August 19 : 2024
Kyriakos Kaziras
"In 22 years of photographing in Africa, this was the first time I'd been able to take a portrait like that."
by Lily Fierman
" HALF BROTHERS"
Q:
Can you please tell us more about the making of your winning image, “HALF BROTHERS”?
A:
We have just celebrated 6 years since this picture was shot, on 17 August 2018, at Olare Motorogi in Kenya. I spent 5 weeks following a female cheetah and her 4 cubs, who were moving between Naboisho, Olare Motorogi, and the Masai Mara.
The cheetahs were walking 400 meters from a termite mound. My friend and Masai guide, Patrick Koriata, had seen cheetahs climb this termite mound several times.
We positioned ourselves 7 meters from it. I had adjusted the extender 2x on my 600mm and we waited. After an hour's wait, the mother arrived, but she lay down on the other side of the termite mound and her young one’s followed her. As she was in the shade, we thought she was going to sleep and we were ready to leave.
I was in the process of removing the extender when 2 of her cubs climbed onto the termite mound and started looking at us. They were glued together and I could see the diagonal between their eyes and the diagonal between their tears. I clicked the shutter instinctively, and the next second the picture they had formed had disappeared.
In 22 years of photographing in Africa, this was the first time I'd been able to take a portrait like that.
Q:
In your bio, you mention painting inspires and influences you. How does this relate to your photography?
A:
My paternal grandfather was a painter, and my maternal grandfather was a photographer, and I wanted to combine the two arts.
I am very influenced by Baroque painting. The composition of a photograph can be very similar to that of a painting: the play of contrasts in light, the light and shade, the diagonal lines of force, and the characters communicating through their eyes. All these elements are essential to the composition of a photograph.
Q:
Who are some of your favorite artists that you look to for inspiration?
A:
Painting:
Velázquez, Rubens, Rembrandt
Photography:
Herb Ritts, George Platt Lynes, Kostas Balafas
Cinema:
Edgar Reitz with his HEIMAT Trilogy, in which every shot is a photograph.
Terrence Malick's Days of Heaven
Q:
What are some of your dream subjects?
A:
Shooting with a view camera in Africa, like the pioneers of wildlife photography in the early 19th century.
Q:
How do you know when you’ve got the shot when photographing wildlife?
A:
I know instinctively when I press the shutter whether a photo is exceptional.
Q:
What do you look for in your photos of wildlife?
A:
I want to highlight the beauty of the animal world and trigger an emotion in the viewer.
I select animals [just as I would] top models. A lion with a huge belly that has just eaten is inevitably less photogenic.
Q:
What are you photographing next?
A:
I'm in the process of finishing a new book on cheetahs, leopards and the black panther. At the same time, I'm working on my 5th book on polar bears.
ARTIST
