Randal Ford - Animal Kingdom Gallery

For his series The Animal Kingdom, portrait photographer Randal Ford took pictures of 150 different animals. The collection is the culmination of nearly two years' worth of work. Many of the big cats Ford photographed were from Cat Haven, a privately owned sanctuary near Fresno, California. Ford's first foray into animal portraits was a conceptual photoshoot featuring dairy cows for the design firm Pentagram. It lead to a series of photographs of much more exotic animals. While Ford set out with a list of animals to photograph, he often ended up shooting a different creature than he intended. Ford explains, "I'd ask people, 'You know someone with a buffalo?' They'd say, 'Nope, but I can hook you up with a guy with an armadillo.'" Ford was inspired by Richard Avedon's In the American West, the infamous 1978 series that captured people the photographer encountered at slaughterhouses, ranches, state fairs, and elsewhere. Ford says photographing animals has improved his portraits of people. "Working with animals is different in the sense that I feel the power of a tiger or the intuitive nature of a horse," he says. "It's a little more one-sided than it is with people, where you're collaborating and feeding off each other's energy." Ford's shoots last anywhere from a few minutes to several hours depending on the animal's comfort level. Ford uses a special kind of strobe light with a fast flash to minimize any sounds or visuals that might be disruptive. Ford photographed most animals against neutral backgrounds but made some sets black for darker creatures. "As humans we anthropomorphize animals all the time," Ford says. "The emotions we apply to these animals are emotions that are within us." Ford typically had one to two assistants with him on set, as well as someone working with the animal. Some of the big cats required up to three handlers. Ford's photoshoot of this black fox was finished in under 10 minutes. This flamingo is named Alejandra. "Poppy's gorgeous yellow irises were a focal point for her portraits," Ford says of of the snowy owl pictured here. Amelia, a pink cockatoo, perches for her portrait.