Lion in the wind
Laurent Baheux
France, 1970
Laurent Baheux is a French photographer renowned for his majestic wildlife photography in low exposure, high contrast black and white. His work has made headlines in some of the most striking and influential awareness campaigns for organisations such as World Wildlife Fund and United National Environment Programme. His charity initiatives extend beyond the reproduction of his images: Baheux is also a UNEP Goodwill Ambassador for the anti-poaching initiative. His career is punctuated with awards and honours, including Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year (2007) and the Moscow International Foto Awards (2016).
Baheaux’s Land of Lions series pits strength and vulnerability against one another in much the same way as the stark black and clear white of his mesmerising, often frightening, photography. The endangered species of Africa’s brutal plains are captured in his work in their natural habitats. There is a sense of urgency about Baheux’s intentions to photograph these animals; the fragile, volatile balance of their existence is at risk. Through the Land of Lions series, Baheux illustrates for his viewers the remaining parts of Africa. It is an immortalisation of threatened beauty, species and thus, of a threatened humanity.