Zebra’s are the ultimate subject for a black and white fine art photographer. The lines challenge your eyes to convey what they want to see. Composing an image with these African equids relies on contrast, lines and emotion. This sounds fairly easy, but due to the capricious nature of zebras it actually is the biggest challenge in photographing these animals. They tend to run off before you can actually play with the well known patterns, which are visually synonymous for Africa. So you have to rely on trial and error, pre-focus and trust that your preconception of the right your depth of field pays off.
I am an artist rather than a wildlife photographer. So anything that hints at a sense of interpretation is helpful. And the serene composition, abstract, widescreen cropping of this image is for the most part why it works. It may not be an impressive big tusker. Or a primate which is intimidating. But it is a big image in an artistic kind of way.
Jochen van Dijk
Mburo National Park, Uganda
25/01/2020