I spent my entire childhood in Kenya at a time when wildlife was on my doorstep. There, I got enchanted by the wide open spaces where you could almost touch the sky. Quickly, I got fascinated by animals living free and wild in these pristine landscapes. As I grew up, my compulsion to photograph wild animals in their space became stronger and stronger. The first step toward fine art photography was to embrace black and white photography since it dawned on me that a black and white photograph, if done properly, can be like a drawing made by an artist. This idea better interprets the mood of a place and the personality of a wild animal than color photography. Subsequently, I honed in my technique such that I could use the camera to “draw” as if with a pencil. Finally, having arrived at my taste for beauty and mystery I considered my philosophy which is that aspects of human nature – ecological profligacy and the impulse to kill and destroy - make it impossible for humans and wildlife to co-exist peacefully in the long run. For wild animals to live true to their nature, a sanctuary is needed. After all, a lion in the wild is a lion but a lion in a zoo is not a lion. So, I have attempted to create a timeless world in which I imagine animals as they are, doing their own thing, at their natural pace in their own space. Now I find consolation by tiptoeing in this imaginary world and feel a beautiful moment, watching enigmatic beings being themselves.
