Artwork -8 Fragment 1

There is something about the eyes of a wild animal that can create an immediate sense of connection. When a zebra looks directly towards the camera, the distance between observer and animal seems to disappear for a moment.

Of course, the animal is responding to the lens rather than to me, but that does little to diminish the feeling of the encounter. To have a wild animal pause and look straight towards you is an extraordinary experience — fleeting, unexpected and intensely present.

I have always found myself drawn to the eyes. They are often the place where the animal seems to become most present to me, and sometimes a single eye is enough to hold an entire encounter.