Roy Zetisky

LLOYD POLLAK INTERVIEWS ROY ZETISKY

LLOYD POLLAK:”I imagine that as a child and teenager you were always fascinated by wild life.”

ROY ZETISKY: “When I was very young, 6 years old, I went on a road trip to Kruger with our neighbour whose father was a wildlife photographer and an honorary ranger at Kruger Park and I guess that was the spark that always kept me photographing wildlife in between whatever career path I followed. 

LP: “When did you make the change to wildlife photography?" 

RZ: “The Covid pandemic caused a significant decrease in film work in South Africa. It was at this time that an opportunity came about for me to live in Gondwana Game Reserve for a few years. I was able to focus on my wildlife photography and go out on game drives just about every day in my own 4x4 vehicle and spend precious time observing the social behavior of wildlife and capturing some special moments of insight and observations. It was in this way that I got to know all the animals in the reserve, in particular all the elephant herds, the lion pride and the few cheetah they had.

I use my wildlife photography as a tool to create awareness of these voiceless wildlife animals and the need to support wildlife conservation and organizations and reserves that attempt to increase the diminishing numbers.” 

LP: “You obviously feel a deep sense of kinship with the animals.”

RZ: “I most certainly feel a sense of kinship with the animals, because I know that we are all connected and a part of the all that is. I try to always respect the fact that I am an intruder in the space of the wild animals and maintain a safe distance so that they don’t feel threatened in any way and nor do I. The animals were always aware of my presence and I would often wait for those moments of eye contact, where we could feel our connection as souls. It was a magic moment of recognition and recognition can lead to a deeper rapport. I got to know some of the animals by name so the interaction between man and beast became intensely personal to me - almost like a relationship, a bond.”

LP: “If you called the animals by name would they answer and approach you?”

RZ: “I spoke to specific animals that I had a rapport with and knew by name. When they posed for portraits, I would direct them, in a similar way to how I directed fashion models or actors, like getting them to look at me, or asking Mabitzi the bull elephant to raise his trunk. Quite often my wild friends would respond to my direction and do exactly what I wanted. You can call it coincidental, but my friends who visited me were often amazed at how this worked.” 

LP: “You knew the Gondwana lion king well. Do you think that because of that familiarity he deliberately posed for you and displayed his body to its optimum advantage? Has he been photographed so often he knows what you want from him and behaves accordingly?

“I think you learned to love some of the animals.”

RZ: “Yes I certainly loved the elephant Mabitzi. He made a habit of coming to visit me at my villa in the late afternoons and striking poses for me. I was also very fond of the Gondwana Lion King and shed tears when they had to put him down from old age. My other affection was for the Cheetah mother that gave birth to three beautiful cubs. After about 6 weeks of rearing them and teaching them how to hunt and fend for themselves, she had a run in with the Lions who killed her as she stepped forward to protect her cubs. This was a very sad moment for me. It really hurt losing this beautiful mother. Fortunately the cubs were rescued by the Ashia Cheetah  Foundation who took them to their centre where they protected them and rewilded them until they were ready to be put back into reserves. I went to visit the cubs several times as I still felt a strong connection and cared about their wellbeing.”

LP: “I assume that you could never express your love of these fully grown elephants, lions and cheetahs by physically stroking or caressing them.”

 RZ:’As much as I often felt the need to connect with them physically, I didn’t really want to cross that line. I preferred to keep an emotional relationship and spiritual connection with them rather than a physical one. “

LP: “Do you know the animals so well that you can predict their behavior and know how they will act?”

RZ: “Having spent so much time living in a reserve I have picked up on behavioural patterns so I have a strong sense of how animals react to each other. I have spent time observing social relationships within species, with a particular focus on love, which is evident in my boxed set of 5 books, where you will find moments of wildlife kissing, hugging, holding hands and displaying huge caring towards each other. I have observed parental love, sibling love and even mutual respect across species.” 

LP: “Do you consider your work to be art or do you regard it as photo-journalism?” 

RZ: “I absolutely consider my work as art and the aesthetics of light direction and composition are always of major concern to me. When I am out in the bush photographing I will always try to find an angle where the light is favorable. My career as a cinematographer has trained me to always take an artistic approach.”

LP: “That becomes evident in your magnificent ‘portrait’ photographs of the splendid Gondwana lion king and his mate. They look absolutely at home and relaxed in their natural environment. Is that one of the goals of your photography? 

RZ:”The Gondwana Lions always seemed to feel at ease in my presence and I think it was the tone of my voice when I spoke to them that made them relax and feel unthreatened by my presence.”