“She was incredibly brave and fittingly did not ‘crack under pressure.’ This image is not manipulated – there was 5 yards between her and the lion. At no stage did she show tension or anxiety and that made my job so much easier,” explained David Yarrow, the illustrious fine art photographer who specialises in capturing the beauty of endangered animals.
David was referring to the famous image, shot in South Africa, of a lion snarling behind an unflinching Cara Delevingne, TAG Heuer Ambassador, actress and style icon. The original print of the image, shot for TAG Heuer’s #DontCrackUnderPressure campaign, was auctioned on October 22, for a record price of £120,000. All the proceeds were donated to the Cara Delevingne Foundation by Jean-Claude Biver, TAG Heuer CEO. The foundation supports young woman all over the world.
A selection of David’s never before seen works were on display for the first time at Maddox Gallery, London, alongside photographs from TAG Heuer’s worldwide campaign featuring Cara Delevingne. As a loyal supporter of wildlife conservation, Cara’s powerful presence in the image “is represented in homage to the supreme beauty of living creatures. The images carry a message of respect, support and admiration towards animals through an intense, fearless and contemporary campaign,” according to the brand.
Cara Delevingne and David Yarrow took part in a live Q&A which included them describing their first-hand experience of working with one of the world’s most dangerous animals and details of how the unique and disruptive photograph was captured without the use of any special effects.
“When I photograph an animal, the first thing I do is look into its eyes. If they are not piercing, then it’s very difficult to capture the animal’s soul. And Cara has a truly piercing gaze! I therefore knew right away that the look would be at the very heart of this project.” – David Yarrow, Fine Art Photographer
Cara Delevingne added: “It has long been a dream of mine to get the chance to work with wild animals, and particularly with a lion! I am so grateful to collaborate with TAG Heuer on these incredible visuals.”
Guests who joined Jean-Claude Biver, former TAG Heuer CEO and non-executive Chairman of the LVMH watchmaking division, Cara and David included the founder of Maddox Gallery Jaye Rutland, Stéphane Bianchi CEO of LVMH Watchmaking Division and CEO of TAG Heuer as of November 1st, Frederic Arnault, TAG Heuer Strategy & Digital Director, as well as Natalie Pinkham, David Gandy, Jamie Redknapp, Mark Noble, Denise van Outen, Noëlla Coursaris, Amanda Wakeley, Tania Bryer, Montana Brown and Marissa Montgomery.
