Randal Ford

Repost from @natureismetal 🔥 This breed of chicken (Ayam cemani) possesses a dominant gene that causes hyperpigmentation, making the bird completely black. Feathers, skin, beak, bones, flesh, even their internal organs, all are genetically painted with the same obsidian b…

“Time is the substance from which I am made. Time is a river which carries me along, but I am the river; it is a tiger that devours me, but I am the tiger; it is a fire that consumes me, but I am the fire. “ - Jorge Luis Borges A few more portraits for Year of the Tiger, i…

Another portrait of Shika for Year of the Tiger. Shika was my first large cat to photograph in studio. Large cats in studio are an experience unlike anything else. The combination of power and grace is tangible. They command respect and one wrong move can make things escal…

Welcome to the year of the Tiger. ​ ​Photographer notes: Shika was my first large cat to photograph in studio. Large cats in studio are an experience unlike anything else. The combination of power and grace is tangible. They command respect and one wrong move can make thin…

As is the case with most labs, Mar's gentle demeanor and eagerness to please were both tender and endearing. I am particularly enamored with Chocolate Labs-- the well of wisdom that lives beneath their chestnut coat always feels mysterious and, yet, ever present and freely give…

Salukis are quite large and remarkably graceful-- they glide across the floor, wind-in-hair, as if permanently existing in a shampoo commercial. But Kaladin didn’t let his good looks go to his head. He greeted each crew member with a hug on his hind legs and even lowered him…

Barbaro filled the room like a heavy piece of thick-stringed music, slowly spreading throughout the space and lowering the energy down to a sonorous, melodic hum. Though his name means barbaric, he was no such thing. This gentle giant stood before my lens, calm yet powerful.…

Rory was a bit like the wise, wacky uncle we all wish we had. There were moments like this one where his soft gaze and elongated facial features communicated such a depth and internal complexity, and then other moments like when we all stopped to consider how a crew member’s…

⁣Lourdes, Camera, Action! This pup was, truly, his own spotlight and had no hesitations when it came time to strike a pose. Chinese Crested dogs can not be mistaken for any other breed-- they are distinctly unique in so many ways. From their pink, spotted skin to the charact…

Sometimes referred to as a panther, this black beauty is actually a leopard that inherited a melanistic gene. Murph had me on my toes the whole time. He had a low growl the entire shoot, but I knew the trainers well enough to know we were safe. Murph was simply in his ‘work …

Oscuro, the dark side of the moon. All black Oscuro is truly majestic, even his horns are naturally black. His namesake means dark in Spanish.

⁣Quesa the Dilla. What else would you name an armadillo in Texas, right? Quesa arrived on set covered in dirt and dust, but it was nothing a quick rinse couldn’t take care of. I really wanted a clean shot of her, so after a lukewarm bath in tap water, she resumed her place c…

⁣An alternate view of Maverick’s mighty horns. I can’t help but wonder if their W shape is actually just an upside down M for Maverick.

⁣An alternate view of Maverick’s mighty horns. I can’t help but wonder if their W shape is actually just an upside down M for Maverick.

Australian Amelia’s color is stunning, graphic, and vibrant. During our shoot her head feathers would flutter up and down, creating a colorful spectacle and drawing attention from everyone on set. Amelia loved to look at herself too. I can understand why she fixated on her o…

⁣Give ‘em hell, Slidell! Or, at least, make ‘em think you’re going to. We all know though that beneath that tough exterior of furrowed brow and frown, you’re really just one big softie. Throughout this project, I found myself thinking a lot about the contrast between how a…

⁣Rory was a bit like the wise, wacky uncle we all wished we had. There were moments like this one where his soft gaze and elongated facial features communicated such a depth and internal complexity, and then other moments like when we all stopped to consider how a crew membe…

⁣Merlin was only 4 months into the world when he arrived on set and somehow had already accumulated such a dignified way about him. His intense arctic eyes were impossibly blue, and the symmetry of his markings reminded me of the paper mirror paintings my kids come home from…