Tim Flach, the renowned UK photographer, is exhibiting a series of animal portraits at the Retina Scottish International Photography Festival, Edinburgh. His work, which often examines the anthropomorphism of creatures in an abstract way, is on display at 11 Gayfield Square until 30 July.
1. A snow white Bengal tiger. Shot against a black background, the animal’s gaze penetrates through you, compelling you to stare back
2. Diatou, left, and Cheka, a pair of bonobos. The species is native to the Congo basin in central Africa
3. Grace, a great grey owl
4. Capuchin monkeys often mimic human behaviour. Could this one, called Rupee, be texting?
5. A group portrait of Siberian huskies
6. An axolotl, a type of salamander native to freshwater habitats around Mexico
7. This highly constructed image is of an Arabian halter, a supermodel of the horse world. It has been composed to allude to George Stubbs’s famous painting Whistlejacket, utilising similar tones. Taken at the pristine Ajman stud in the United Arab Emirates, it was lit by a flash indoors, looking out of the window to the bright sunshine
8. This Hungarian puli, snapped mid-leap, has a wild, mop-like coat. The puli was originally a herding dog, used by the nomads of the Hungarian plains to round up livestock. Its curious corded fur is extremely thick and almost entirely waterproof
9. A creatively groomed poodle poses in the topiary gardens of Levens Hall in Kendal, Cumbria
10. Pico, an Andalusian horse
11. Ya Yun, meaning elegant, is a giant panda from the Chengdu panda research base in western China. The centre has successfully bred 120 giant pandas from just six that were rescued in 1987
12. A featherless chicken prances across the stage like a plump ballerina. This breed draws on the naturally occurring recessive mutation that eliminates feathers and is crossed with one of a favoured strain of broiler chicken
13. Kanja, a Bengal tiger, shakes water off her coat
14. Lilly, a dalmation dog
15. This image of an Arabian horse remains one of the photographer’s favourites. A simple white shoulder and mane on a black background suggests a detail of a beautiful horse, and at the same time a pristine snow-covered mountain