Elephants are very protective with themselves, specially if there are baby ones in the group. It was a sunny morning in the dry lake bed in Amboseli, and a herd of these fantastic creatures was crossing looking for water and food. After getting in position and lying on the ground not far from them I put my attention on this big male. Apparently he did not like any human company at the time and started charging towards me shortly after I took my position. There was no option apart to be still, try to be calm and shoot. It was a very intense moment with certain physical risk, but the conditions for photography were absolutely unique and I could focus on getting the shot. The sun light was harsh on the dry lake and the elephant, but far away there was a dark cloudy and dramatic sky, making a beautiful background canvas. Taken at 1/2000 sec the image fully captures the anger and energy of this magnificnet creature at that moment. Luckily for me he stopped just a few meters in front and steered in a different direction… That day in the evening when I could review the image with some more time, I felt very emotional as I knew it was something really special. After so many days on the field and so much work behind, all the efforts were worth. Later this photograph was the cover of my series “The Giants Whisper”, which was awarded with the first prize on the International Photography Awards (IPA 2024) in the wildlife cathegory. A trully honor and worldwide recognition.
Elephants are very protective with themselves, specially if there are baby ones in the group. It was a sunny morning in the dry lake bed in Amboseli, and a herd of these fantastic creatures was crossing looking for water and food. After getting in position and lying on the ground not far from them I put my attention on this big male. Apparently he did not like any human company at the time and started charging towards me shortly after I took my position. There was no option apart to be still, try to be calm and shoot. It was a very intense moment with certain physical risk, but the conditions for photography were absolutely unique and I could focus on getting the shot. The sun light was harsh on the dry lake and the elephant, but far away there was a dark cloudy and dramatic sky, making a beautiful background canvas. Taken at 1/2000 sec the image fully captures the anger and energy of this magnificnet creature at that moment. Luckily for me he stopped just a few meters in front and steered in a different direction… That day in the evening when I could review the image with some more time, I felt very emotional as I knew it was something really special. After so many days on the field and so much work behind, all the efforts were worth. Later this photograph was the cover of my series “The Giants Whisper”, which was awarded with the first prize on the International Photography Awards (IPA 2024) in the wildlife cathegory. A trully honor and worldwide recognition.
