God of War – Limited Edition Print

Cape Buffalo, Kicheche Camp, Kenya, 2019. 

This photograph was imagined years before it was taken: a symmetrical composition, starkly lit, the massive horns framing a face that appears less like an animal than a totem or icon.

But buffalo are not co-operative subjects. They cannot be coaxed, baited, or positioned without risk. They live in remote landscapes, appear unpredictably, and retreat quickly from unfavourable light. For six years, the image existed in Packham’s mind only as an idea, refined mentally while he travelled around Africa, waiting for the right conditions to align. 

As Packham explains: ‘The buffalo are the most dangerous animals in Africa – it’s contested who kills more, the buffalo or the hippopotamus. I had this idea for a symmetrical photograph of a buffalo, with really harsh lighting. But they generally only come out in the morning or evening, avoiding the heat. Then one day, I was visiting a hyena den for a different project, and as we drove along in the jeep we came across a wallow with about eight buffalo. I told the driver to stop. Buffalo are very curious, and as we gently herded them around with the vehicle, one of them came out from under the shade of this tree and looked directly at me. The moment I pressed the shutter I thought, “I’ve got it – after six years of dreaming.”’

Prices and sizes available on enquiry. Contact gallery@iconicimages.net

• Edition of 6
• Signed and numbered on the front by Chris Packham
• Printed on Hahnemühle hemp paper