Almost Human

Almost human: Photographer's intimate studio portraits that show wild creatures making unnervingly similar gestures to us By Leon Watson How he got them to sit still, we don't know. But somehow award-winning UK-based photographer Tim Flach managed it, and this was the result. The 54-year-old has created a collection of incredible photographic portraits of animals so intimate they reveal the complex emotions of their subjects. And the emotions on show look strikingly familiar to our own. These stunning pictures were created by UK-based photographer Tim Flach, who has made a name taking intimate photos of animals Mr Flach is known for his highly-stylized animal portraits. His work aims to capture the emotion animals evoke in humans Almost humanlike: Turned away from the camera, this gorilla was captured for a spectacularly intimate shot After receiving worldwide attention for his photographs of dogs and horses in projects titled Dogs Gods and Equus, Mr Flach, from London, turned his attention to more exotic creatures. His latest project, titled More Than Human, consists of intimate studio portraits of various wild animals, from various monkeys and apes to specially-bred featherless chickens. The description of Mr Flach's work on his website reads: 'Although drawn from different animal species, Tim Flach brings his subjects into such close focus that we begin to read their poses and gestures as we would the body language of a human figure, face or hand [...] We find ourselves irresistibly drawn into a distinctly anthropomorphic tête à tête, suddenly able to see eye to eye with a curiously kindred species whose behavior is not unlike our own.' London-based photographer Tim Flach's latest project, titled More Than Human, consists of intimate studio portraits of various wild animals, from various monkeys and apes to specially-bred featherless chickens Mr Flach has received worldwide attention for his photographs of dogs and horses in projects titled Dogs Gods and Equus, Mr Flach, from London, turned his attention to more exotic creatures Near naked: A chicken pictured mid-stride with one eye on the camera Spreading its wings: Up close and personal with a peacock This portrait of an elephant shows it spouting water from its trunk Tim Flach brings his subjects into such close focus that we begin to read their poses and gestures as we would the body language of a human figure, face or hand Sad eyes: This orangutan is pictured gazing out of shot, thoughtfully A capuchin monkey picks at his finger, and looks surprised (left) while a rare white tiger (right) is intrigued Mr Flach graduated from the renowned St Martins School of Art in London and has spent the past 20 years working taking pictures for advertising. He has worked for Adidas, Cirque du Soleil, Jaguar and Sony during his career. But more recently he become known for his highly-stylized animal portraits. His work aims to capture the emotion animals evoke in humans. To do this, he brings his subjects into such close focus that the viewer begins to read the gestures and body language as we would a human being. His work has been widely exhibited in the UK, U.S. and Far East and he has also lectured extensively around the world. The photos will go on display at the Osborne Samuel Gallery in London's Mayfair from December 5 to 21. A look of concern? A gorilla's orange eyes are seen gazing out in this intimate portrait Very personal: Two apes enjoy an intimate moment together A bat looks almost shy as it covers its face from the camera