ENTRY DESCRIPTION
The Serengeti is believed to hold the largest population of lions in Africa, with over 3,000 individuals, making it undoubtedly the land of lions. When I found this pride of lions on the open short grass plains of Eastern Serengeti, I immediately thought I needed to create a group portrait. I am always looking to make photographs different from anything I have ever taken, and this was definitely one of those moments.

I often aim for my portraits, especially of predators, to be striking and imposing, which means my camera needs to be extremely close to the subject. I used a remote-controlled camera to safely capture the shot without disturbing them with a large vehicle. My remote-controlled buggy allowed me to move the camera into position and adjust the composition, a technique I mastered over the past five years.

In the morning, lions are often very active; seeing a foreign object can sometimes intrigue them. All the credit goes to the Lions for this shot; they couldn’t have positioned themselves into a better composition.

I haven’t used a remote camera since 2021, as I have designed specially modified vehicles, but images like this make me want to keep using them. It is such a low-percentage game with a high chance of losing your camera, making it such a thrilling experience when you finally get the shot.

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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