His ability to unobtrusively enter the worlds of animals and “come to know their most intimate, desperate, and ordinary moments” (his own words) has aided him when photographing both shy and potentially dangerous species. His aesthetic vision and knowledge of the subject matter are unlike those of any other natural history photographer [National Geographic].

Named BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year in 1991, Lanting has also been credited with focusing attention on environmental problems and, in some cases, spurring governments and non-governmental groups to act upon them.