Laurent Baheux

“Many photographers get involved with the people whom they take pictures of; others prefer being observers, keeping a certain distance.”

“I first worked on sports photography, and it was until 2002, when I was already 32 years old, that I really started working and enjoying Africa's wildlife.”

“Sometimes, I am lucky because all factors are combined - composition, light, emotion - and sometimes not. Most of the time, I must be patient and wait.”

“There are mountains, plains, deserts with panoramas that take your breath away.”

“For me, Africa is a land of light and contrast. Black and white is the best way to express the solitary emotion and vitality of wildlife.”

“Noise does not disturb me, as I think that it gives a quaint atmosphere to a picture that fully matches my vision of nature and the wild species I like to photograph.”

“I started photographing amazing African wildlife for my own pleasure. It was like a much-needed antidote to my life in the city, which I was fast becoming allergic to.”

“We need to recover our true nature by relocating ourselves on this planet, being respectful of our environment, and living in harmony with other species - like a big family.”

“My first exhibition oriented towards raising awareness was in 2008 in Paris. That was the first time I felt like I actually did something related to wildlife protection, and ever since that time, I haven't stopped.”

“The rules of wildlife are simple and clear, which is not the case for men.”

“All I want to do is to present the abundance of life on Earth.”

“Since I was a kid, I inherited my dad's love for animals and wildlife, even for the ones we had around the house in the French countryside, a 'smaller' kind of nature. Then, as I grew up, I looked more deeply into the African continent and its wildlife.”

“I don't do a lot of editing post-shoot, but I use Lightroom to play with contrast and texture and to remove dust.”