Animal

From the elegance of studio portraits to the timeless beauty of a black-and-white portfolio of Africa, from the adrenaline of the kill to the charm of infant animals, James Balog takes us on a vivid journey through the animal world. In this stunning anthology, we see nearly one hundred photographs, ranging from well-known, charismatic species like elephants, lions, and wolves to obscure, nearly extinct animals like rare reptiles and birds. No matter what the setting, Balog's work reveals to us the abundance of beauty, personality, and emotional power in the other animals who share the earth with Homo sapiens. Neither romanticizing the animals nor condescending to them, Balog breaks from traditional assumptions of what nature photography should be. Instead, Balog first overturns the boundaries of our expectations with portraits in the studio style usually reserved for humans; he then goes so far as to confront the reality of humans hunting animals, and digs below surface appearances to find meaning in such scenes. In this bold work, he acknowledges animals as they are --- wild, captive, or somewhere along the uneasy boundary between the two---and charts the ever-present tension between the natural and civilized. 60 color illustrations.