ANUP SHAH & FIONA ROGERS
CONTEMPORARY BRITISH PHOTOGRPAHY NOVEMBER 2018
ANUP SHAH & FIONA ROGERS BIO
Anup Shah and Fiona Rogers are a husband and wife team of wildlife photographers who spend months on end in the wild studying and photographing wild subjects. With contrasting yet complementary styles, they concentrate on getting at thought-provoking photographs with an enigmatic flavour. Their publications include full length features in National Geographic, Geo, Smithsonian, National Wildlife, and BBC Wildlife magazines, and a recently published book on chimpanzees, ‘Tales from Gombe’, and another one on the animals of Maasai Mara called, ’The Mara’. They have exhibited in Japan, India, Italy, Lithuania and, of course, the U.K.
PROJECT STATEMENT
The open plain vista of Kenya where wild animals roam free is probably the biggest studio that any photographer can work in. Driving around in this magnificent studio, armed with a photographic technique which is like drawing with a pencil, we look for situations over which to impose our compositions. Initially, at any given spectacle, it is difficult to discern the simplicity and beauty that we seek. So we wait, visually probing the scene before us, trying to work out how to reveal the natural elegance that lies hidden. The photograph transformed onto a fine art print is as we saw the scene. Nothing has been added and nothing has been taken out except for dust spots that invade the camera’s sensor. The print is made on German etching paper which helps prompt the question: is it a photograph or is it a drawing?
ANUP SHAH
FRONT - 1 OF 7 - £1,250
Front
Late morning in Amboseli National Park, Kenya. Being exposed to the direct rays of the sun, it feels too warm for comfort. I am watching a family of elephants, moving at a glacial pace toward me. I am hoping to photograph them separated in space yet united by invisible ties. I feel the silence normally reserved for great mountains and trust my luck for a photograph of implicit unity.
HUSH #2 – 1 OF 7 - £1,250
Hush 2
Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. This evening, the low angle of the sun is spreading muted photons of light all around. A family of zebras is grazing peacefully near me. In the distance, a stallion of another zebra family yelps like a dog. The zebras are as free as the wind across this land that has been their home since the time when we came down from the trees. I feel this is nature at its best – alive and at peace - and I hope the photograph I take conveys this serenity in which undisturbed zebras serve as an anchor into nature’s magic.
HUSH #3 – 1 OF 7 - £1,250
Hush 3
Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. A morning dominated by shades of grey overhead. Out on the plains, I am watching a family of elephants. I believe, when undisturbed, elephants are unhurried and measured, creating a curious area of calm around them. I would like to transform that view into a photograph. The opportunity occurs when they form into a slow moving line. They walk with a regal gait and as I click, I see dignity on show, all the more pronounced because of their bulk.
HUSH #4 – 1 OF 7 - £1,250
Hush 4
Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. Not a morning to cheer you up with lots of bright light. Instead, it is a morning that feels half asleep. As I drive through the bland landscape, I encounter a herd of elephants contentedly grazing on the vast plains. I stay with them, looking for a photograph that would depict an act in which they are momentarily still, together yet apart, like a tableaux of peaceful coexistence.
HUSH #5 – 1 OF 7 - £1,250
Hush 5
Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. There is no sunrise on view this grey morning. It feels as if the land is reluctant to stir from its nocturnal sleep. I am with a group of giraffes who are aware of my presence but do not give, in their exceedingly polite way, any outward sign that they mind. I am looking for my photograph to show how the land can be decorated with this the most African of animals. The opportunity occurs when the relaxed giraffes arrange themselves into multiple acts of being themselves.
HUSH #6 – 1 OF 7 - £1,250
Hush 6
Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. I can feel the warm rays of the morning sun teasing my back. I am following two cheetah sisters who have recently separated from their mother. I want to photograph these shy creatures of the plains going about their daily lives, betraying their feline nature. The opportunity occurs when engrossed in their task of looking for gazelles to hunt, they climb a mound from which to scan the plains. Looking at the resulting photograph now, it feels that they are really not doing much except just being in their space.
HUSH #7 – 1 OF 7 - £1,250
Hush 7
Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. A morning of low still clouds, waxy grey with the weight of this indifferent cover. I am with a lioness on a kill waited upon by a clan of hyenas. I notice that the hyenas are resigned for a long wait. My idea to photograph them as a tableaux looks possible. After a while, the lioness gets up, advances, and faces the hyenas. For a split second, all action is frozen. Will she or won’t she?
ICEBERG – 1 OF 7 - £1,250
Iceberg
Early morning in Amboseli National Park, Kenya. I am struck by the bleakness of the landscape. I am waiting in this starkness, hoping to photograph relaxed elephants going about the business of living in this space. Presently, two dots appear on the horizon and imperceptibly magnify. I imagine that they are on a gigantic iceberg, unconcerned with the emptiness all around, and I gratefully accept the gift of this photograph.
MARCH – 1 OF 7 - £1250
March
Mid-morning in Amboseli National Park, Kenya. It is hot and dusty with nothing to see for miles. I could do without the heat but the dust is actually a boon since it softens the light. I am waiting for elephants journeying from far away to the perennial swamp inside the national park. On the horizon, a faint, dusty line appears. It is steady in its rhythm. Dwarfed by space, the line of giants is unwavering in its purpose of getting to the thirst quenching swamp. I finally see a pattern in scale and thankfully accept the opportunity with my camera.
FIONA ROGERS
ADVANCE 1 – 1 OF 7 - £1,250
Advance Collection (Advance I, II, III)
Amboseli National Park, Kenya. This is a big landscape, home to great herds of elephants for thousands of years. Despite the unimaginable size of the place, the elephants are dwarfed by the expanse. I wondered if I could use white space to show in a photograph the idea that whilst elephants are big but that it is only a matter of scale. As I wait I can hear their breathing, the sound of their ears flapping and their stomachs rumbling. Some dust is kicked up which gives me a chance to work in a wide range of tones to try to create a picture with depth and dimension.
ADVANCE 2 – 1 OF 7 - £1,250
Advance Collection (Advance I, II, III)
Amboseli National Park, Kenya. This is a big landscape, home to great herds of elephants for thousands of years. Despite the unimaginable size of the place, the elephants are dwarfed by the expanse. I wondered if I could use white space to show in a photograph the idea that whilst elephants are big but that it is only a matter of scale. As I wait I can hear their breathing, the sound of their ears flapping and their stomachs rumbling. Some dust is kicked up which gives me a chance to work in a wide range of tones to try to create a picture with depth and dimension.
ADVANCE 3 – 1 OF 7 - £1,250
Advance Collection (Advance I, II, III) Amboseli National Park, Kenya. This is a big landscape, home to great herds of elephants for
thousands of years. Despite the unimaginable size of the place, the elephants are dwarfed by the expanse. I wondered if I could use white space to show in a photograph the idea that whilst elephants are big but that it is only a matter of scale. As I wait I can hear their breathing, the sound of their ears flapping and their stomachs rumbling. Some dust is kicked up which gives me a chance to work in a wide range of tones to try to create a picture with depth and dimension.
FOLLOW ME 1 – 1 OF 7 - £1,250
Follow Me Collection (Follow Me I, II, III & IV)
Amboseli National Park, Kenya. As the sun climbs this morning, herds of elephants appear, intent on getting to water. A very large herd brings up the rear. Their measured steps and their seriousness of purpose makes me wonder if I can translate their discipline into a photograph.
FOLLOW ME 2 – 1 OF 7 - £1,250
Follow Me Collection (Follow Me I, II, III & IV)
Amboseli National Park, Kenya. As the sun climbs this morning, herds of elephants appear, intent on getting to water. A very large herd brings up the rear. Their measured steps and their seriousness of purpose makes me wonder if I can translate their discipline into a photograph.
FOLLOW ME 3 – 1 OF 7 - £1,250
Follow Me Collection (Follow Me I, II, III & IV)
Amboseli National Park, Kenya. As the sun climbs this morning, herds of elephants appear, intent on getting to water. A very large herd brings up the rear. Their measured steps and their seriousness of purpose makes me wonder if I can translate their discipline into a photograph.
FOLLOW ME 4 – 1 OF 7 - £1,250
Follow Me Collection (Follow Me I, II, III & IV)
Amboseli National Park, Kenya. As the sun climbs this morning, herds of elephants appear, intent on getting to water. A very large herd brings up the rear. Their measured steps and their seriousness of purpose makes me wonder if I can translate their discipline into a photograph.
LET’S DANCE 1 – 1 OF 7 - £1,250
Let’s Dance Collection (Let’s Dance I, II & III)
Amboseli National Park, Kenya. Early morning on hot and dusty plains watching the herds relax and graze. I am easily engaged with elephant youngsters in front of me. I am hoping that the empty spaces of the plains surrounding the playful pair draws you in just as it did me.
LET’S DANCE 2 – 1 OF 7 - £1,250
Let’s Dance Collection (Let’s Dance I, II & III)
Amboseli National Park, Kenya. Early morning on hot and dusty plains watching the herds relax and graze. I am easily engaged with elephant youngsters in front of me. I am hoping that the empty spaces of the plains surrounding the playful pair draws you in just as it did me.
LET’S DANCE 3 – 1 OF 7 - £1,250
Let’s Dance Collection (Let’s Dance I, II & III)
Amboseli National Park, Kenya. Early morning on hot and dusty plains watching the herds relax and graze. I am easily engaged with elephant youngsters in front of me. I am hoping that the empty spaces of the plains surrounding the playful pair draws you in just as it did me.
NEARLY THERE – 1 OF 7 - £1,250
Nearly There
Amboseli National Park, Kenya. Today the herd has a sense of urgency. The swamp with its drinking water and tasty vegetation calls and one eager herd member breaks away, followed keenly by the others. Meanwhile in contrast to their urgency, the landscape that surrounds them presents a restful backdrop.
RETREAT – 1 OF 7 - £1,250
Retreat 1
Amboseli National Park, Kenya. They came in from afar, walking steadily, babies keeping pace with the adults, on their way to the wet marsh where they drink. Somehow I connected to this scene of retreating backs. They create an alternative view of the elephants: New shapes and patterns.
WHEN THE MUSIC STOPS 1 – 1 OF 7 - £1,250
When the Music Stops Collection (When the Music Stops I, II & III)
Amboseli National Park, Kenya. Although it is quiet this morning, I still cannot hear the sound of elephants walking by. Their enormous feet hit the ground with such delicacy and precision. I try in my photographs to capture a moment in time, a stillness of statues that descends when the music stops.
WHEN THE MUSIC STOPS 2 – 1 OF 7 - £1,250
When the Music Stops Collection (When the Music Stops I, II & III)
Amboseli National Park, Kenya. Although it is quiet this morning, I still cannot hear the sound of elephants walking by. Their enormous feet hit the ground with such delicacy and precision. I try in my photographs to capture a moment in time, a stillness of statues that descends when the music stops.
WHEN THE MUSIC STOPS 3 – 1 OF 7 - £1,250
When the Music Stops Collection (When the Music Stops III)
Amboseli National Park, Kenya. Although it is quiet this morning, I still cannot hear the sound of elephants walking by. Their enormous feet hit the ground with such delicacy and precision. I try in my photographs to capture a moment in time, a stillness of statues that descends when the music stops. Amboseli National Park, Kenya. The scene before me unfolds as the morning advances. With all the time in the world, the group of elephants indulges in a myriad of activities – several graze, two youngsters play, and the matriarch tickles her tummy on a termite mound. The scene relates to me trying to emulate a drawing of a tableaux.
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