Images of the Elephants

Recently my wife Sharon and I, with our good friends Max and Cathy Hall traveled to Botswana and Zimbabwe for safaris to observe and photograph a variety of animals and birds.  For me as a wildlife photographer, this was a trip of a lifetime. Each day we started out at sunrise to take advantage of the best time and early light to see the animals being active in their natural environment. Over the next weeks I will share some of my thoughts and images taken on this trip. My hope is to convey some of the unique stories that evolved through our experiences with the animals and birds of Africa. Starting with the elephants.

  Elephants appeared almost every day. We watched as they came to watering holes to drink and cavort in group mud baths. We saw them in small family herds ambling through the landscape and as individuals swimming slowly across a river while holding their trunks high for air. One early evening when we were driving back to camp, a bull elephant stepped into the dirt road and presented a warning stance that clearly told us we were too close to his family group. We got the message.

I was struck by the strength, intelligence and grace of these magnificent animals. They showed a strong bond to the herd and to each other. Through these few black and white images, I am trying to show some of these traits.