Exhibit A Portrait of Lost Habitats in Africa For his new series "Inherit the Dust," photographer Nick Brandt placed life-size portraits of wild animals in their former habitats.

When British-born photographer Nick Brandt first started photographing animals in the East African wild in 2000, he didn't realize how quickly the region would be transformed. Their disappearing habitats inspired his latest series, "Inherit the Dust."

Mr. Brandt and a team of over 20 crew members placed life-size photos of giraffes, elephants and other animals in their former stomping grounds—places that had become factories, quarries and garbage dumps. Mr. Brandt captured the resulting landscape, often with gray skies overhead, creating an evocative portrait of change and loss.

“I wanted [the feeling] that these panels were just ghosts in the landscape.”

The shoot took four months, in many cases because Mr. Brandt was waiting for the clouds to create the right atmosphere. Over time, he says, the locals grew used to the photographer and the life-size animals. “They’ve got way, way more important stuff to think about than some crazy white dude sticking a giant panel of an elephant on a dump site,” he says.


“It’s really important to understand that it’s not just the animals that are the victims of environmental devastation. Human beings are, too.”

The series will be at Edwynn Houk Gallery in New York from March 10 through April 30, and then will travel to Los Angeles and cities outside the U.S.; a coffee table book (Edwynn Houk Editions, $65) is also available.