I started photographing animals against dark backgrounds due to my obsessive instinct to remove as much distraction as possible from my images. At times I’ve also played with the idea of how little I can show off an animal, with the rest falling to shadow.
The aim of this project is to spark a connection between subject and viewer, and present animals in ways they haven’t been seen before. Nature photographers are often discouraged from anthropomorphism, but I like to produce portraits that convey human-like qualities, as I think that helps people relate to the animals I depict. I also think that when we project our feelings and emotions on an animal, it helps us empathize with that individual, and hopefully the rest of the natural world too. It’s not a project that will change the world on its own, but I hope that by promoting a stronger connection to nature, these images will help engage others.
The majority of my photographs were shot using only natural light, though I’m starting to introduce flash as an option, to give me more control over the resulting look and feel. I post-process the images in Adobe Lightroom, avoiding Photoshop as much as possible.
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#1 Green-Winged Parrot
My most recent shoot, to add a little more colour and flamboyancy to my collection.
#2 Low Key Lion Portrait
#3 Southern White-Faced Owl Leaning In
What a character he was. Those bright orange eyes, contrasting with the black, white, and grey feathers. I like this cheeky composition, with him leaning into shot.
#4 Bald Eagle: Back, White, And Yellow
An early photo in this project, the bald eagle makes an excellent subject, due to its bright white feathers, which stand out against the black so prominently.
#5 Swaledale Sheep
The Swaledale is a classic breed of sheep, and the icon of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It took years to find this perfect subject, with the characteristic curled horns, and the patience to pose nicely for me.
#6 Low Key Moose Portrait
One of my absolute favourites., and another relatively early one.
#7 Bengal Tiger
Taken in captivity, in the UK.
#8 Chameleon Close-Up
Another dream species to photograph, and she was very patient with me.
#9 Puffin On Black
I took this photo in the wild, on Skomer Island, in South West Wales. The sunlight was a little harsh, but I found a background in shadow, to produce the all-black surroundings.
#10 Lowlight Highland Cattle: B&W
Another old photo, playing with the idea of losing everything from shot except the highlights.
#11 White Tailed Sea Eagle
Of late I’ve really started to enjoy photographing large birds, and this sea eagle was in the perfect light, as the sun was low in the sky.
#12 Tortoise On Black
I love tortoises, and I was very keen to photograph one for this project. I think they’re surprisingly expressive and characterful, and are often overlooked by nature photographers.
#13 Pelican
Another of my personal favourites, and the star of a how-to blog post I wrote some years ago on my website.
#14 Bengal Tiger – Yawn
#15 Low Key Cattle
Another of my absolute favourites. This cow was roaming free in the New Forest National Park, and the light was just perfect for this portrait.
#16 Ivory On Black
I photographed this one in captivity in the UK too. I wanted to focus on the tusks, which not only stand out graphically against the black background, but also represent the reason this species is in such danger.
#17 Low Key Zebra: Birds Eye View
I enjoy images which aren’t immediately straight-forward.
#18 Lemur
#19 Leopard In The Dark
Leopards are such fascinating, secretive animals, and they move with such grace. I knew I wanted to capture one on the move, and this was another case of picking a spot with the right lighting conditions, and waiting for the subject to wander into shot. Another zoo subject.
#20 Bengal Tiger – Out Of The Black
I love this head-on angle for big cats, and I positioned myself facing a track, in good light, and waited for the tiger to walk into the frame. Again, the subject was in captivity.
#21 Sheep On Black
I spotted this sheep whilst away for a weekend in Wales, and made a point of revisiting the next day, to capture this photo. I love horned animals, for the extra character it lends them, and I spent some time waiting to capture the right angle.
#22 Bull On Black
This was the biggest bull I’ve ever seen, and he was really pumped up too. I would not have been able to take this photo without a steel gate between us. The evening light illuminated him perfectly for this style of portrait.
#23 African Grey Parrot On Black
These parrots are one of the most intelligent of all parrots, and can learn a vocabulary of over 100 words. I liked this particular shot, as it almost looks like he’s about to speak.
#24 Bunny On Black
#25 Mushu The Bearded Dragon
This was a photo I took as part of a project for a local company who keeps animals for educational talks, and she was so laid back. The perfect model.
#26 Cheetah On Black
This cheetah was at a zoo in the UK. I positioned myself facing a dark background, and waited for the cheetah to stop there. I was very fortunate to get this pose and lick of the lips, which transforms this portrait with added narrative.
#27 Stella’s Sea Eagle On Black
I photographed this captive bird in the UK last summer. They’re one of my favourite birds of prey, and that colossal beak is so charismatic.
#28 White-Tailed Sea Eagle
I like this dynamic posture; wings out. I took the photo in captivity in the UK, using natural light, at the end of the day.
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