Photography News | Issue 37 | absolutephoto.com
27
Interview
insects everywhere. I shoot with short lenses, so I wouldwait for thewolves to come up close. Sometimes I chose to use artificial lighting to create drama. I would try to communicate with the wolves, at first I pretended not to be interested in them, but as soon as I walked away, I would turn around and they were at the fence, smelling me, staring at me, but when I went back they would disappear again. All the wolves did this, it went on for weeks, until finally they began to trust me. They’re extremely shy and as I don’t use long lenses to photograph them I liked to get up close and show their expressions and their beautiful faces. When shooting I was right up against the fence. When shooting through the fence were you limited to one area, or did you have free will around the sanctuary? At first I shot only in one area, and once I gained the trust of the sanctuary, I was given free reign of the sanctuary on most days. What did you want to showwith the images that do in-fact show the fence in front of the wolves? It was very difficult, I put my camera right up against the metal bars, so that the fence would disappear. Sometimes I put the fence into my pictures to show the truth of their surroundings. It was difficult to have different perspectives shooting through a fence, so it was a limited view, hard to get close ups of fur, etc, details, but I worked through it and spent a lot of time sitting and waiting.
The fence showed that these are indeed captive wolves and how it is a great sadness, that they have to live in this confined, although beautiful space instead of their original homes in the wild, all because of human interference. Did you set out with any particular shots in mind? Were you able to achieve them? I hoped to capture the wolves in their natural state, as if I happened upon them in a forest. I wanted to create drama, and with the dark light of the forest and the darkness of winter, I brought lights so I could illuminate their expressions, the thickness of their fur, etc. I wanted to show their relationships to each other, because I knew it was a very strong bond between both wolves living together in each enclosure, some are very in love. Yes I did achieve that although I would have loved to be more up close and personal, which of course is impossible with a healthy wolf. What gear and techniques were used? When the lighting is the primary difficulty I shoot digital as I can bump up the ISO quickly. I also shot digital for situations where a wolf wasn’t stationary and I had to react quickly, giving me less time to compose. The close up lenses that came with my Rolleiflex twin-lens reflex camera, are specially designed for that unique camera and allow me to shoot at a very close range, I used these mainly for the detail shots. For lighting I used a Quantum Qflash system with a softbox attached and a remote battery that I can carry around like a purse, and then attach the Qflash to a tripod when in use. I mainly use the artificial lighting to show details that would normally be in shadow in the forest; dirt on the fur, the brightness in their eyes etc. Sometimes I light the foreground to create a dreamy effect. Was it always your intention to create a book, or did the idea come after taking the photographs? I didn’t intend to have so much time with the wolves, but Wolf Haven let me keep photographing after I had finished with the
photographs for the grant and their website. It’s hard to ever feel finished and I knew that there was an incredible story to be told so I kept on shooting. What’s next? Lots of random projects, these photos are actually part of a larger body of work called For The Innocent, photographing endangered species in sanctuaries around the world, more specifically the keystone species, animals that if saved would mean countless other species would be saved as well. I believe the wild creatures among us embody the instinct and love we have lost, and with this I realise more and more the purpose of my work. I see that our society is so distanced from nature. How can we, as humans, be expected to respect, love and care for something that we do not know or understand? I hope my pictures can offer a deeper look inside the souls of these creatures and inspire humans to care for them and reflect on all of our deep interconnectedness as beings of the earth.
anniemusselman.com
Buy the book
Wolf Haven , published by Sasquatch will be published in October with an RRP of £16.99. Available to buy from thegmcgroup.com
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