Photographer Profiles

Plain Sight

Andy Biggs shot this striking image of a giraffe under an acacia tree on the Serengeti Plains in Tanzania, Africa, in 2007.

“I was guiding a photo safari and on this game drive we were intentionally driving away from the predator-rich areas and out on the open plains in hopes of intercepting herds of giraffe or elephants, on their way to drink water in the heat of the day,” Biggs says about the shot. “We found this lone tree with an adult giraffe underneath, and the combination of form, light, and texture made for a simple yet effective illustration of life on the open plains.”

He captured the photo with a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi and a 24-105mm lens at 32mm, 1/60 second, f/11, ISO 100. The image was later converted to infrared black and white.

“I believe that black and white can be more interpretive, and more aggressive dodging, burning, and local adjustments can be made before a viewer thinks an image is overworked,” Biggs explains. “For me it is all about storytelling, and to do this I like to collect as many adjectives as possible to help illustrate a story. Black-and-white photography is an easier medium for me to illustrate adjectives, and in this case I like to attribute the following words: remote, timeless, regal, hopeful, positive, uplifting, and heroic.”

You can see more of his work at www.andybiggs.com.