One of Britain’s youngest wildlife photographers turns the tide on extinction with his latest collection
We are over the moon to be representing one of Britain’s most talented wildlife photographers, William Fortescue, who has quickly made his mark on the art world for his breath-taking photographs of wild animals in their natural habitat.
Last week saw the opening night exhibition for his new art collection, “The Art of Survival,” a project aimed at helping turn the tide on species extinction.
It was a roaring success, with a turnout of over 400 people. Among the crowd were fellow Red Eight artists Lisa Thompson, William Teather and Joe Webb, who came to support William’s work.
William’s collection gives pause for reflection on the magnificence of our planet and our impact on it.
He says, “I find it imperative that an image tells an entire story in one frame. It’s why I always choose to work with wide angle lenses, capturing as much as I can in a single image, conveying to the viewer what it was like to be there at that moment.”
At just 28 years old, William is one of the youngest wildlife photographers to have a month-long exhibition in London, with his award-winning work heralding him as one of the finest wildlife photographers of his generation.
Over the course of the exhibition, 33% of the proceeds will be donated to David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF), supporting their mission to safeguard the future health of our planet.
The foundation has a powerful voice for the natural world, funding key conservation projects across Africa and Asia and shining a light on crucial topics such as wildlife crime, climate catastrophe and human impact on the environment.
The Red Eight exhibition contains 24 of William’s works, accompanied by alarming facts about dwindling wildlife populations. Underneath one of his largest works, “Michael”, featuring an elephant on a mountainous landscape, displays a heart-breaking truth:
“When David Shepherd was born in 1931, over three million elephants roamed the African continent. In his lifetime, 90% were slaughtered. Today only 400,000 remain.”Read more about DSWF’s incredible work to save our planet here
William is no stranger to using his photographs as powerful tools for change and has been in collaboration with DSWF since early 2021, donating 10% of all print sales to the charity. His photographs have so far raised more than £85,000 for a variety of conservation organisations.
“Whilst people and human induced activities are so often the cause of some of the world’s most damaging and infected environmental wounds, we are also the solution and tonic needed to turn the tide on species extinction.”
– Georgina Lamb, CEO, David Shephard Wildlife Foundation.
William has sold out of his most popular work, Rumble in the Jungle, featuring two elephants fighting. The standard edition is priced at £10,000, the large at £15,000.
The exhibition runs until the 29th of November and is free of charge.
Come and see us at THE ROYAL EXCHANGE, LONDON EC3V 3LR, between 10am and 6pm Monday to Friday.
