The Walk of Life
DAVID YARROW
THE WALK OF LIFE
Archival Pigment Print on 315gsm Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta Paper
Each is signed, dated and numbered on the front.
Edition Size: 12
Available in the following sizes:
STANDARD:
Print Size: 37" x 44"
Framed Size: 48” x 55" (122 cm x 139.7 cm)
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Framed in David Yarrow's custom black ash frame with white archival mat and UV protective acrylic.
Please contact us at +312.852.8200 for more details about this work.
Or email us at info@hilton-asmus.com
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David Yarrow's Statement about THE WALK OF LIFE:
It was sometime after I took this evocative image, that I was able to check whether I had nailed it. It was my very last frame before I got off the ground and ran behind my jeep and there was no time to think, never mind look at the LCD screen. The mother was a colossus of an elephant and I cut it fine in terms of the narrowing distance between us - I guess I was just intoxicated by the sensational imagery I was seeing through the lens. To have been another two seconds on the ground, would have been to take unnecessary risk. I knew I had something very major and it was a relief to find out from the safety of the jeep that my focus was bang on.
Before this privileged moment in Amboseli, I had never come close to a taking a decent portrait of a baby elephant. Babies are skittish, clingy and always well protected - most images tend to be messy with a cocktail of legs - some large, some small and I have also struggled to convey the height differential with a giant adult. The lack of clear opportunities should be no surprise - elephants have great emotional intelligence and no more so than in protecting their young - they are rarely physically detached from their mothers or herd. It is rare to even see them fully exposed to day light, unless they are running between adults.
I want my work to be full of emotion - without this, there needs be a great number of compensating factors for a photograph to be transcendental. I think The Walk of Life will connect emotionally with people on a wide number of levels and provoke the odd goosebump and maybe even a tear. Its strength comes from the deep symbolism of the narrative - there is no more important job in the world than being a mother. 22 months is a long time to be pregnant and it seems to harbour the deepest of loves.
I hope that the serenity and power of this image will allow it to stand the test of time. If that is the case, give the credit to the elephant not me. To quote John Donne; ”Nature's great masterpiece, an elephant; the only harmless great thing.” Look at this photograph and one can only find accord.
I don’t tend to use long lenses and did not take one to Africa, but I knew from earlier failures in the week that if the elephant herd continued on their path towards me, I needed magnification for an image to work. A 105mm lens would have been too loose as I knew I would never be allowed to get close to the baby. The grass was too high for remotes with wide angles so I was stuffed with my preconceived and default position approach. Luckily, I was able to borrow a longer lens from the team. I guess it proves there are no rules in photography other than to adapt to circumstances as you find them.
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DAVID YARROW BIOGRAPHY:
Born Glasgow, Scotland in 1966., David Yarrow took up photography at an early age and as a 20-year-old found himself working as a photographer for The London Times on the pitch at the World Cup Final in Mexico City. On that day, David took the famous picture of Diego Maradona holding the World Cup and, as a result, he was subsequently asked to cover the Olympics and numerous other sporting events.
Yarrow’s evocative and immersive photography of life on earth is most distinctive and it has earned him an ever growing following among collectors. He has firmly established himself as one of the bestselling fine art photographers in the world, with the limited edition prints regularly selling at over $70,000 and with recent work selling in the six figures at auction.
At the Sotheby’s photography auction in London in May 2017, Yarrow’s iconic image from South Sudan – MANKIND – was sold for $75,000, the highest of the 100 lots in the show. In April of 2018 year David’s image “The Wolf of Main Street” sold for $100,000 and was the highest bid for piece by a living photographer. Most recently “78 Degrees North” went for an even more impressive $110,000.
In 2016, Rizzoli New York published Yarrow’s latest book – Wild Encounters – with a foreword written by HRH The Duke of Cambridge (Prince William). The book was awarded “Art Book of 2017” by Amazon and has already sold out a second print run. All Yarrow’s royalties from the book continue to be donated to Tusk, the leading British NGO that focuses on animal conservation in Africa.
Philanthropy and conservation are central to David Yarrow’s passion to document the animal and human world in a fresh and creative way. In 2019 charitable donations from the sale of David’s images exceeded $2.5 million.
David Yarrow is brand ambassador for Land Rover and UBS Bank; he is European ambassador for Nikon Camera. In December 2017 he shot Tag Heuer LVMH’s latest “Don’t Crack Under Pressure” campaign with model and actress Cara Delevingne. In January 2019, David collaborated with American icon Cindy Crawford.
In September 2019, Rizzoli published Yarrow's 368 page photography monograph, showcasing 150 of David’s strongest images from the past two years. The book features a foreword written by global NFL star Tom Brady and an afterword written by American cultural icon Cindy Crawford. All royalties from this book will be donated to conservation charities Tusk, in the UK and WildAid, in the US.