“With his charmingly elevated portraits, the photographer Randal Ford makes them all look like barnyard superstars.”
— The New York Times, 2024 Holiday Gift Guide, on Farm Life
These arresting, often startling images are somehow both intimate and remote, as if Ford were a 21st century John James Audubon, wielding a camera instead of a paintbrush.
Ford offers a theory: "The emotions we apply to these animals are emotions that are within us." So, a bad day at the office might look like a weary highland calf. The feeling of receiving a text from your Hinge date could be a triumphant Ameraucana rooster. We anthropomorphize animals all the time, seeking to know them better in relation to our inner thoughts and feelings. Ford describes his series as "engaged portraits" but maybe they're something more, a rare naked glimpse at the most mystical and elusive breed of all: ourselves.
Photo Elysée
Randal Ford’s animal portraits have been selected for Animal Model: 200 Years of Photography at Photo Elysée in Lausanne, Switzerland, one of Europe’s leading museums dedicated to photography.
Spanning two centuries, the exhibition explores how photographers have shaped our understanding of animals and our relationship with them. Ford’s portraits are presented alongside works by Richard Avedon, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Helmut Newton, Elliott Erwitt, Andreas Gursky, and William Wegman, placing his work within a broader history of animal imagery in photography.
December 4, 2026–April 4, 2027.
1stDibs — Introspective Magazine
“Ford is a kind of Richard Avedon of animal art, in most cases avoiding the arty whimsy of William Wegman in favor of a more noble take that looks into the subject’s eyes for understanding; it wouldn’t be surprising if the animals themselves had commissioned these flattering portraits. Ford’s lovely images in this Rizzoli volume have a classical simplicity to them, all the animals posed like supermodels, some with wind in their fur, against plain backgrounds.”
Just like high school, nature is full of class clowns, punks, drama geeks and stoics—and acclaimed photographer Randal Ford captures these distinct personalities... These stunning animal portraits will touch your heart.
Feature Article October 2018 Issue
Though he has been able to photograph both an African elephant and an American buffalo in studio, there’s one animal Ford hasn’t been able to get to sit for a portrait: his own pet, a thirteen-year-old cat named Harley. “She’s super skittish—she won’t even come near a flash,” he says. “Every time I use a camera, she darts away as if she isn’t going to have anything to do with me.” Turns out, a little black-and-gray tabby might be the most elusive subject of all.
December 2018 Issue
No. 1 Best Gift Book list.
Majestic lions, and tigers and bears and more, photographed portrait-style. They sat still!
Garden & Gun
Garden & Gun featured Farm Life: A Collection of Animal Portraits, highlighting Randal Ford’s studio portraits of farm animals, from llamas and horses to chickens and pigs.
Brené Brown
Featured in Brené and Her Creative Loves, Randal Ford shares the story behind his animal portraits, his creative process, and the challenges of capturing each animal’s personality. Written by Lauren Smith Ford, the profile also highlights his portrait of Bevo, which hangs above the fireplace in Brené’s lake house.
What he’s left with are images of vulnerable creatures who show a side of humanity not previously seen in animal photography.
One of the most interesting facets of the book is Ford’s decision to photograph these animals in a studio environment. Although wild animals are most often seen in their natural habitat, Ford strips away context and elevates form through lighting and composition. He makes it easy to develop cathartic connections with these animals on a deep human level; he channels emotion without ever being able to communicate his intent to his subjects.
Sixtysix Magazine
There is a methodical, studious process behind photographer Randal Ford’s work, a feeling of technical mastery mixed with exacting vision. It turns out, this doesn’t come from a rigorous fine art background but rather a business school degree. “From a business perspective, putting commerce on the same level as art can be really helpful,” he tells me from his studio in Austin. The 36-year-old photographer, well known for his advertising (L.L Bean, Verizon, AT&T) and editorial work (he created a cover for TIME) is about to release Animal Kingdom (Rizzoli), a collection of animal portraits he’s spent the last three years creating in between advertising gigs.
New York Post
“Captured in stunning repose by an award-winning animal portrait photographer.”
Farm Life: A Collection of Animal Portraits was selected for the New York Post’s 2024 Christmas book gift guide.
Lions, tigers, bears — you'll find those in Austin photographer Randal Ford's glossy new book, Animal Kingdom (Rizzoli $40).
You'll also find studio portraits of less obviously majestic creatures. Take the upside-down sloth he nicknamed "Perry" (short for perezoso, lazy in Spanish.) "Most of my subjects can either stand on their legs or sit upright. Sloths, on the other hand, do neither. ... However, once I saw him hang, the light bulb went off: That was the shot."
Randal Ford’s captivating portraits shine the spotlight on a variety of species from across the animal world. The collection’s objective, he says, is twofold: “to create a simple, singular, and beautiful portrait of the animal,” while providing people with an “emotional connection with nature and other living species.” Through photography, Ford says, he also seeks to erase the divide between animal and viewer: “Whether it’s beauty, power, or humor, I want to give the animals the opportunity to tell their own story and connect with you.”
In 2017 Randal Ford won first place and Best of Show in the prestigious International Photography Awards competition. His Black Rooster image was used on the cover of the annual as well.
In 2018 Randal Ford’s book won 1st place in the professional book category. Click here for more.
In addition to wild animals, like tigers, lions, wolves, birds and bears, Ford also included domestic animals and pets as a part of his animal kingdom. College football fans in Texas will love his inclusion of the University of Texas mascot Bevo, the longhorn steer, and Texas A&M’s mascot Reveille, the collie, (A&M is the photographer’s alma mater). Other Texas critters made it into the book too. There’s Luke the horny toad and Queasa the armadillo, and a surly, snot-slinging bull named Wayne Crosby. There are pigs, chickens, and some of the most beautiful horses you’ve ever seen. And there’s more cows of course.
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal featured Randal Ford’s work for L.L.Bean’s 100th anniversary, bringing a 1933 illustrated catalog cover to life through photography. The article explores his attention to detail in recreating the nostalgic fishing scene, including his insistence on using real, live trout.
Town & Country
Good Dog: A Collection of Portraits was selected by Town & Country as one of its best coffee table books, celebrating Randal Ford’s portraits of dogs and their individual personalities.
Ford is a portrait artist at the core of his photography, so these animals are rooted in classical portraiture, inspired by the greats like Richard Avedon. Animals can be and quite often are majestic so to see them come across this way via the camera lens is really gorgeous!