″ in (103 x 94 cm)
- Framed Image: 55″ x 52″ in (140 x 132 cm)
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your masterpiece. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Asmus Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.
Someting's Gotta Give (Colour)
Dinokeng, South Africa – 2025
Archival Pigment Print
“This is Thor – the lion that I am most wary of in the world. He is a rare white lion who lives under the loving care of Kevin Richardson (The Lion Whisperer) in his sanctuary in South Africa. I have known Thor for 10 years, but neither his age nor familiarity have led to a mellowing of his behaviour; he would kill me in 10 seconds given half a chance.
I am always in a cage when filming Thor and more recently a cage within a further cage. We made this extra defence as last year he tried to dig under the cage to get to me. It’s not a comfortable experience. There is a calm countenance to this preconceived portrait that is at odds with his basic instincts and the reality of the situation.
It does not take top percentile visual sensibility to recognise the splendour of white lions and my goal on this set was to celebrate every detail of his face. In this kind of light, there is every chance, provided Kevin, with his unique ability, can facilitate the engagement.
I loved the film Something’s Gotta Give and it’s not a bad title for this portrait. I often think of that beach house in the Hamptons and its emblematic cocktail of whites and creams. I think Thor would have fitted into those interiors seamlessly from a visual perspective but may have impacted the calm serenity of that rarified stretch of Long Island.”
-David Yarrow
Available sizes
Large: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 60″ x 56″ in (152 x 142 cm)
- Framed Image: 75″ x 71″ in (191 x 180 cm)
Standard: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 40″ x 37″ in (103 x 94 cm)
- Framed Image: 55″ x 52″ in (140 x 132 cm)
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your masterpiece. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Asmus Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.