The Day May Break

Chapter One of The Day May Break features images captured in Zimbabwe and Kenya in 2020, while Chapter Two was photographed in Bolivia in 2022. 
The people shown in Nick Brandt’s powerful portrait series have directly experienced the devastating effects of climate change: some have lost their homes in floods and cyclones, others have been displaced or impoverished by severe droughts. At the same time, Brandt draws our attention to animals living in various wildlife sanctuaries and conservancies for reasons ranging from the poaching of their parents to the destruction of their habitats. These animals can never be released back into the wild. 

The overwhelming sense in Brandt’s ongoing global series is that his protagonists – be they animals or humans – are forced to learn how to live in a new world. Yet in spite of their loss, these people and animals are true survivors – and therein lies hope and possibility. 

The third chapter (titled SINK / RISE) focuses on South Pacific Islanders affected by rising oceans due to climate change. The locals in these photographs – captured underwater off the Fijian islands – are representative of the many people whose homes, land and livelihoods will be lost in the coming decades due to rising waters.

All three chapters have been published as individual photo books – The Day May Break, The Day May Break Chapter II, and The Day May Break Chapter III, Sink/Rise – which are available at the In Focus Gallery as long as stocks last.