Adrian Steirn
Encyclopedia
Adrian Steirn is a fine art
wildlife and portrait photographer based in Cape Town, South Africa
. He is a WWF
South Africa Photographer-in-Residence. Steirn is currently working on his biggest photographic project to date, the 21 icons global project - a visual celebration of the icons of the 21st century.
, Steirn’s affinity for Africa began as a child during a family trip to the continent. He later returned a number of times before settling in South Africa in 2007.
He trained at the San Francisco Academy of Fine Art.
His images have been published by National Geographic, The Times (London), Australian Financial Review and Sydney Morning Herald.
and composition whilst preserving the integrity of the original image.
For his wildlife fine art collections he experiments with a lens historically used for architectural photography, and portraiture lenses as they allow him to manipulate the plane of focus and capture negative space
to create context.
and its wild subjects for over fifteen years, and is celebrated for his unique ability to capture “the beauty of the real Africa and its inhabitants”.
In reference to the motivation behind his wildlife photography
Steirn has said:
“All I can offer is my humblest interpretation of what inspires me about Africa. My African Wildlife images are not a project or study. They are images I have shot for no other reason than they were beautiful to me” .
Steirn’s wildlife fine art is represented by Everard Read gallery in Johannesburg and a select number of notable game reserve
s throughout Africa including Singita, Shamwari and Sabi Sabi.
Mark Read, owner of Everard Read Gallery in South Africa highlights Steirn’s talent in capturing Africa:
“Africa with its resplendent landscapes, unique biodiversity and ancient human cultures has always attracted the World’s greatest photographers.
All strive to unwrap this most subtle of continent and lay bare through their lens both Africa’s surface details and its viscera. Very few succeed at all.
The rarest of these artists’s with cameras somehow contrive to succeed completely. What sets these profound photographers apart from their peers is a curious mix of talents, energy and an ambition to enthrall us with photographs of both the mundane and magnificent!
Adrian Steirn is undeniably one of these.”
and recently won the portrait photographer award at the Africa Photographic Awards 2010.
South African artist William Kentridge
has appreciated Steirn’s ability as a portrait photographer for its “technical mastery” and “perfectionism”.
“Adrian Steirn’s photographs have an inventiveness and wit. He is able both to perceive unusual perspectives on his subjects and - vital for a portraitist - is able to convince his subject to participate in his exploration. Together with this, he brings a technical mastery that is tested to its limits by his perfectionism.”
.
The 21 Icons Global Project aims to inspire “the children of today to be the icons of tomorrow” and finance causes that will further the welfare and well-being of the next generation of global citizens. The icons selected will be chosen by public nomination, and represent diverse fields of human achievement.
The 21 Icons Foundation, a non-profit organisation
, will oversee the receipt and distribution of proceeds from the licensing and sale of the project's creative output worldwide. The recipients will be designated non-profit beneficiaries and charitable organisations specified by the selected icons, throughout the world.
Fine art photography
Fine art photography refers to photographs that are created in accordance with the creative vision of the photographer as artist. Fine art photography stands in contrast to photojournalism, which provides a visual account for news events, and commercial photography, the primary focus of which is to...
wildlife and portrait photographer based in Cape Town, South Africa
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
. He is a WWF
World Wide Fund for Nature
The World Wide Fund for Nature is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States...
South Africa Photographer-in-Residence. Steirn is currently working on his biggest photographic project to date, the 21 icons global project - a visual celebration of the icons of the 21st century.
Early life and education
Born in Sydney, AustraliaSydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Steirn’s affinity for Africa began as a child during a family trip to the continent. He later returned a number of times before settling in South Africa in 2007.
He trained at the San Francisco Academy of Fine Art.
Career
He is an ambassador for Nikon, Lowepro and Gitzo and has worked internationally for the World Wildlife Fund, Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, Singapore Zoo, and Sydney’s Taronga Zoo amongst others.His images have been published by National Geographic, The Times (London), Australian Financial Review and Sydney Morning Herald.
Photographic style
Steirn does not manipulate his images in ways other than what is possible in a digital dark room. The unique perspective of each image is obtained by his choice of lens, aperture, ISOFilm speed
Film speed is the measure of a photographic film's sensitivity to light, determined by sensitometry and measured on various numerical scales, the most recent being the ISO system....
and composition whilst preserving the integrity of the original image.
For his wildlife fine art collections he experiments with a lens historically used for architectural photography, and portraiture lenses as they allow him to manipulate the plane of focus and capture negative space
Negative space
Negative space, in art, is the space around and between the subject of an image. Negative space may be most evident when the space around a subject, and not the subject itself, forms an interesting or artistically relevant shape, and such space is occasionally used to artistic effect as the "real"...
to create context.
Wildlife fine art photography
Adrian Steirn has been photographing AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and its wild subjects for over fifteen years, and is celebrated for his unique ability to capture “the beauty of the real Africa and its inhabitants”.
In reference to the motivation behind his wildlife photography
Nature photography
Nature photography refers to a wide range of photography taken outdoors and devoted to displaying natural elements such as landscapes, wildlife, plants, and close-ups of natural scenes and textures...
Steirn has said:
“All I can offer is my humblest interpretation of what inspires me about Africa. My African Wildlife images are not a project or study. They are images I have shot for no other reason than they were beautiful to me” .
Steirn’s wildlife fine art is represented by Everard Read gallery in Johannesburg and a select number of notable game reserve
Game reserve
A game reserve is an area of land set aside for maintenance of wildlife for tourism or hunting purposes. Many game reserves are located in Africa. Most are open to the public, and tourists commonly take sightseeing safaris or hunt wild game....
s throughout Africa including Singita, Shamwari and Sabi Sabi.
Mark Read, owner of Everard Read Gallery in South Africa highlights Steirn’s talent in capturing Africa:
“Africa with its resplendent landscapes, unique biodiversity and ancient human cultures has always attracted the World’s greatest photographers.
All strive to unwrap this most subtle of continent and lay bare through their lens both Africa’s surface details and its viscera. Very few succeed at all.
The rarest of these artists’s with cameras somehow contrive to succeed completely. What sets these profound photographers apart from their peers is a curious mix of talents, energy and an ambition to enthrall us with photographs of both the mundane and magnificent!
Adrian Steirn is undeniably one of these.”
Portrait photography
Next to his wildlife photography, Steirn is well-known for his portraitsPortrait photography
Portrait photography or portraiture is the capture by means of photography of the likeness of a person or a small group of people , in which the face and expression is predominant. The objective is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the subject...
and recently won the portrait photographer award at the Africa Photographic Awards 2010.
South African artist William Kentridge
William Kentridge
William Kentridge is a South African artist best known for his prints, drawings, and animated films. These are constructed by filming a drawing, making erasures and changes, and filming it again. He continues this process meticulously, giving each change to the drawing a quarter of a second to two...
has appreciated Steirn’s ability as a portrait photographer for its “technical mastery” and “perfectionism”.
“Adrian Steirn’s photographs have an inventiveness and wit. He is able both to perceive unusual perspectives on his subjects and - vital for a portraitist - is able to convince his subject to participate in his exploration. Together with this, he brings a technical mastery that is tested to its limits by his perfectionism.”
21 Icons Global Project
In 2008, Steirn embarked on his until now largest photographic project: The 21 Icons Global Project. The project is a visual celebration and personal chronicle of the men and women who have enriched and enlightened the world in the 21st Century, and was born in part from Steirn’s desire to photograph Nelson MandelaNelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
.
The 21 Icons Global Project aims to inspire “the children of today to be the icons of tomorrow” and finance causes that will further the welfare and well-being of the next generation of global citizens. The icons selected will be chosen by public nomination, and represent diverse fields of human achievement.
The 21 Icons Foundation, a non-profit organisation
Nonprofit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
, will oversee the receipt and distribution of proceeds from the licensing and sale of the project's creative output worldwide. The recipients will be designated non-profit beneficiaries and charitable organisations specified by the selected icons, throughout the world.
Awards and accolades
- WWF South Africa Photographer-in-Residence 2011-2013
- Nikon Africa Professional Photographer of the Year 2009
- Overall winner of the Africa Photographic Awards 2010
- Lexar Elite Photographer