Brent Stirton
South Africa
Brent is a Senior Correspondent for Getty Images. He does most of his work for National Geographic Magazine, focusing on the intersection of humans and the environment.
Brent Stirton's Image
Thailand has a legal domestic ivory market and the country is suspected of being a transit point for illegal African ivory going to China.
A big part of the domestic trade is religious icons. The influential head abbot of Wat Suan Paa Phutthasatharn Supraditme Thee Temple wears ivory carvings of Buddhist icons. The temple sells these to his followers prepared to pay well for a blessed icon. ‘This abbot has followers all around the world,’ says Brent. ‘He could, if he chose to, be a real force for good.’
Behind the lens
Image details
- Canon EOS 5D Mark II
- 16-35mm f2.8 lens at 18mm
- 1/250 sec at f5
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