Wild Africa

An exhibition by Peter Haygarth with Brozes by David Cemmick.

Previews June 13th from 12 noon

To say that Peter Haygarth is a patient man is an understatement.

The wildlife photographer once waited motionless

for 15 hours in a hide to secure the perfect

shot of a lioness taking a drink. But it was worth it.

‘It was a challenge to stay awake,’ recalls Peter, 62.

‘It was 5am and I’d been in the

hide since the afternoon of the day before. I

had two people with me who I was teaching

photography to and they’d fallen asleep. Then

from nowhere, from what was a very boring

night, it turned into the most incredible

experience when a lioness came to drink

from a waterhole. When I took the shot and

looked at the back of the camera, it was a

‘wow’ moment instantly. The expression on

her face, mirrored in the watering hole in the

darkness, it was amazing.’

The staggeringly beautiful image ended up being featured in newspapers around the world. Peter also videoed the lioness and the footage was later played at the entry to an exhibition entitled Felines at the National Histor Museum, in Paris.

‘It was a very proud moment seeing the video in Paris,’ he says, which was a long way from Bishop Auckland where he grew up and still lives.

Peter had been obsessed with African wildlife from an early age, spending his pocket money on animal figures and being glued to television programmes such as Tarzan and Daktari. After leaving school, he joined the RAF as a technician and bought a camera with one of his first pay checks. He went on to join the police, specialising as a

firearms officer and then a firearms instructor. While in the police, he studied for a City and Guilds in Photography at Bishop Auckland College for four years. His first trip to Africa came in 2007, to the Masai Mara, in Kenya, during the wildebeest migration. ‘People said to me ‘‘once you taste the water of Africa, you will have an irresistible desire to return.’’ For me, that has been so true,’ he says. Peter’s trips took him from Tanzania and Rwanda to Zimbabwe and Botswana, as well as South Africa, to teach photography on photo safaris. It was at the Zimanga Private

Game Reserve, in South Africa, that he captured one of the best shots of his career.

‘It was an encounter between a cheetah and a

pack of wild dogs. It was incredible,’ he says.

The raw and powerful image ended

up receiving a Highly Commended in the

Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards,

run by the Natural History Museum, in

London. It was one of hundreds selected

from 48,000 entries and one of 18 displayed

subsequently in the state room at Number 10

Downing Street.

While that picture was taken from the

relative safety of a vehicle, Peter admits he’s had a few incidents that have caused his heart to ‘skip a beat’. As well as patience, a knowledge of animal behaviour has served him well over the years. ‘It’s important you sit and watch and get an idea of its behaviour so you can second guess the type of photograph you’re going to get,’ he says. ‘But a wild animal is still unpredictable. I’ve been mock charged (a warning charge) a couple of times by elephants. The sensible thing then is to back off and give them space. For me, it’s always about the animal. The last thing I ever want to do is upset them or interfere with their behaviour. I’d rather miss the shot than do that.

Since retiring from the police, Peter has become a qualified drone operator and videographer. He’s shot Premiership football for four years, filmed in Morocco for BBC’s Top Gear and is the official photographer

for Kynren, the outdoor stage spectacular in Bishop Auckland. But Africa is where his heart lies. So much so, his next project will see his work displayed in an exhibition entitled Wild Africa, at contemporary art gallery, Gallerina, in Darlington. Richard Hindle, Gallerina’s owner, says: ‘Peter’s work has an authenticity and passion which transports us. These incredible creatures surviving a changing world show why life on earth is so awe inspiring. The atmosphere, power and tenderness combined with his undimmed boyhood passion have made for an incredible exhibition. Framed with careful consideration, the work looks stunning. ’Peter is also excited to see his work in Gallerina’s events space. ‘I hope it will inspire some people to pick up a camera and go and see it for themselves, because it’s life changing,’ he says. ‘To see that kind of wildlife in its natural habitat is a beautiful thing.’

Wild Africa is at Gallerina,

1 Victoria Road, Darlington, from June 13 until July

25. It will feature alongside bronzes by Lake

District-based artist David Cemmick.