Amboseli, Kenya 2019

“This scene has been played out thousands of times under the gaze of Mount Kilimanjaro, but each lake crossing is different as the elephant groups will never repeat the same line up and the cloud patterns around the grand old volcano are never the same twice. So, each crossing of the dry lake of Amboseli is different. This photograph has a clean simplicity and I like it as it reminds me what a spectacular place Amboseli can be. For many months over the last two years, the elephants have not crossed the lake as it has either been flooded or the ground has been too wet for an elephant to walk on. We have waited and waited for the arena to become dry and dusty again – that is how we know and like it. By late August 2019, normal service was resuming. To my knowledge, there is no other ecosystem now in which the weather and animal behaviour are less predictable than in Amboseli, which is why moments such as this are to be treasured.” – David Yarrow

Amboseli, Kenya 2014

Amboseli, Kenya 2014

Amboseli, Kenya 2015

“This image is selling well – which is gratifying as it is the product of my signature style of elephant photography. I see no better way of capturing the enormity of a big male than with a wider angle lens on a ground positioned camera body with remote radio transmitter links. The best place to do this in the world is on the dry lake to the North of Amboseli National Park. I know this arid and elemental dustbowl as well as I know London or New York as my regular guide – Juma – and I have spent weeks in search of images like this. The technique has cost us a few broken cameras (check our website) but both Nikon and I think its a worthwhile approach and images like this suggest why. Their leading 35m lens is probably the most used piece of equipment in my camera bag – it is entirely in my comfort zone. Look at the hairs on the elephant’s trunk – that perhaps tells you all you need to know.” – David Yarrow

Amboseli, Kenya 2012

“The evening that I returned from taking this photograph on the scorched earth of the dry Lake Amboseli, I was told by the local guide that the light conditions that afternoon were as dramatic as he could remember. The thunderstorms build in late October and this is also the time when the elephant herds can be at their biggest. They complement each other perfectly. In the craft of coupling powerful content with emotive aesthetics, this image is about as good as I can do. I remember having a few celebratory drinks that night.” – David Yarrow

Amboseli, Kenya 2016

“The midday sun on the equator is not a kind photographic light – it is harsh and unflattering. Over the years in East Africa, I have tended to rest around midday rather than go out and work but changes to the Amboseli ecosystem have put a stop to that.

There are many more Masai cattle and goats grazing now in the Amboseli amphitheatre – thousands more in fact – and they are herded from the villages to watering holes in the dry season at around 7am and herded back just before dusk. The influx has disrupted elephant behaviour, who like to have a monopoly of the freeways and the more the cattle, the scarcerthe elephant. Furthermore, my guide and I sense that – at the margin – elephants tend to prefer to move when it is hotter. Certainly, on cold mornings, they will not be that active.

And so over the last three years at the end of the dry season, the big lake crossings are much more likely to happen during that midday sun – and even then – only once or twice a week – maybe even less. The bigger the group, the better the opportunity – but so many variables need to work in favour of the cameraman.

The first thing I look for is the size of the tusks. Sadly, the days of the really “big tuskers” have largely gone, but there are still some fabulous bulls in Amboseli and when a front line of elephants is on show, with no broken tusks or single tusks, it is one of the greatest sights on this planet.

“Elephant uprising” is one such moment. The midday sun probably adds to the sense of power and strength – this is no time for soft, diffused light – these are the giants of the planet – not the waifs. There is a unity and a fortitude in the group that evokes human military imagery. This in itself is apposite as the elephant is on the rise in Amboseli – there is indeed, a glorious uprising.

The more I look at the image and its intensity, the more I recognise how lucky I was to capture it. As almost always in this arid dustbowl, no one else was around. Just me and an animal army. I think I can look at this vignette for 10 minutes without getting distracted and I hope others can too. The elephants make the photograph not me.” – David Yarrow

Amboseli, Kenya 2016

“Working with radio operated cameras in Amboseli is an integral part of my job. Every year for several days a year, I wake up at 4.45 am on the outskirts of the National Park and head off with my guide and friend – Juma Wanyama – to the dry lake outside the park. On almost everyoccasion, we are the only two people there in the vast elemental dustbowl. It is a spiritual and tireless experience.
The dry lake is a kind canvas to work with because it is flat and clean – there are no tension points and no distractions. Furthermore, the topography allows for no surprises – the elephants can see you and vice versa from a long way off. This lends itself to getting out and about setting up cameras in the dust in the hope that the elephants will maintain their path and walk right up to the camera. I have never been charged in Amboseli – the bulls give you plenty of warnings.
With wide angle photography at minimal focal distances, there is luck involved in the formation of elephants when the lead elephant hits my preselected four foot focus point. In particular, I have no control over the stature of the tusks on that first elephant and, of course, I want them to be fully grown and magnificent, not broken, short or missing. I have taken many remote shots where the image has been impaired by the disappointing ivory detail and whilst this is the reality of elephant life, I am looking for the imagery to transcend at every level and missing ivory never helps.
This picture therefore is extremely lucky – the lead bull is magnificent and the formation behind lends perspective and narrative as one. This is a garrison of giants walking with purpose and pride through the desert – a wonderful sight and the textural detail validates the lens choice. Meanwhile the fluffy clouds ensure that there is a full tonal range in the print. I am not sure how close to perfect it is, but I know it is a gem of an image.”

Amboseli, Kenya 2016