On Open Plains: Preview
Created over the last three years during William’s shoots across Africa, Asia and the Arctic, this collection features some of William’s most engaging work to date.
Focussed, as ever, on wild subjects in their natural environment, every shot has been taken by hand without the use of remote cameras, something William has always deemed a crucial aspect of his work.
“It is vital to me all my work is created by hand, without remotes. The ability to react at a split seconds notice can be the difference between a good image and a great one, it allows me to read my subjects emotions and portray that to the viewer, ensuring the image is as close to the wild encounter as it can possibly be.”
— William Fortescue
Heaven and Earth
William’s favourite lion image to date, possibly his all time best image to date, Heaven and Earth is his attempt to shoot a lion portrait from an angle rarely attempted by hand before.
Taken from mere feet from the lion, lying on his front in an open sided vehicle allowed him to frame the lion against the approaching storm, an appropriate metaphor for lion behaviour in the region.
The proximity of William to the lion was key to the image and it took eight days just to get a five second window.
The first print now hangs in William’s office with sales expected to fly in 2024.
Romance is Dead
Throughout William’s work there is usually a feeling of calm, for that is how he endeavours to keep the encounters between him and his wild subjects.
Every now and then though something happens that leaves William stunned. Three years ago it was the fighting bull elephants that resulted in Rumble in the Jungle, the now sold out print, this year it was this moment between a lion and lioness.
Again this image is all about the angle and perspective, taken as if lying in the grass next to them, which William almost was. A worthy successor to Rumble in the Jungle may finally exist.
Last of the Mohicans
“Lion portraits are so often taken from a distance, a long telephoto lens used to capture just the nose and eyes of the subject.
As always I was keen to show as much of my subject and its environment as possible so spent many hours over a number of days searching for the right lion; one with a huge mane that would allow me to get close enough for a low angle shot framing him against the sky.
The storm reflects the tones in his mane beautifully and that gaze feels like he just knows so much more than we do.”
William
The rest of the collection will be released in early 2024.
Behind The Scenes
See the moment the first print of Heaven and Earth came off the printer and hear the story behind the shot from William himself.
