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Benjamin Walter

@benwalterdirector

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🎥Feature Film (Pink Zone) & Commercials (Google)
🇫🇷From Versailles 🇺🇸Immigrant in LA 🇮🇹Half Italian
🌏Traveling around the world for half the year

POSTS STORIES REELS

“Habibi” aka “La Mer”, Fall 2022, Djerba, Tunisia 🫒

#leica #leicacamera #fashion #editorial #tunisia #mediterranean #photography #leicaq2 #fineart #model by @benwalterdirector

“Looking back at summer like…”
L.A. Woman, part 2. by @benwalterdirector

“Eye For An Eye.” Tanzania, October 2023.

#tanzania #gombe #gombenationalpark #chimp #chimpanzee #africa #savannah #travel #travelphotography #fineart #myleicaphoto #magnumphotos #natgeo #blackandwhitephotography #monochrom #blackandwhite by @benwalterdirector

“Memento Mori On The Shores Of Lake Tanganyika, part 3.” Tanzania, October 2023. The small village of Mwamgongo lies deep in Gombe and can only be reached by boat. The people of Mwamgongo are so beautiful inside and out. They are mostly young kids, who participate in the local art of palm oil cultivation. An old art that is unfortunately deadly for the ecosystem and chimpanzees. But when looking at all these new faces, a wholly sense of optimism engulfs me.

Shot on Leica Q3.

#tanzania #gombe #gombenationalpark #village #africa #savannah #travel #travelphotography #leicaq3 #fineart #leica #myleicaphoto #magnumphotos #natgeo #blackandwhitephotography #monochrom #blackandwhite by @benwalterdirector

“Memento Mori On The Shores Of Lake Tanganyika, part 2.” Tanzania, October 2023. During times of great despair, Gombe National Park is one of those places on earth that reminds us of the good of human endeavor. We can be so kind and loving for our brothers and sisters. Going on a hike through the dense rainforest and looking for troops of chimpanzees is as thrilling as discovering life itself. It is like taking your first steps as a child and going through the first day of school. The curiosity, the excitement, use a part of your brain that could have felt abandoned since the early years. There’s nothing like looking at the reflection of the sun piercing through the rainforest’s foliage in the eyes of chimpanzees. Thanks to legend @janegoodalluk @janegoodallinst groundbreaking work and of the team she put together, they have been somewhat habituated to humans. You gotta be in great physical shape when following them in the unbreathable humidity and unescapable greenery of the Gombe rainforest. But follow them and you’ll witness life itself. I was lucky enough to see the great apes hunt and kill a little monkey. Chimpanzees are omnivorous frugivores and meat makes up less than 2% of their diet. Call that a celebratory treat if you will. The scene was as brutal and bloody as one can imagine and, once the screams can be heard, there is no escape for the little macaque. Chimpanzees go from loving, sensible and smart beings to ferocious killers on a dime. The sound of their pan-hooting being echoed in the forest is chilling. Everyone will share the body parts and, interestingly enough, when eating meat, chimpanzees will always pair it with leaves and fruits. Humans should try to cut meat to 5%, maybe we have to learn from chimpanzees on this? The chimp diet, anyone?

#tanzania #gombe #gombenationalpark #chimps #chimpanzees #apes #monkey #safari #wildlife #africa #savannah #travel #travelphotography #fineart #leica #myleicaphoto #magnumphotos #natgeo #blackandwhitephotography #monochrom #blackandwhite #janegoodall #janegoodallinstitute by @benwalterdirector

“Memento Mori On The Shores Of Lake Tanganyika, part 1.” Tanzania, October 2023. “Tanganyika”, a name full of mystery, with the enticement of exploration and its endless possibilities. Far from Tanzania’s famous parks, deeper within the African continent, it’s true that it is still, to this day, one of the most remote places on earth. A land still relatively unexploited and virgin from humans’ never-ending trampling of native territory. Lake Tanganyika is the world’s longest and deepest freshwater lake, the second-oldest one. Standing on its shores, with only the rainforest behind you, and war-torn Congo in front, surrounded by mischievous baboons, one could feel like being a part of Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. But Gombe National Park is a real place. Not fantasized. The smallest of Tanzania’s national parks, actually. It might also truly be the wildest. An ecosystem of unsupervised beauty, made famous by Jane Goodall’s work with chimpanzees. It is a capsule in time and space where the people, the fauna, the flora and, yes, even the light, look like nothing else on this planet. Even swimming in it feels like an alien experience. And yet, even this beautifully strange faraway land is directed by the inescapable laws of life and death. Which is kind of reassuring.

#tanzania #laketanganyika #gombe #gombenationalpark #baboon #monkey #safari #wildlife #africa #savanna #travel #travelphotography #fineart #leica #myleicaphoto #magnumphotos #natgeo by @benwalterdirector

“Hatari!” Tanzania, October 2023. “Hatari” means danger in Swahili… it’s also the name of the name of the Howard Hawks’ masterpiece. Felt very fitting for this dose of serotonin.

#tanzania #serengeti #safari #wildlife #elephant #africa #savanna #travel #travelphotography #fineart #myleicaphoto #magnumphotos #natgeo #hatari by @benwalterdirector

“Good Girl.” Tanzania, October 2023. The fastest in the savannah, cheetahs are also the most lovable and the cutest. Basically 99.9% friendly to humans, they will purr to perfection after bloodily hunting a gazelle. The desire to scratch their bellies is virtually impossible to resist and you will fall in love.

#tanzania #serengeti #safari #wildlife #cheetah #africa #savanna #travel #travelphotography #fineart #myleicaphoto #magnumphotos #natgeo by @benwalterdirector

“Migrants.” Tanzania, October 2023. The Great Migration is one of this planet’s most spectacular shows. When more than 1.5 million wildebeest migrate every year, accompanied by zebras and some elephants, move through the plains for 1,200 miles, crossing country lines between Tanzania and Kenya. The animal kingdom is always the best teacher: animals, like humans, move. This is what life is about, we’re not supposed to stay in the same place all of our lives. Keep moving and you’ll keep living.

Shot on Leica Q3.

#tanzania #greatmigration #serengeti #safari #africa #savanna #travel #travelphotography #fineart #myleicaphoto #magnumphotos #natgeo #blackandwhitephotography #monochrom #blackandwhite by @benwalterdirector

“Homecoming.” Tanzania, October 2023. The Maasai people are one of the most famous tribes on earth. They both stuck to their traditions (for better or for worse - genital mutilation is a recurring debate within the tribes) while opening to modernity (credit cards and phones). Like a lot of people around the world right now, they’re being pushed out of their land. They’re a people in search of a home and have been the target of the never ending displacement from the Tanzanian government, looking to expand lucrative game reserves, and even trophy hunting! Their mass arrests and brutal evictions means water shortages and cattle at risk of death. Displacement and the fight to preserve one’s land is the story of our time, from the Maasai to the Palestinian people. Land is identity, land is freedom. It’s home. You can steal home, but you can’t erase it.

Shot on Leica Q3.

#maasai #tanzania #serengeti #safari #africa #savanna #travel #travelphotography #fineart #myleicaphoto #magnumphotos #natgeo #blackandwhitephotography #monochrom #blackandwhite by @benwalterdirector

“Fifty Shades of Grey.” Tanzania, October 2023.

#tanzania #serengeti #safari #wildlife #elephant #africa #savanna #travel #travelphotography #fineart #myleicaphoto #magnumphotos #natgeo #blackandwhitephotography #monochrom #blackandwhite #AfricaNature #wildplanet #wildlife_shots #wildlifephotos #wildlifeonearth by @benwalterdirector

“Panthère Solitaire.” Tanzania, October 2023. Leopards have become somewhat of an object of desire for many in the collective unconscious, solely due to their iconic fur, and their deep blue/emerald eyes, associated to the luxury industry, from coats (unfortunately) to jewelry (Cartier). We’ve even given them a fancy stage name for their musings: panther. They’re the most complex of the big cats, attractive yet solitary and deeply selfish (they hate their kids). You could compare them to us, millennials… They’re spotless but gory, soft-looking but aggressive. Their beauty usually means trouble as we’re ready to follow them anywhere.

#tanzania #serengeti #safari #wildlife #panthere #panther #leopard #africa #savanna #travel #travelphotography #fineart #myleicaphoto #magnumphotos #natgeo #cartier #cat #bigcat #bigcatswildlife by @benwalterdirector