Claire Rosen
*Sloth Bear Feast*
India, 2018
Wildlife SOS was instrumental in bringing a permanent end to the centuries-old tradition of ‘dancing bears’ in India and rescuing 628 sloth bears from illegal custody. The organization created alternative livelihoods, provided education and introduced women empowerment initiatives to the people who earned a living from their exploitation, and now has a successful model in place for the rescue and rehabilitation of wildlife.

Words and Images by Claire Rosen

Interview by AnnaRose Goldwitz

What made you pursue photography?

I was quite bad at painting!

What inspires you to pursue image-making?

The pursuit of image-making offers a path to a life enriched with unique personal experiences. For me, photography provides an ongoing opportunity to learn, connect with interesting individuals, and explore fascinating places near and far.

Making pictures allows me to explore the world, work out how I feel about it, and find my place within it. Beyond personal experience, I hope to affect viewers - to capture someone else’s imagination and provide an escape from the everyday world—even if momentarily. I hope to create images that are a window to a whimsical place where anything is possible. And in that place of possibility might we collectively imagine a more compassionate and hopeful future for the natural world and its wondrous inhabitants?

What do you enjoy most about being a photographer?

I enjoy the entire creative ideation process; imagining the concept I would like to create, dreaming, researching, treasure hunting for props, the adventure, the problem solving, the anticipation, building these small worlds, and the thrill when it all comes together and actually works.

I also especially enjoy sharing my more whimsical work with children - the surprise and delight on their faces… as if deep down they knew all along that unicorns were real and that hedgehogs had dinner parties.

Claire Rosen
*Porcupine Dinner for Two*
2024

How did you develop this series?

The Fantastical Feasts series started during a collaboration with a chandelier designer, where I created a scene featuring pigs enjoying doughnuts under her fantastic large gold chandeliers. Years later, I encountered Lar Gibbons on an island in Thailand, prompting the creation of a similar dining scene. I loved working with the small apes. However, later learning about their mistreatment and exploitation for tourism shifted my focus to animal welfare issues. As I developed the project, with the early photoshoots of elephants, honey bees, and red-eared slider turtles, the myriad tensions between humans and animals piled up — from animal performance and tourism to habitat loss and pollution, the pet industry to our food systems — it's overwhelming. This underlying theme emerged, if all people understood animals to be intelligent and sentient then we wouldn't stand for many of the conditions that animals find themselves in because of human action. By placing animals in human settings, the series hopes to encourage viewers to reconsider our relationship with animals and our societal responsibilities.

How do you find all the different animals in your photographs, and how do you get them to act for the photo?

I find the animals through a combination of research and my networks - with a lot of synchronicity and a bit of magic! I am now seeking out more sanctuaries and rescue centers to collaborate with.

The animals are mostly motivated by food. I don’t get them to act! I arrange everything on the table as meticulously as I can, and then completely surrender control to the animals, waiting with baited breath to see what they do when they get to the table. I take a number of pictures during the shoot and the best expressions and positions captured are arranged in photoshop to make one strong dynamic composition. I work with the very talented Bec Manson from The Post Office to make the images perfect.

What challenges came up during this project?

The magic of working with animals is in their unpredictability. And at times they don’t want to come to the table at all! The safety of the animals has the highest priority for me, and I rely on their caretakers to make sure they are comfortable. There are places where animals are not treated very well and that is challenging to witness. And even nature itself can feel challenging in its cruelty as animals (including us) eat other animals and even though that is the way of things it still feels conflicting. I think my own internal struggle with right and wrong and how things are not always black and white feels challenging.

Claire Rosen
*The Cheetah Feast*
South Africa, 2016
The global cheetah population has plummeted to less than 6,000, with threats including poaching, habitat loss, and conflict with farmers. Challenges in repopulation efforts include territorial fights and vulnerability to larger predators, with 80% of populations having fewer than 100 individuals. Conservation initiatives aim to diversify gene pools and combat retaliatory killings by farmers using poison, which also harms other wildlife. Illegal trafficking for skins, bones, and other parts further exacerbates the decline.

Can you walk me through your creative process from concept to final image?

Describe your creative process in one word?

Intertwined

Do you have any post-processing or editing techniques that you prefer?

Editing and post-processing are integral parts of my creative process. Selecting images and composing them involves experimenting with various versions and combinations which may convey different impressions of the animals. Sometimes they appear more animal-like, while other times they seem more human-like, comical, or even aggressive. I consider how I want the animals portrayed and ensure that comes through in the compositional choices. Balancing the aesthetics of creating a visually striking image with the desired message is important. After roughing out the composition and visual elements, Bec Manson from The Post Office works her magic to finalize the image.

Is there a selection of your work that you are most proud of?

I believe my work is constantly evolving so it's a bit challenging to make a selection that I am most proud of. However, I particularly cherish the pieces where I've formed a connection with the animals I'm portraying or if the shoot was particularly challenging.

Claire Rosen
*The Elephant Feast*
United States, 2013
Elephants are no longer used for performances in circuses in the United States following widespread public concern over their welfare and advocacy efforts against their use in entertainment. Legislation and shifting societal attitudes have led most circuses to retire their elephants to sanctuaries, where they can live out their lives in more natural settings.

What was the last book you read or film you saw that inspired you?

The movie Poor Things and the book FieldWork: Creativity, Consciousness, and Daily Encounters by Rebecca Purcell

What advice would you give to people just starting out in photography?

With a conscious curation of experiences and inspiration, engage with the world and your community in an interesting and adventurous way. This will inform your artwork and expand your life. While you explore all the wonders of this world, turn inward to also investigate your internal world by tapping into your unconscious mind—the seat of all creativity and imagination through dreams, meditation, and working intuitively. Intentionally make time to nurture your creative self with regular practice, play, failure, and experimentation in an environment conducive to real productivity that fits into your life in a sustainable way.

If you could teach a one-hour class on anything, what would it be?

The Importance of Play

What is your favorite thing (podcast, album, audio book...etc.) to listen to?

My favorite auditory pleasure is listening to live bird songs and the chorus of spring peepers by the creek. The cacophony created by these tiny frogs feels like a symphony of nature.

Claire Rosen
*The Red-Eared Slider Turtle Feast*
United States, 2013
Red-eared slider turtles are an invasive species in many ecosystems, outcompeting native species and disrupting ecological balance. Efforts to control their populations and prevent further spread include regulations on their sale and ownership, as well as educational programs to discourage their release into the wild.

Was there one particular photographer and/or teacher who inspired you to pursue photography?

Someone I didn’t know personally that made me want to be a photographer would be Tim Walker, Sarah Moon, and Joyce Tenneson

I also had fabulous teachers at Savannah College of Art and Design; Steve Aishman, Craig Stevens and Steve Bliss, and then at the Maine Media Workshops; Joyce Tenneson, Cig Harvey and Ron Haviv were all very important to my pursuit of a career in photography.

What is the best exhibition/museum you have visited recently?

Due to my recent focus on farm life, I haven't had the opportunity to visit museums as frequently. However, I thoroughly enjoyed FRAGILE EARTH: THE NATURALIST IMPULSE IN CONTEMPORARY ART at the Brandywine River Museum. I hope to get to the Beatrix Potter, Drawn to Nature Exhibition at the Morgan Library in NYC before it closes.

How do you take your coffee?

As Ice Cream!