About this photograph :
Girafe au dessus des nuages
This photograph is part of the Land of lions, series, an extract from the best by photographer Laurent Baheux. Whoever has had the opportunity to observe the great African fauna in its natural surroundings knows about this indefinable feeling, a mix of respect, fascination and incredulity faced with so much beauty and strength. As one of his photos alone is worth a thousand words, here is the translation of this feeling... The day that you wake up in Africa, will be when this is revealed to you. With all its strength and brutality, the wild life impregnates, possesses and transforms you for ever. Laurent did not escape its hold, and this was beyond all his imagination before setting foot on the continent. From now on in danger, because the fragile balance which has always governed the harmony of the living has been upset, this “terra incognita ubi sunt leones” (unknown land where lions live, as named by the geographers before its exploration), prey to the destruction of the wild species and natural spaces today only offers the remains of its past splendour.
This is what Laurent intends to show us, the remaining parts of this Africa, one that existed before the arrival of white men, the last traces of a life-size world, entirely dedicated to the animal kingdom, sometimes gentle, often cruel, just as strong as it is vulnerable. His quest immortalises ephemeral moments that Nature wants to offer him, like many precious marvels. Laurent provides a vision of animal beauty which resounds in each of us. Which he refuses to allow to disappear…
About the artist :
Laurent
Baheux
Laurent Baheux was attracted to journalism and editing at first, rapidly discovering a passion for photography and becoming a self-taught photographer. His devoted practice and his knowledge of the sporting world opened the doors to the top press photography agencies. From then on, he covered the main international competitions and channelled his energy towards conditions of speed and extreme demand. He has always been fascinated by Africa. From 2002, during a visit to Tanzania, he began private work on the wild fauna, its beauty, strength, roughness and great fragility. He chose black and white, with its play on shadow, light and contrast, to immortalise rare and ephemeral scenes of nature, constantly trying to sublimate the animals, to capture the magnificence of their attitudes, the emotion of their look… Through this authentic quest, Laurent wants to show the vividness of these species which are still alive, but more menaced than ever, and the immense richness that they represent for the planet. In the continuity of his photographic commitment, he accompanies and supports the deeds of organisations which work for the protection of nature and the preservation of biodiversity. He is also the author of Land of lions, a sensitive and moving work in black and white, like an ode to wild life...