Nick Brandt

Nick Brandt (b. 1964) is a British photographer whose work confronts the devastating effects of environmental destruction and climate change on both people and wildlife. Brandt’s practice is rooted in the belief that photography can be a powerful tool for advocacy—his images are often elegiac, cinematic, and deeply humanistic, conveying the interconnected fate of vulnerable communities and the natural world.

Brandt first gained international recognition for his East African trilogy—On This Earth, A Shadow Falls, and Across the Ravaged Land (2001–2012)—which portrayed majestic animals in the wild with a reverence more commonly found in portraiture. These works stood apart for their formal, medium-format approach and the emotional resonance of their subjects, drawing attention to vanishing ecosystems and threatened species.

His subsequent projects have evolved into increasingly complex and symbolic narratives. In Inherit the Dust (2016), life-size panels of his animal portraits were placed in landscapes decimated by development, creating a haunting juxtaposition between what once was and what remains. This Empty World (2019) built elaborate sets in real Kenyan locations, layering human and animal presence against industrial encroachment to highlight the loss of natural habitats.

In 2020, Brandt began The Day May Break, a global, ongoing series focusing on those directly affected by climate and environmental crises. Chapter One (2021) and Chapter Two (2022) were photographed in Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Bolivia, capturing both people and animals—often rescued wildlife habituated to humans—sharing the same frame. Shot through natural haze or fog, the portraits feel suspended in time, underscoring a shared vulnerability. SINK / RISE (2023), Chapter Three of the series, explored rising sea levels by photographing submerged Fijian communities, while The Echo of Our Voices (2024), Chapter Four, features displaced Syrian families in Jordan whose lives remain shaped by the dual forces of war and climate change.

Brandt’s work is widely exhibited in solo gallery and museum shows internationally, including in New York, London, Berlin, Stockholm, Shanghai, Oslo, Paris, and Los Angeles. Each photographic series has been accompanied by a major publication, further expanding his visual call to action. Brandt’s deeply committed vision blends aesthetic power with moral urgency, making his photography a poignant voice in the era of the Anthropocene.