Frans Lanting

Biography Lanting was born in Rotterdam, Netherlands on July 13, 1951. He earned a masters degree in economics. He then moved to the United States to learn environmental planning. His work appears in the magazine known as National Geographic. Also in books and exhibits. Lanting is a wildlife photographer but also takes some landscape, as well. Frans Lanting photography style is about understanding the earth and the history of it. One of his biggest influences was a the hero of a Swedish children’s book by Selma Lagerlof. Lanting stated “It really set the stage for a lot of what I’m doing now." and "I stay with wild animals, and then I come back to my own people to tell them about life in nature.“

Elephants in Mist Lanting uses natural lighting in this photo and most of his photos. The lighting comes from above the elephants. The main subject of this photograph is the two bull elephants in the center. The lighting makes it look a little dramatic. This fits rule of thirds because the elephants are to the left bottom. You can see the texture in the elephants skin. He is showing elephants in the morning mist. I chose this photo because it shows how powerful elephants look and how amazing they are. I also think the mist looks cool because it makes the elephants stand out. Photo was taken in the caldera of Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Crater.

Lionesses Drinking The lighting is natural. It seems like the lighting is coming from the left. The main subjects of this photo are the lionesses drinking from a waterhole. I can tell because they fill most of the picture. You can see the texture on their fur and their heads lead to the horizon line. The lighting shows the brightness of their eyes and shows a reflection of their nose and mouth in the water. I think he is trying to portray the hard work they do. I chose this photo because its bright and the reflection caught my eye. This photo was taken in Chobe National Park, Botswana 

Water Lilies This photo uses natural lighting but underwater. The light seems to be coming from behind the water lilies. The main subjects are the water lilies. I can tell by seeing that they are the things with the most color which makes it easier to spot the fastest. There is leading lines that lead to the top of the water which is the horizon line. You can see the texture in the lilies. Franz is showing the beauty of the underwater flowers. The way the stems of the water lilies looked and the brightness of them caught my eyes. This photo was taken in Okavango Delta, Botswana 

Lion at Twilight Franz uses natural lighting but in this photo there is no light. There is no lighting in this photo but you are still able to see the lion. The main subject is the lion in the field of grass. There are no leading lines but you can see the texture in the grass and the lions mane. He is trying to show the lion checking his surroundings. I selected this photo because the blue of the night casts a blue color onto the lion. Also the lions eyes are glowing making looking cool. This photo was taken in Kenya.

Bullfrog after Rain Franz used natural lighting. The lighting comes from behind the bullfrog. The main subject of this photo is the bullfrog. I can tell because the frog is in the bottom center and closeness makes it stand out. The trees reflection leads to he horizon line, which is the green grass/ land in the distance. You can see the texture of the water and the shininess of the frog. He is showing the bullfrog defending its territory. I selected this photo because of the colors and how spaced it looks. Photo taken in Okavango Delta, Botswana 

Spinner Porpoise He uses natural lighting. The light is coming from above them so there is no shadows. The main subject of this photo is the spinner dolphin. The lighting makes it look bright and colorful, there are no dark shadows. This does not fit rule of thirds because its right in the middle-ish.  A spinner dolphin had surfaced, exhaling through its blowhole, as it speed through a turquoise ocean. I chose this because it is not everyday when you see a spinner dolphin speeding through the ocean as blue as that. Photo was taken Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, Hawaii 

Sources http://www.lanting.com/frans-lanting-nature-photographer.php http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frans_Lanting