ENTRY DESCRIPTION
Photographing a male lion or in fact any lion at less than 2 feet away in the wild has been an ambition that I have obsessed over for more than a year as I continue to strive towards taking images from viewpoints that no human alive today can possibly imagine. I think this image achieves that.

The success rate of working with remote cameras with wide angle lenses is not high at all but I feel this is the length one must go to in order to create imposing and striking images of dangerous wildlife worthy of being hung on walls in large sizes.

This impressive male lion is part of a coalition that rules the Borana Conservancy, and they have become renowned for bringing down Giraffe, Buffalo and Eland. Here, he stands proudly, gazing into the distance like a roman ruler but displaying his battle scars as he continues to fight off intruding rivals. He is without doubt the Baron of Borana.

AUTHOR
James Lewin is a rapidly emerging contemporary photographic artist. He has a passion for conservation, focusing his attention on capturing African Wildlife in its most natural form.

By exercising an immersive and intimate approach, Lewin stives to connect people with East Africa’s magnificent yet vulnerable inhabitants. To capture his striking portraits, he utilises wide- angle lenses from highly unique perspectives, allowing the viewer to feel as if they were beside the animals within the frame. He views his work as an influential tool to raise both awareness and funds for the creatures he admires and spends time with. Twenty percent of every sale feeds directly back to conservation projects in Africa.

Lewin’s photographs have a timeless quality and convey that his wildlife subjects are endangered and may one day only be remembered through photography. He finds black & white a powerful reminder of this as people often associate a monochrome aesthetic with history. Like the photographic masters such as Sebastiao Salgado & Terry O’Neil, Lewin prints his work on silver gelatin. These prints are made using traditional photochemistry and are far superior in archival rating to other printing methods.

James' work has been awarded in multiple International Photography Awards, including the Monochrome Awards, Nature's Best Awards, Monovisions Photography Awards, ND Awards and Outdoor Photographer of the Year. James was ranked number 1 B&W Photographer in the UK and number 4 globally in the 2021 One Eyeland Top 10 Black & White Photographers Award. This included winning Gold, Silver and Bronze in the Wildlife Category. James was also a Hasselblad Masters Finalist which is one of the most prestigious professional photographic competitions in the World.

James' work is represented by The Drang Gallery (UK), ARTITLEDcontemporary (NL), Lyons Gallery (AUS) and Isabella Garrucho Fine Art (USA).

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