The Approach — male lion walking past at close range, black and white fine art photograph from Maasai Mara, Kenya by Vasilis Moustakas
The Approach — male lion walking past at close range, black and white fine art photograph from Maasai Mara, Kenya by Vasilis Moustakas

The Approach

$1,000.00

Maasai Mara, Kenya 2023

He was walking back to his pride after a hunt that did not work. We had been in the area all morning looking for something and we were the only car around. When I saw him coming I leaned out the window with the camera as low as I could get it, almost dragging in the grass. He walked right past us. The whole thing lasted maybe a minute. There was a fresh wound under his eye from the hunt. He never broke eye contact.

This image is from The Heart of the Wild. Two weeks in the Maasai Mara with Tinka and Jamlick, two Masai guides who knew the land and the animals better than I ever will. The trip itself started a long time before, when I was a kid in Greece watching The Lion King. That was the first time I felt something for wildlife. The Mara stayed with me for years after that, somewhere far away that I knew only from documentaries and films. Then one day I was on a small plane from Nairobi watching the plains open up below me.

I want to make portraits of these animals, not documents. That means being close. Close enough that the proximity is part of the image. I work for eye contact more than anything else. Hours of sitting and waiting, then a second, and most of the time the second never comes. This was one of the times it came.

Black and white is always my main choice. Color in the Mara is beautiful but it can pull your eye away from what matters. I want the skin, the weight, the eyes. Nothing else around. B&W takes the rest away and the animal has to hold the image on its own.

Maasai Mara, Kenya 2023

He was walking back to his pride after a hunt that did not work. We had been in the area all morning looking for something and we were the only car around. When I saw him coming I leaned out the window with the camera as low as I could get it, almost dragging in the grass. He walked right past us. The whole thing lasted maybe a minute. There was a fresh wound under his eye from the hunt. He never broke eye contact.

This image is from The Heart of the Wild. Two weeks in the Maasai Mara with Tinka and Jamlick, two Masai guides who knew the land and the animals better than I ever will. The trip itself started a long time before, when I was a kid in Greece watching The Lion King. That was the first time I felt something for wildlife. The Mara stayed with me for years after that, somewhere far away that I knew only from documentaries and films. Then one day I was on a small plane from Nairobi watching the plains open up below me.

I want to make portraits of these animals, not documents. That means being close. Close enough that the proximity is part of the image. I work for eye contact more than anything else. Hours of sitting and waiting, then a second, and most of the time the second never comes. This was one of the times it came.

Black and white is always my main choice. Color in the Mara is beautiful but it can pull your eye away from what matters. I want the skin, the weight, the eyes. Nothing else around. B&W takes the rest away and the animal has to hold the image on its own.

‘‘He walked right past us. The whole thing lasted maybe a minute.’’

The Approach — black and white lion fine art print, framed, by Vasilis Moustakas

The Edition

Edition of 7 + 2 Artist Proofs

The seven prints are shared across all three sizes, so whichever scale you choose, it is one of seven. When the last print is placed, the image is retired and never printed again.

Pricing follows the edition. Each print placed moves the next one up, so the earliest collectors acquire the work at its lowest price.

Sizes

Small: 24 × 16 in (61 × 41 cm)
Medium: 36 × 24 in (91 × 61 cm)
Large: 60 × 40 in (152 × 102 cm)

Prices begin at $1,000 for the Small print.

The Print

Each print is made as an archival pigment print on Hahnemühle fine art paper, chosen for its depth, tonal range and a surface that rewards close looking. Every print is signed and numbered by hand and arrives with a Certificate of Authenticity recording the title, edition number and production details.

Framing

Bespoke framing is available on request. Tell me about the wall and the room, and I'll put together a frame, mount and finish that suit both the work and where it will live.

Acquiring the Work

For pricing and availability, write to me directly. Every enquiry is answered personally.

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Framing and Display Options