Wildlife Photography Meets Digital Art: Chris Fallows Discusses His Journey, Creating Digital Art, NFTs, the Current Digital Art Market, and Conservation
We interview Chris Fallows, a renowned fine art wildlife photographer and delve into his inspiring journey and the unique artistic approach that distinguishes his work. Chris shares his lifelong passion for nature, nurtured from an early age in Africa, and how it evolved into a career that merges traditional wildlife photography with fine art.
We explore his recent exhibition at Dubai Airport, "The 11th Hour" and "Moments in Time," which highlights the urgency of environmental conservation and the hope found in successful preservation efforts.
Chris discusses the significance of this exhibition, the importance of sustainability, and his innovative venture into moving digital art, blending still photography with dynamic elements.
He provides insights into the future of digital art in wildlife photography, the potential of NFTs, and the changing landscape of digital art collectors. This interview offers a profound look at how art can influence conservation and inspire a deeper appreciation for our planet's natural beauty.
What inspired you to pursue fine art wildlife photography, and how did you get started in this field?
I have always been inspired by the beauty of our planet, and living in Africa, it is hard not to fall in love with nature. As my career progressed, I moved away from traditional wildlife photography, focusing more on expressing art in my work—a fusion, if you like, of the art that is to be found in nature by way of mood created by dust, spray, and clouds, and then the textures, shapes, and lines found in the wildlife subjects I work with.
I was exposed to wildlife from the age of two and have literally either been in the ocean or in the bush for most of the fifty years since. My dad was a keen amateur wildlife photographer, so I learned my earliest lessons from him.
Can you tell us more about your exhibition at Dubai Airport?
The exhibition consists of two galleries of fine art photographs called The 11th Hour and Moments in Time. It is an exhibition that draws attention to the incredible icons we have lost due to ignorance, apathy, and greed, and should be a wake-up call as to how we are changing our planet very quickly.
The exhibition, however, is also about showing examples that give us hope, that there are people, organizations, and governments who have heeded the call to protect biodiversity and are achieving success. Ultimately, the exhibition is about the two very different ways we can progress, either a barren, inhospitable planet or one full of biodiversity that underpins all life on earth.
How did this opportunity come about, and what do you hope to achieve with this exposure?
Dubai International is the world's busiest international airport, with 87 million passengers each year. As such, they have a responsibility to move towards sustainability, and their CEO, Paul Griffiths, is committed to doing this.
Paul was looking to visually give a 'why' to their efforts with regards to renewable energy projects as well as their commitment to reducing wildlife trafficking through DXB and wanted an artist who could essentially tell the story through powerful imagery as to why DXB was committed to becoming ever more sustainable.
My aim with the exhibition is to inspire people to protect what we have left and realize what a truly incredible planet we live on.
What motivated you to create moving digital pieces in addition to your still photography?
I am always looking for multiple ways to engage my audience, from unique shooting angles, getting very close to my completely wild subjects, and coming up with creative elements to engage.
With my moving artworks, I looked to blend both traditional still photography with digital and moving elements that I like to believe create a different way for people to appreciate our planet's most iconic natural subjects.
How do these pieces differ in terms of artistic process and audience reception?
In their creation, I am looking for elements surrounding my primary subject that are engaging, like spray from waves or exploding water as a shark bursts through it, to dust coming off a herd of moving elephants.
These facets really add to the digital art piece rather than being a flat canvas where I, for example, just photograph a leopard sitting on a branch of a tree with nothing dynamic happening around it.
How do you see the future of digital art evolving, especially in the context of wildlife photography?
I personally think that digital art wildlife photography has got a lot of potential. You see so many digital artworks inspired by nature where the artist has created a tiger jumping, whale breaching, or flower opening, but few where people have simply used the art in nature to tell the story for itself by bringing real elements to the artwork.
Nature is an incredibly calming and peaceful environment, and in an ever-quickening world, I see digital wildlife artwork not only offering something aesthetically pleasing but also an escape into a world less frenetic than ours.
Do you plan to create more moving digital pieces?
I am always on the lookout for subject matter I believe would make for engaging moving art, so yes, definitely.
What are your thoughts on the intersection of NFTs and fine art photography?
I believe it is an ever-changing space that one needs to keep abreast of as it finds its marriage between the different genres.
How do you see this trend influencing the art world and your work specifically?
First and foremost, I produce extremely limited edition digital fine art photographs; this is my specialty and what I focus on. Having said that, I believe more and more people are looking for authenticity, and there will rapidly come a time when people will realize that there is nothing more real and authentic than the natural world.
So, whether it’s traditional limited edition fine art or fractional NFT ownership, I see there being collectors of both looking for a way to be inspired by our incredible planet and the natural art to be found within it.
How has the market for NFTs and digital art changed since you started incorporating them into your collection? Have you noticed any differences in the types of collectors or their engagement with your work?
I suppose the biggest change has obviously been the rapid integration of AI into the digital art space in the past 18 months. For me, my work is all about being 100% real, reflecting our planet's most iconic subjects as I have seen them through my lens. As such, whether I do this through the medium of fine art photographs or create moving elements, it will always be with completely wild subjects and only using elements that were already in my images to begin with.
I have correspondingly seen more and more collectors looking for work that is real, created by the artist using his or her own creative identity and not by an algorithm. I believe this trend will continue with polarization on both sides of the spectrum.
For More Information Visit Chris Fallows website (Link Below).
