Growing-up near southern England's beautiful New Forest and coast, Paul Coghlin developed an interest in creative photography from a young age, regularly travelling out with a camera to capture the natural surroundings. Now based in eastern England the award winning photographer has continued to expand his creative style over the years, across a wide range of subjects, with his images appearing in magazines and exhibitions.
During 2010, in addition to a number of others awards, Paul received the British Institute of Professional Photography "Photographer of the Year" and "Peter Grugeon Award" as well as B+W Photography Magazine's "Photographer of the Year 2010" and the "Digital Printer of the Year 2010" awards. Paul is an Associate member of the British Institute of Professional Photography (BIPP).
The images from Paul's "Behind The Eyes" series were taken at the Colchester Zoo, which is only 30 minutes from his home in Suffolk, in eastern England. He used a 70-300mm telephoto zoom lens, which gave a good range of focal lengths.
Artist Statement : The intention of the series is to encourage the viewer to consider animal consciousness and what an animal may “think” or feel as it looks right back at the viewer. Both observers may actually have far more in common than either of them realise…
"I wondered if it were possible to capture a photograph of the fleeting moment when a contact appears to be made between two self-aware animals; that elusive connection when one animal hold its gaze directly and deliberately into the eyes of another. This was the basis for the 'Behind The Eyes' series." - Paul Coghlin
“My aim was to get a clear shot of the animals looking directly at the camera and holding their gaze. I wanted to be able to see what the animals were thinking and to focus on the animals’ consciousness... I do enjoy taking photos of people but I think that the wildlife aspect is more interesting because you just never know what they are going to do next. There is a definite challenge in taking photos of wildlife. I think there is an excitement to it because you do rely on them.” - Paul Coghlin
Paul Coghlin's series is about the consciousness and awareness of the wild animals, which is what my images are trying to do. Paul takes the approch of capturing the eyes of the animal and experiencing eye contact between himself and the wild animals of the zoo. I however use the cage as a median to interpret the communication and consciousness between humans and animals.
Paul CoghlinGalleryInterview
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