Safari expert Patrick Bentley grew up in a removed province in the northwestern part of Zambia where he was confronted with the animal kingdom at an early age.

Today he works in Zambia’s well-known South Luangwa National Park as a guide for photo safaris and counts among Africa’s most experienced wildlife photographers. His specialty is nighttime shots with fascinating lighted silhouettes, which make up an important segment of his black-and-white photography. These animal close-ups boast sharp outlines and contours, but the beasts’ faces and pelt pattern remain secretively dark. The interplay between the hidden and the visible is palpable in Bentley’s photos of caribou, hyenas, and baboons, creating an adroit modeling of the bodies in their magical movements and lurking stances.

Bentley has enjoyed decisive professional successes particularly in the last few years: his wildlife photos for National Geographic and the World Wildlife Fund garnered international acclaim, and in 2009 he was named BBC’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year.

Christina Wendenburg