LONDON.- Eleven presents David Yarrow’s new photographs. Recent Encounters is the culmination of his latest trips to some of the most remote and often climatically intimidating parts of the world from the parched plains of East Africa to the frozen Antarctic. Recent Encounters reveals some of the earth’s most exotic wildlife - such as lions, elephants, macaques, and polar bears in the habitats that define them.
As a collective they are a testimony to Yarrow’s patience, his eye, and his preparation in the field. Each moment presented in the photographs is not captured by accident, but with logistical planning and abnormal perseverance. In particular, his remote control work with the camera strategically placed just ahead of a herd of elephants in the Amboseli as in Big (2012) or a charging rhino in Lewa reflects the true enormity and power of the animals. He visually invites the viewer along with him whether he is exploring untouched corners of the planet or getting close up with some of the world’s most intriguing creatures. It is his desire to involve the audience in the narratives he captures that is the pivotal thread throughout his work.
His recent work has explored blending a human presence in surreal landscapes in a manner that offers an arresting and uncomfortable juxtaposition. Cape Churchill Canada is such a formidable frontier in winter that few choose to visit and consequently it offers unfamiliar and untouched landscapes. The results offer a unity of fantasy and reality and are the latest example of Yarrow’s quest to present imagery not seen by others. In an era of information overload, this becomes harder by the day, but a challenge that he continues to relish.
Yarrow’s new book Encounter featuring a collection of 70 monochrome wildlife images is published by Clearwater and will be available in bookshops this autumn.
David Yarrow, 47, lives and works in London. He has been a semi professional photographer for nearly 30 years. Whilst originally influenced by the work of Fleet Street’s Eammon McCabe and Chris Smith, he is entirely self-taught. His early assigned work was in sports photography and as a 20 year old, he was pitch side at the World Cup Final in Mexico City in 1986 as a Times photographer. His picture that afternoon of Maradona with the World Cup is still widely published. His images have appeared in prominent publications including The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Times.
