20
B+W
The Last Great Picture by Michael ‘Nick’ Nichols © Michael ‘Nick’ Nichols/Wildlife Photographer of the YearEXHIBITION OF THE MONTH
The winning image of the 50th Wildlife Photographer of the
Year came as a surprise to some, but helped cement B&W as
a leading genre in contemporary photography competitions.
Anna Bonita Evans looks at the exhibition of successful
images through the monochrome lens.
NEWS
S
etting itself apart
from the other 14
winning images in
the 2014 Wildlife
Photographer of the
Year competition is
The Last Great Picture, Michael
‘Nick’ Nichols’ powerful black
& white photograph depicting
a pride of lionesses resting on the
plains of Tanzania’s Serengeti.
Nichols’ monochrome scene
caused quite a stir when it was
announced as the overall winner
last October. Beating more
than 42,000 entries to gain the
prestigious title, the evocative
picture reinforces how the black
& white genre is gaining therecognition it deserves in global
photography competitions.
From its coal coloured blacks to
illuminating whites, The Last
Great Picture was shot using
infra-red. Capturing the spirit
of his subject to maximum
effect, Nichols shows how
graphic strength and tonal range
challenges colour in a field of
photography where the latter
may, at times, take prominence.
A photographer and Editor at
Large for National Geographic
magazine, Michael ‘Nick’ Nicholshas highly held ethics when it
comes to documenting wildlife.
Believing in keeping disturbances
to the animals and their
environments to a minimum,
Nichols followed this particular
group of lionesses for six months
so they became used to his
presence. When asked about his
aim as a wildlife photographer
in an interview with National
Geographic, Nichols’ said it is:
‘to capture images that surprise
viewers and invite a sense of
intimacy with the natural world.’O
ther finalists in
the B&W category
include Juan Jesus
Gonzalez Ahumada
from Spain, Jasper Doest from
the Netherlands and Gavin Leane
from Ireland. Pedro Carrillo’s
picture Ray Rhythm (pictured
opposite) was also one of the
finalists. Travelling to Cabo
Pulmo National Park to witness
the congregations of thousands
of mobula rays, Carrillo says, ‘To
me this is a photograph about
rhythm, the synchronous opening
and closing of the rays’ wings and
their dark forms contrasting with
the delicately textured white sand.’
For the next six months 100‘Nichols’ monochrome scene caused quite a stir
when it was announced as the overall winner.’