A force of nature

The stunning world of wildlife photographer Frans Lanting

One of the greatest nature photographers of his generation, Frans Lanting has been documenting wild animals and wondrous landscapes for decades; his iconic images are a rallying cry for the preservation of the natural world. This year, as part of the Natural History Museum’s annual wildlife-photography exhibition, Lanting becomes the recipient of its inaugural lifetime achievement award. Here, we look back at some of his most striking shots

Water lilies, Okavango Delta, Botswana, 1989

Lanting originally went to Botswana ‘at a time when very few people knew where Botswana was’, and he brought a lot of attention to the Okavango Delta. This image depicts water lilies from underneath, so the viewer is looking up at them as if they are suspended and reaching to the sky. ‘I wanted to express an exuberance of life, and to emphasise the fact that the Okavango Delta is just a thin sheet of water on top of the Kalahari desert – and that is what these water lilies symbolise for me,’ he says.

Chinstrap penguins on iceberg, Antarctica, 1995

‘This iceberg in the Weddell Sea off Antarctica was the size of a cathedral, and nine tenths of it is still underwater,’ says Lanting. ‘The chinstrap penguins helped to create a sense of scale. The blue ice is the result of ice being compressed over time at the bottom of glaciers, or ice shelves. This is really old ice and, as a result of global warming, more and more old ice is breaking off. So this image is symbolic of a gigantic process that is transforming Antarctica and the world at large. I’ve never seen an iceberg like that since.’

Wandering albatrosses courting, South Georgia Island, 1987

Lanting camped on the island, in the southern Atlantic Ocean, having waited weeks to capture this key moment of courtship when all the right circumstances came together: ‘It’s not just the behaviour of the birds, it’s the brooding clouds that help to define the environment. When the male spread those gigantic wings, I knew what was about to happen and chose a position right behind him. You can see the reluctant female, who’s not quite sure whether she wants to become part of his dance.’

‘This image is symbolic of a gigantic process that is transforming Antarctica and the world at large’

‘A volcano erupted nearby, and the fog and dust created an ominous amber glow’

Giant tortoises in pond, Alcedo Volcano, Galápagos Islands, 1984

Alcedo Volcano is still active (the last eruption was in 1993). ‘While we were camping inside, another volcano erupted, which led to this atmospheric fog mixing with volcanic dust, creating an ominous amber glow. It worked well with what I was trying to depict – another world closed off from the rest of the planet.’ Lanting considers this image a time capsule, as it shows the prehistoric nature of the Galápagos. ‘Goats have overrun the island and this habitat has been destroyed.’

Frans Lanting at work, Luangwa Valley, Zambia, 2005

Now

67, Lanting continues to explore the world with as much enthusiasm and even more of a sense of urgency as when he started out. ‘In the last three decades, the world’s population and the level of consumption have increased dramatically,’ he says. ‘We’re not making enough progress when it comes to protecting these crucial habitats – we can’t continue to damage ecosystems to the point that they’re not serving humanity; we need to keep the planet alive for all of us.’