#GIRAFFE PREDATORS BLACK AND WHITE SERIES#

The tallest mammals in the world, modern giraffes ( Giraffa camelopardalis - from the old name “camel-leopard) grow on average to 14-18 feet tall (4-5m) and weigh in at around 1,500–3,000lb (680-1360kg). With the legs of a mantis, the spots of a leopard, and the skyscraper neck, the giraffe encapsulates so many features of evolution in one animal - previous versions adapting and altering with stops and starts, advancing and reverting over many millions of years, until we reach the wonderful modern giraffe. We’ve seen them in books and on television documentaries, but it’s not until you actually meet a giraffe do you fully appreciate just how unusual and beautiful they are. Gradually, I realised I was able to predict the giraffes’ movements a little better, becoming more in-sync with these towering animals and their rapid head movements, and after a while they rewarded me with a number of portraits. But, patience is a virtue, so they say, and I was working to the giraffes’ timetable, so, re-frame the composition, and try again. Just as I framed a portrait and had a clean sharp focus, suddenly my view through the lens was of the out-of-focus trees in the distance. It was fun, but also quite a challenge not just because they are tall, and more difficult to fit in the camera frame close-up, but also because their head and neck move surprisingly fast a little like a slightly out-of-control construction site crane.

#GIRAFFE PREDATORS BLACK AND WHITE SERIES#

I really enjoyed photographing these giraffes for my Behind The Eyes series of black and white animal prints.

Giraffe predators black and white