Nick Brandt was born and raised in London, and studied film and painting at St. Martins School of Art. He began photographing the wildlife of East Africa in December 2000 during a shoot in the country for a Michael Jackson music video he was directing, beginning the body of work that is now his signature subject. He no longer directs and devotes himself full time to his fine art photography. Brandt does not use telephoto lenses while photographing his subjects, preferring to get as close to the animals as possible. Within the past four years, Brandt has noted changes, the African environment is fragile as a result of global warming, population pressures, and political uncertainty.

Even in the Serengeti, one of the best-known national parks, 100,000 wildebeests are slaughtered by poachers every year. "I'm very affected by any kind of killing," he says, "Every creature, human, or nonhuman, has an equal right to live, and this feeling, this belief that every animal and I are equal, affects me every time I frame an animal in my camera."

Brandt's book 'On This Earth' contains forwards by Jane Goodall and Alice Sebold. Brandt's book 'A Shadow Falls' has forwards by Vicki Goldberg and Peter Singer.