Wild Encounters

African Elephant

An African elephant, caught in a moment of stillness, turning its gaze toward the camera. There is something in the eyes of an elephant that is difficult to look away from — a quality of attention that feels mutual, and ancient.

Antelope Eyes

A portrait of watchfulness. This antelope was alert to everything around it — the sounds of the bush, the position of other animals, the presence of the camera. For a moment, it looked directly into the lens. This is that moment.

Baby Baboon

A curious baby baboon regards you with wide, innocent eyes and a gentle smile, its youthful features rendered in soft browns that capture the playful spirit and endearing vulnerability of Africa's young primates.

Baby Giraffe

A baby giraffe encountered on the savanna, regarding the camera with a quizzical directness that belies its age. Even the very young, it turns out, have opinions about being watched.

Black Backed Jackal

The jackal has a reputation as a scavenger and opportunist, which does it something of a disservice. Up close, it is a study in precision — those large ears, that keen expression, nothing wasted. This one turned and held the gaze for just long enough.

Cape Buffalo

The cape buffalo is regarded by many guides as the most dangerous animal in Africa — not because it is aggressive by nature, but because it is unpredictable. This one regarded the camera with what appeared to be calm assessment. Appeared to be.

Cheetah

A cheetah at close range, with that characteristic open-mouthed expression and those extraordinary tear-stripe markings. The fastest land animal on earth, at rest, looking back.

Golden Monkey

A golden monkey in the highland forests of Rwanda — a species found only in a small region of Central Africa, in the same mountain habitat as the mountain gorilla. The orange eyes are extraordinary in life. The camera barely does them justice.

Vulture

The vulture is not the obvious choice for a wildlife portrait collection. But those orange eyes are as arresting as anything in the African bush — ancient, unwavering, and entirely indifferent to your discomfort. Africa's great scavenger deserves its place here.

Leopard

This leopard had been hiding in a cave. Our guide spotted him — not directly, but by reading the behaviour of monkeys in the trees above, who were watching the cave intently. We parked and waited. After a long stillness, the leopard emerged, fixed us with this stare, and walked slowly toward the vehicle for a few steps before turning and disappearing into the bush. The whole encounter lasted perhaps thirty seconds.

Gorilla

A silverback mountain gorilla in the Virunga forests of Rwanda — one of fewer than a thousand mountain gorillas remaining in the wild. The encounter takes place on foot, at close range, in the animal's own habitat. Nothing about it feels routine.