PHOTOGRAPHY & FILM: CHRIS FALLOWS SPEAKS TO WILDLIFE-Watchers.com ABOUT HIS LOVE FOR THE OCEAN AND WHITE SHARKS
22 November 2024
By Dave Rowntree
By Dave Rowntree
Renowned Fine Art Wildlife Photographer and friend of Wildlife-Watchers.com Chris Fallows' magnificent images of Great White Sharks have been leaving audiences open-mouthed recently.
Fallows has spent decades in close proximity to his subjects photographing many magnificent wild animals across the globe amassing a truly unique Fine art portfolio both above and below the water which he has just launched.
The 47-year-old from Cape Town, South Africa, who first fell in love with animals at the age of just two has dedicated his life to raising funds through his Fine Art sales to purchase land in Africa for habitat restoration, community involvement and protection of wildlife. To this end, together with his wife Monique they have visited hundreds of remote locations around the world and spent around 150 days a year at sea and 100 days a year in the bush, mostly self guided, trying to capture just one or two truly exceptional fine art photographs.
As a Fine Art photographer Fallows believes everything is in the detail. He told Wildlife-Watchers.com "It is my aim to tell a story about each of my subjects and have the works create a connection with my audience. I am not motivated by simply taking a wildlife photograph”.
As such a significant amount of planning goes into each photograph he takes. The clouds, the uncluttered, aesthetically pleasing back rounds, the low and wide angle and the very close proximity to his subjects are all hall marks of his work.
“When I choose a destination to photograph all of these considerations comes into play in terms of the season I visit, the behaviour I aim to capture and the degree of flexibility I have to spend inordinate amounts of time alone with my subjects waiting for all the ingredients to come together.
"Whilst you plan meticulously to bring the pieces of the puzzle together, to create a work of art, all the animals I work with are wild and you are in the hands of the gods as to whether your plans come to fruition.”
"The risk is very high as on the seaward side facing the shark my camera and lens is completely exposed just inches off the ocean. One big splash or wave and it’s game over."
“I still feel the surge of adrenaline when I think of that magnificent sight of a breaching great white shark where everything came together.”
Moody clouds and an incredibly athletic shark that jumped 12ft high displaying a classic profile, hard to beat!"
"Having exposure to wildlife from such an early age has taught me a huge amount about my subjects and created a desire in me to create fine art works that are as exceptional as the animals on the other side of the lens. When I look at one of my exhibition sized 6ft wide fine art prints, where it feels like you can literally walk under the shark, I finally feel I have done the sharks justice and created a truly collectable art piece representing one of the most spectacular creatures on the planet."
"When I set up a shoot for Africa’s iconic land animals like elephants or lions I choose locations that are aesthetically clean, offering unobstructed back rounds and enhance my subject rather than detract from it. I love the dry season as the bush is far more sparse, wildlife is focused around water sources, and the dust and clouds just before the rainy season add an elemental feel invoking the emotion of how tough it is to survive out there."
"For my monochrome works, clouds are very important as are strong elements such as rocks, orderly trees, flowing grass and dust.
For my portfolio of colour images places like the dusty plains of Etosha in Northern Namibia work great for the softer artistic look, especially at the change of seasons. I seek out iconic animals, I look for tuskers when I photograph elephants, black manned lions and where possible large or adult great whites. Whatever it is I look for that which represents the most iconic of a species. Sadly to find many of these animals nowadays is an achievement in itself."
"When on the ocean my go to lenses have been my trusty Canon 70-200 F2.8 which is very versatile, especially when I shoot huge schools of dolphin, whales or hunting sharks. Big lenses simply don’t work due to the rocking of the boat and moving platform that you work from. When circumstances allow however you will always find me wide angle in hand, right now I love my 11-24 F4.0. My two bodies, a Canon 1DXmk2 and Canon 5d4.
For the bush, pretty much the same gear. I still carry my 200-400 and occasionally even a 600F4 but I find wherever I can, going shorter, wider, closer and lower. I want my audience to look up in awe rather than down."
Whilst ever increasingly the limited edition prints of Chris' work hang in collectors homes, it is equally his desire that young people get inspired through the images to protect and conserve wildlife for the present and the planets future.
"I have had the most incredible career filled with some of the most intense, intimate and thrilling experiences with iconic mega fauna all around the planet. In an effort to bring the wonder of the natural world into every day people’s lives I engage in public speaking and host documentaries using the Art work to highlight the need of conservation of the planet's wildlife."
"When it comes to representation of my work I look for leading galleries and exhibition venues that embrace the conservation ethos we support."
Percentages of funds raised by the sale of Chris’ fine art goes towards various non profit organisations involved in conservation and the Fallows’ use their funds for the purchase of land for wildlife habitat restoration.
Fallows has spent decades in close proximity to his subjects photographing many magnificent wild animals across the globe amassing a truly unique Fine art portfolio both above and below the water which he has just launched.
The 47-year-old from Cape Town, South Africa, who first fell in love with animals at the age of just two has dedicated his life to raising funds through his Fine Art sales to purchase land in Africa for habitat restoration, community involvement and protection of wildlife. To this end, together with his wife Monique they have visited hundreds of remote locations around the world and spent around 150 days a year at sea and 100 days a year in the bush, mostly self guided, trying to capture just one or two truly exceptional fine art photographs.
As a Fine Art photographer Fallows believes everything is in the detail. He told Wildlife-Watchers.com "It is my aim to tell a story about each of my subjects and have the works create a connection with my audience. I am not motivated by simply taking a wildlife photograph”.
As such a significant amount of planning goes into each photograph he takes. The clouds, the uncluttered, aesthetically pleasing back rounds, the low and wide angle and the very close proximity to his subjects are all hall marks of his work.
“When I choose a destination to photograph all of these considerations comes into play in terms of the season I visit, the behaviour I aim to capture and the degree of flexibility I have to spend inordinate amounts of time alone with my subjects waiting for all the ingredients to come together.
"Whilst you plan meticulously to bring the pieces of the puzzle together, to create a work of art, all the animals I work with are wild and you are in the hands of the gods as to whether your plans come to fruition.”
"The risk is very high as on the seaward side facing the shark my camera and lens is completely exposed just inches off the ocean. One big splash or wave and it’s game over."
“I still feel the surge of adrenaline when I think of that magnificent sight of a breaching great white shark where everything came together.”
Moody clouds and an incredibly athletic shark that jumped 12ft high displaying a classic profile, hard to beat!"
"Having exposure to wildlife from such an early age has taught me a huge amount about my subjects and created a desire in me to create fine art works that are as exceptional as the animals on the other side of the lens. When I look at one of my exhibition sized 6ft wide fine art prints, where it feels like you can literally walk under the shark, I finally feel I have done the sharks justice and created a truly collectable art piece representing one of the most spectacular creatures on the planet."
"When I set up a shoot for Africa’s iconic land animals like elephants or lions I choose locations that are aesthetically clean, offering unobstructed back rounds and enhance my subject rather than detract from it. I love the dry season as the bush is far more sparse, wildlife is focused around water sources, and the dust and clouds just before the rainy season add an elemental feel invoking the emotion of how tough it is to survive out there."
"For my monochrome works, clouds are very important as are strong elements such as rocks, orderly trees, flowing grass and dust.
For my portfolio of colour images places like the dusty plains of Etosha in Northern Namibia work great for the softer artistic look, especially at the change of seasons. I seek out iconic animals, I look for tuskers when I photograph elephants, black manned lions and where possible large or adult great whites. Whatever it is I look for that which represents the most iconic of a species. Sadly to find many of these animals nowadays is an achievement in itself."
"When on the ocean my go to lenses have been my trusty Canon 70-200 F2.8 which is very versatile, especially when I shoot huge schools of dolphin, whales or hunting sharks. Big lenses simply don’t work due to the rocking of the boat and moving platform that you work from. When circumstances allow however you will always find me wide angle in hand, right now I love my 11-24 F4.0. My two bodies, a Canon 1DXmk2 and Canon 5d4.
For the bush, pretty much the same gear. I still carry my 200-400 and occasionally even a 600F4 but I find wherever I can, going shorter, wider, closer and lower. I want my audience to look up in awe rather than down."
Whilst ever increasingly the limited edition prints of Chris' work hang in collectors homes, it is equally his desire that young people get inspired through the images to protect and conserve wildlife for the present and the planets future.
"I have had the most incredible career filled with some of the most intense, intimate and thrilling experiences with iconic mega fauna all around the planet. In an effort to bring the wonder of the natural world into every day people’s lives I engage in public speaking and host documentaries using the Art work to highlight the need of conservation of the planet's wildlife."
"When it comes to representation of my work I look for leading galleries and exhibition venues that embrace the conservation ethos we support."
Percentages of funds raised by the sale of Chris’ fine art goes towards various non profit organisations involved in conservation and the Fallows’ use their funds for the purchase of land for wildlife habitat restoration.
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