Frans Lanting has traveled to remote locations all over the world—from the Amazon to Antarctica—photographing nature. But he can’t escape Africa’s siren song.
“Landscapes that evoke scenes from another time, the animals who accepted me into their lives, and the people who have guided me into experiences that have shaped my life—for all those reasons, Africa will always resonate with my soul,” he says.
In collaboration with his wife, videographer Chris Eckstrom, Lanting now shares this intimate connection through Into Africa, an exhibition at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. The exhibit pulls from images and stories collected during more than 30 years of work on the continent, and speaks to Lanting’s many roles as photographer, conservationist, WWF contributor, and advocate working to protect the places he loves.
“I have been privileged to document [these] wild places and wild creatures,” he says, “and to share the results of my work with people who may never have the chance to crouch before elephants at a water hole or roam with lions through the African night.”
Created in partnership with National Geographic, Into Africa can be seen at the Smithsonian through summer 2016.
Learn more at lanting.com.
Above
Grasslands :: Primeval Plains
Maasai Women, Tanzania 1988
The savannas of eastern and southern Africa are crucial habitats for large mammals as well as people dependent on livestock for their livelihoods. Grasslands are also popular destinations for international tourism, an important component in many local economies. The Maasai people have long been an integral part of the East African savanna landscape. They’ve tended their herds in coexistence with wildlife, which they refer to as “God’s cattle.”