
This year our traditional “Elephants and Migration” photo safari in Amboseli and Masai Mara has been booked entirely by a group of photographers from Long Island, NY. Right out of the gate in Amboseli we headed out for the highest prize. Tim, one of Africa’s greatest tuskers. My passion for these creatures is overwhelming, since when I was a kid. We searched for him for a while before finally finding him walking in the bush accompanied by two other younger bulls. Fortunately we had a couple of chances to see him walk by very close to our vehicles. A real blessing on the first day. Light was behind him, but I feel that this backlighting works well in black and white.
On the following two days we spent a lot of time watching Elephants, their behaviour and interactions. A young Elephant calf was very naughty one evening. He charged his older cousins repeatedly and wouldn’t stop at anything. Older bulls were busy fighting, with the majestic Mt Kilimanjaro in the background.
One of the most memorable moments was with another great tusker of Amboseli, named Ulysses by the Amboseli Elephant Trust. He came out of the forest one late afternoon, beautifully side-lit with Mt Kilimanjaro in the background. While slowly feeding he came closer and closer to us, giving us the chance for a poignant portrait in late afternoon light.
On the last morning game drive, just one hour before flying off to the Mara, we had a majestic elephant close to the road just as the sun appeared.
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