Nature
PUBLISHED
For nearly 15 years, self-taught French photographer Laurent Baheux has travelled around Africa, documenting the fauna in striking high-contrast imagery.
The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.Baheux’s close-up photographs of African mammals in their natural habitat have earned him international acclaim and many honorable mentions.
Image Credit: Race In The Savannah, zebras, Kenya, 2013 by Laurent Baheux
A career in sports journalism led him to his ultimate passion for photography, as his press agency at the time required that he snap the photos that accompanied his stories.
Baheux adheres to using black-and-white photography for his work in order to capture the speed, agility, and form of these African animals in stark portraiture. As he says, he is trying to "immortalize rare and ephemeral scenes of nature, constantly trying to sublimate the animals, [and] to capture the magnificence of their attitudes."
Inspired by photographers who sought for deep contrast and technical detail in their art—such as Ansel Adams and Henri Cartier-Bresson—Baheux uses large lenses for clarity and depth to capture the strong features of the animals without disturbing them in their environment.
Image Credit: Reticulated Giraffe Shattered, Kenya, 2013 by Laurent Baheux
Sharing this captivating world has been a labor of love for Baheux as his photographs cast a strong light on these beautiful animals. He wants to help preserve these animals’ way of life and put them into the public consciousness by presenting these creatures as part of our world.
Baheux is also a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme's anti-poaching initiative. His art has been featured in conservation awareness campaigns for World Wildlife Fund and GoodPlanet Foundation.
Image Credit: Rhinos Quartet, Kenya, 2013 by Laurent Baheux
You can see more of these African creatures as photographed by Laurent Baheux on his website.
