TOKYO-2019 Nature / Pets

Eyes Are The Window to The Soul

  • Prize
    Gold in Nature/Pets, 2nd Place winner in Nature
  • Photographer
    Mark Edward Harris
  • Technical Info
    Nikon D850, Profoto And Stella Lights
  • Photo Date
    2018, 2019

The expression “Eyes are the windows to the soul” is usually associated with humans but when photographing other great apes (humans join orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees, and bonobos in this category) it’s clear that there are sentient beings behind the eyes looking back through the lens. Long before genetic testing revealed a 96.4 DNA overlap between orangutans and humans, the similarities between the two was noticed. The name “orangutan” itself comes from the Malay and Indonesian words orang (people) and hutan (forest).

Mark Edward Harris’ assignments have taken him to 99 countries on six continents. His editorial work has appeared in publications such as Vanity Fair, LIFE, The New York Times, Time Magazine, GEO, Newsweek, Conde Nast Traveler, AFAR, The London Sunday Times Travel Magazine, Wallpaper, Vogue, Architectural Digest, The Los Angeles Times Magazine, and The London Sunday Times Travel Magazine as well as all the major photography and in-flight magazines. His accolades include a CLIO, ACE, Aurora Gold, and IPA awards and books including The Way of the Japanese Bath, Inside Iran and North Korea.