By Marientina Gotsis

One of the secrets for capturing such intimate portraits is that Nick does not use a telephoto lens. "You wouldn't photograph a person from one hundred feet away with a telephoto lens and expect to capture their personality. I feel the same way about photographing animals."

Of course, getting close to wild animals is anything but easy, but the clear connection we sense to the animals in his work seems to suggest it's worth all the effort and patience.

Nick's zealous quest to photograph the animals of East Africa is very personal and emotional. He's not afraid to admit that his images are romanticized, a kind of idyllic Africa. (He doesn't photograph nature's more brutal side: he can't bear to watch the kill that follows the hunt, to see and hear an animal's screams of terror in its final moments. But he points out photographs of this kind of thing don't fit within the aesthetic sensibility of his work.)

As romantic as the images may be, the intent is clearly genuine, and the animals are graceful and comfortable near the camera. Nick's afraid that he's running out of time to capture the beauty of these animals. So these photos are his effort to find a way to honor their legacy, and perhaps hopefully, along the way, enlighten people as to their threatened existence.

I tell Nick that the portraits of lions and chimpanzees remind me of family portraiture from 100 years ago. He says he embraces this aesthetic when it feels appropriate, when it heightens the impression that these animals are from a bygone era. I can't help but ask if he feels that he is anthropomorphizing the animals... "I don't consider it anthropomorphizing", he replies. "I just believe that animals happen to share many similar emotional traits to us."

Simpler tools for realizing a complex vision
Nick Brandt reveals his production methods and discusses how BowHaus has made life easier

Nicks' background is in painting, so it's no surprise that he uses a Wacom tablet: it feels like second nature to him. Regardless of the tablet, Nick is not the gadgety-type of photographer. Besides his beloved 9x12 inch Wacom tablet and Apple G4 computer, Nicks' tech inventory consists of a Pentax 67 II film camera, Adobe Photoshop and two Epson printers - the 2200 and 7600. He only shoots 120mm film, because of the detail in a negative this size.

MG: How far are you willing to go with Photoshop?
"Photoshop is the best darkroom in the world, but I'm careful not to abuse the possibilities of Photoshop. I try to maintain the integrity of the negative. Otherwise, it's a slippery slope to fabrication."

MG: Do you feel at all disconnected physically from your work while working digitally?
"No, not at all. I love the connection I have with the photo through the pen and tablet. The level of control I have with dodging and burning the image, through curves and levels manipulation of localized areas - is wonderful. I love that I can pull so many more details out of the shadows than I could in the darkroom. If Ansel Adams had been around today, I think he would have worked in Photoshop.

Nick has worked with BowHaus ever since he abandoned the traditional darkroom. He was part of BowHaus' original IJC/OPM beta program. BowHaus provided training with the software so that Nick can print at home on his Epson 2200 and 7600. BowHaus still prints his 40x48 inch and 40x80 inch editions of prints on an Epson 9600.

MG: How did you discover BowHaus?
"I went to other places and nobody else could really create prints to my satisfaction - none of the prints were truly sepia-toned. There were always those tell-tale bands of greenish hue and reddish hue. And there still is if you use the Epson print driver. So I'm very grateful to Joe Berndt (BowHaus VP and IJC/OPM creator) and IJC/OPM. I was instantly able to create what I imagined."

MG: So I imagine that this works very well for your editions?
"I can't imagine it being any easier."

MG: Would you consider switching to a digital camera?
"I'm very reluctant to move to digital. I like the details in the film negative. I like the latitude within the shadows and highlights. And I like the mistakes that sometime result in shooting film that actually, unexpectedly make the photos more interesting. And I love the infrared film I use upon occasion."