Nick Brandt and the story of Qumquat

I have posted on Nick Brandt's work before, but it would never be enough for me.  This time I am posting with particular emphasis on the story of the beautiful and awe-inspiring Matriarch of two generations, Qumquat (born in 1968) who, along with some of her family, were slaughtered by poachers.  These two photographs above are of 1) Qumquat and her daughter and granddaughter, and 2) Qumquat and her family.

A few purposes of this post are to bring awareness regarding the massacre of elephants and other animals in Africa by poachers; to let you know how you can help; and to display Nick Brandt's powerful and moving imagery.  I will let you experience your own reactions and resist the urge to editorialize with just a few exceptions:

The story of Qumquat and many of Brandt's photographs (when not bringing me sheer joy) bring me to absolute tears. 

When an elephant calf, like Qumquat's baby, experiences their mother's death and then even worse is witness to her being butchered by poachers where they literally cut out the face of the elephant and take the tusks, that calf mourns deeply and as in the case of Quanza, she was found keeping vigil over her mother's body.  She was traumatized.  These animals FEEL things deeply.  They are gentle, sensitive and loving creatures.

Anyone buying ivory is just as much a murderer.  I believe there should not only be fines (with the money going to conservation and protection efforts) for anyone in possession of ivory and a criminal charge should be imposed.

Please read the story of Qumquat and her family by clicking on this link.  This next link has more information and a few disturbing photographs, but if you can skip looking at them, you can read about The Rescue of Quanza which includes background on Amboseli where Qumquat lived and a follow-up report.  It is worth reading.

Please donate to Big Life - you can read about their mission here and I am quite sure any amount of a donation is appreciated. 

Here is some more of Nick Brandt's work.  I have not included captions (at least for now), but for this first one since it is another case of the slaughter of a magnificent and majestic Matriarch of her herd.

Elephants Walking Through Grass, Amboseli 2008. Leading Matriarch Killed By Poachers, 2009

scale, perspective, depth ... & the Eiffel Tower

Richard Avedon (1959)

I had posted this photograph (above) previously and explained that this was a matter of Genius x 2. Two of my favorite artists -- Richard Avedon, the photographer and the subject, Marc Chagall, the painter. Here are two more shots that make use of the Eiffel Tower and create depth by use of a person in the background.

Walde Huth

Frank Horvat (1974)

Photographs from Kazakhstan / Sergei Ivanovich Borisov

I was looking up something on Kazakhstan and came across these beautiful photographs.  The photographs were taken between 1911 and 1914, and they are the work of Sergei Ivanovich Borisov (1867-1931), a Russian photographer.  More than 1000 of his images from his trek across the mountain areas of Altai were used as postcards for the Russian Empire.  They appear to be black & white photographs that were then hand-coloured, but I have not been able to confirm that.  Meanwhile, Sergei Prokudin-Gorski, another Russian photographer from that same period, had a few patents for his colour technique.  [Source]  So, indeed colour images were being produced at this time, but, these shots by Borisov still look to me to be hand-coloured b&ws.  Whatever they are, I hope you enjoy them! 

Kazakh woman in traditional wedding dress

Kazakh man on horse with Golden Eagle



 Inside a Kazakh Yurt

View of Cherga Village

Chuya Trakt on the Slopes of the Boma Kyngrar

POSTSCRIPT:  As it turns out, two days prior to this post without my having seen it, there was a post on The Photo-Eye Blog featuring the work of John Delaney and his series of photographs on the nomadic people of Kazakhstan and Mongolia and in particular, their training of Golden Eagles.  Uncanny timing!  I am happy to now have a context for the shot of the man holding the Golden Eagle.  Now we have a story behind it.  You can read an interview with John Delaney and see some of his work on the Golden Eagle Nomads by clicking here.  

National Geographic

I'm not sure if this is a matter of the "decisive moment" or more a matter of scrambling to get a shot and actually getting it!  Here is the caption Daniel Dolpire provided to National Geographic "Your Shot" when he submitted this photograph.  

"I took this "once-in-a-lifetime" shot at Klein's Camp in the Serengeti, Tanzania.  We came upon these lions at 7:17 in the morning. I scrambled for my two camera bodies (Nikon D4 and D3s and 200mm-400mm and 500mm) and got the shot! Exactly six minutes later the first lion got up and within another five minutes, three were sleeping and the other three had gone off into the bush! I have been taking wildlife photos for over 20 years, but this has got to be my special moment!"

Sebastião Salgado

As I put together this collection of images, I am reminded of how small we are in this world.  As I look at Salgado's work and each time I go back to it, everything around me, the things that consume my personal daily life, just dissipate.  Here is the magnificent and awe-inspiring work of one of my all time favorite photographers, Sebastião Salgado ... 

Arizona, USA [Grand Canyon]

Kafue National Park, Zambia [buffalos]

Bushman, Botswana [Bird Man]

Chinstrap Penguins, Deception Island, Antarctica

Kafue National Park, Zambia [elephants]
 

Sahara, Algeria [man praying]

 The Eastern part of the Brooks Range, a mountain range that stretches through Alaska and Canada

Boys fleeing from southern Sudan [refugee camp]
 

Woman's head with flowers in her hair, India [coffee plantation]

Dinka Group at Pagarau Cattle Camp

Dinka man at the cattle camp of Kei, South Africa

Indians Fishing, Mato Grosso State, Brazil
 

Group portrait of all the Kamayura Shamans [board of directors]
 

Iceberg Between Paulet Islands and the Shetland Islands, Antarctica

Marine Iguana, Rabida Island, the Galapagos [tail]
 

Church Gate Station, Western Railroad Line, Bombay India

Villagers in exodus between Tokar and Karora [Exodus]
 

The Gold Mine, Serra Pelada, Brazil

Mentawai girls, Siberut island, Indonesia

This used to be the Large Lake Faguibine in Mali, on the Southern edge of the Sahara Desert situated 80 km West of Timbuktu [Boy/Dry Lake]
 

Children's Ward in the Korem Refugee Camp in Ethiopia [mother and child]

Workers Place a New Wellhead, Oil Wells, Kuwait

The population of the cattle camp of Keny in Southern Sudan walk toward the polio vaccinators
 

Rwandan refugee camp at Benako. Early in the morning, thousands of Rwandans walk to the lake near the camp to collect water; Tanzania

Boat People, Beach of Vung Tau, Vietnam
 

Mountain Zebra [they are confined to hilly country]
 

Zo'e Group, State of Para, Brazil [Zo'e Women]

 Nenets, an indigenous nomadic people, whose subsistence come from reindeer herding, South Yamal region, Siberia, Russia

  Nenets, an indigenous nomadic people, whose subsistence come from reindeer herding, South Yamal region, Siberia, Russia

 Korem Refugee Camp in Ethiopia 

 Bushwoman, Botswana

 Bushwomen collecting caterpillars, The Kalahari Desert, Botswana

 Nenets, an indigenous nomadic people, whose subsistence come from reindeer herding, South Yamal region, Siberia, Russia

 Nenets, an indigenous nomadic people, whose subsistence come from reindeer herding, South Yamal region, Siberia, Russia

 Zaire Orphanage

 School in the Lake Victoria region, Kenya

 The community of Yuracruz, Ecuador [girl]

 Guatemala [little girl carrying candy apples]

 Marine Iguana, Rabida Island, the Galapagos [Iguana claw]

Adelita Peninsula Valdez, Atlantic coast of Patagonia, Argentina [whale's tail]