A Celebration of Our Close Kinship with Other Primates

Critically endangered Western lowland gorilla.

Source: Lennette Newell

While there are a good number of photographic books about a wide variety of non-human primates, renowned photographer Lennette Newell's new book Primates: A Kinship with All Creatures stands out by offering unique, science-based insights into this group of fascinating, diverse mammals. Here's what she had to say about this highly unique collection of photographs and facts.

Marc Bekoff: Why did you publish Primates: A Kinship with All Creatures?

Lennette Newell: I did not set out to do a primate book. I started photographing some primates that were confiscated after being brought into the U.S. on the black market. My work as a commercial photographer (in the niche market of pet advertising) gave me contacts across the entire animal network. I was able to photograph these primates, and from there my interest only grew. I began photographing every available situation, whether in a studio set at a facility or at a location; it became a fascination I wanted to share with a broader audience. My world has become clearer through these experiences, and they have brought to light just how important each and every species is to our own survival.

MB: How does your book relate to your background and general areas of interest?

LN: My life started on a ranch in the high plains where my father was a large-animal veterinarian. I was surrounded by animals from birth; they were part of our larger family. The animals were my teachers, my companions, providing knowledge and comfort, and I zigged and zagged with their body language completely; their flow of emotions entertained me, saddened me, and became my world. All animals share a common language, while each species has its own hierarchy. Our commonalities are truly the same. We all show affection and love, grieve, express stress, and, if necessary, threaten in order to save ourselves and our family. I have always loved all creatures, and my curiosity only grows with age for a glimpse into other creatures’ souls less known to me. The intrigue of observing each species brings more questions and a deeper understanding that our commonalities lead to healthy coexistence.

Source: G Editions/with permission.

MB: Who do you hope to reach?

LN: Everyone, young kids who look at photos, curious humans, animal lovers, suspicious folks who are unsure why I call them our relatives, nature and sustainability advocates, corporate executives, and all primate specialists, psychologists, and passionate souls whose love for all creatures will help save them. Kinship is nature.

MB: What are some of the topics you consider and what are some of your major messages?

LN: I am a compassionate photographer, presenting images of these primates who came before us millions of years ago as creatures equal to us and valued as any Homo sapiens would be. There is no question I am connected to them and find inspiration in each species, expanding my own knowledge of myself.

The images presented in the book are black-and-white; it is a love story to my viewers. Hold the portraits close to your heart with no distractions. Examine the whole of every image and its details; close the book after a session and come back to admire and ponder what you believe transpired in this moment. Consider our kinship. Contemplate our responsibility to those creatures who have come before us. Celebrate the natural world we live in.

All primates live in fragile ecosystems with many under pressure from climate change, habitat loss, and an imbalance due to disease and other factors. Primates had a larger territory to live in decades ago, which allowed younger primates to breed with other troops, keeping their DNA strong. Now the neighboring troop, which also lives close to their troop, is the only choice due to habitat loss. As their territory becomes smaller, many elements of their ecosystem are disappearing, degrading the quality of life for many primate species.

Endangered proboscis monkey.

Source: Lennette Newell.

Every habitat, whether natural or in an accredited sanctuary, zoo, or conservation center, is important for the survival of primate species. If you live in California, you can visit the Gibbon Conservation Center where I photographed the gibbons for the book. You can also explore the New England Primate Conservancy for more detailed knowledge about these animals.

Animals should not be viewed as products but as part of our valued natural world. Some primates are understandably hunted for food. Our view of the natural world needs to change. How does this happen? I share my most compassionate visuals in hopes people will connect; on a larger scale, organizations such as the world-renowned Jane Goodall Institute are at the forefront of showing why we need to work for peaceful coexistence rather than exploitation.

Environment Essential Reads

Is Your Street Making You Lonelier?

What Is the Link Between Climate Change and Child Abuse?

My journey to Borneo included the Borneo Nature Lodge. They work closely with Tomoko Kanamori of Japan’s Orangutan Research Center. They have a first-generation forest, one of the few remaining; it is incredibly beautiful. The guides were able to spot the orangutans due to the researchers on the ground. This cohesive arrangement ensures revenue to the government from tourists, protects the primates, and supports Japan’s Orangutan Research Center’s work.

MB: How does your book differ from others that are concerned with some of the same general topics?

LN: I approached this as a photographer; therefore, my book is a visual story with intimate, personal black-and-white photographs. The time I spent with each primate was one of respect and shared interconnection. Our understanding of each other was naturally instinctive for both of us. I use the word instinctive quite a bit. I feel my movements, my thoughts, the thoughts of the primates, and their movements become one, as if we have known each other for a while; nothing to think about; our language coincides. This natural cohesion brings forth the photographs I present in this book for further evaluation, open to each viewer’s wonder and creativity.

MB: Are you hopeful that as people learn more about these amazing beings they will treat them with more respect, compassion, and dignity?

LN: Yes, to quote Jane Goodall, “Only if we understand will we care.”

This book required years of photography, and I loved each minute. This understanding and these experiences deepened my respect for Mother Nature. Simply magnificent, to this day I am overwhelmed with this gift that only requires respect and careful thought to live within this abundance, carefully using our sense of selves that weaves a natural web to our shared ecosystems.