Survivors is a photobook consisting of photos of animals that are either endangered or under threat as a result of human actions. Whether it is habitat loss, hunting, or global warming, these animals must fight to survive. In Survivors, I want to share the importance of protecting these animals who are on the brink of extinction and evoke an emotional reaction from the reader. Although the plight of animals facing extinction is well known, few people are moved enough to take action - with Survivors I aim to change that.
In Survivors, I focus on the animals that are on the IUCN vulnerable and endangered list such as tigers, polar bears, orangutans, rhinos, lions, leopards, wild dogs, elephants, mako sharks, etc, but also highlight the general beauty and connection we can feel with any animal in the wild. I add some commentary for some of the photographs, but let the pictures do the talking.
The book was initially launched on Kickstarter and was the most funded Nature Photography project out of Asia at that time. All the pictures in the book, the commentary and photo editing has been done by me. The book was designed by Maria Meyer Feng, an accomplished designer based in New York. The book was published by Edition One, a boutique publisher based in Berkeley, California.
All proceeds from the sale of the book, prints and the Kickstarter project will be donated to the Great Plains Foundation.
In their foreword to the book, Dereck and Beverly Joubert write: “There is an unfortunate terminology in photography, where we “take photographs” because it implies that we are removing something often dignity, or theft in its worse extreme, or just snapping off an image in front of you. In this case, Ankit is giving something (to the Great Plains Foundation) and I prefer to think of it as “making a photograph.” Certainly, the images in this book are not snapped, they are worked at, considered, in pain and in creativity. As much as Ankit has invested in 'us’ and our collective goal to change the narrative around Extinctions and the role that we are playing in Climate Change that will affect us all, I hope that you enjoy your investment in his message.”
I hope that you will join me in this journey of conservation.