Erik Hijweege: Endangered Species in Frozen Time

There is no permanent way to defy the natural process of time and decay; human ability and scientific process could only delay. Photographer Erik Hijweege visits a repository of frozen endangered species to immortalize them in photographs.

The series “Endangered Species” is a study as well as a portraiture of frozen animals, portrayed between the balance of existence in extinction. Hijweege’s use of the antique wet collodion process only emphasizes the the series’ depiction of vulnerability.

The series only represents some of the endangered animals among the 22,000 species.

The photographs of the frozen animals, captured from the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List, range from the American Bison, Giant Panda, Polar Bear down to the Komodo Dragon and many more. Hijweege aims to spread awareness on nature and taking care of the planet’s creatures and resources.

It is through Hijweege’s photography, that these animals may be immortalized through the visual and physical memories provided by the wet collodion print.

Watch out for our interview with Erik Hijweege soon. In the meantime, visit his website, Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates and more of his body of work. Images used are with permission from Erik Hijweege.

written by Ciel Hernandez on 2016-07-10 #people #animal #black-and-white #silver-gelatin-print #alternative-photography #nature-photography #wet-collodion-process #erik-hijweege