Harbin

LARGE - Edition of 12
Unframed - 56" x 59"
Framed - 74" x 71"

STANDARD - Edition of 12
Unframed - 37" x 39"
Framed - 54" x 52"

This is a simple portrait of a the most dangerous and beautiful cat in the world - The Siberian Tiger. It was taken in -30 degrees in Northern China and whilst there is deliberately no context in the image, there is a sense of the cold.

I believe that powerful photography often tends to be the end result of preferential access and pre-trip logistics. Pressing the shutter is often really fairly straightforward, even at -30 degrees. 

This image makes my point. I was in a cage supplied by local officials - a cage with gaps wide enough for my camera lens, but too small for a tiger’s head. Behind my cage was another caged vehicle with a chicken thrower. The tiger was looking at the chickens not me. Logistics like this do not happen in a day - there was a great deal of prep work and in Northern China - unlike Holland -  English is indeed an alien language. 

The picture may be simple, but its capture in the deep Siberian winter was far from simple. What an alpha animal - terrifying and beautiful as one.

~ David Yarrow