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

Amboseli, Kenya 2017

“This portrait showcases my signature style with elephants, but I have never had a bull with such huge tusks closing head on to within three feet of my camera. It has the hallmarks of a studio composition, not something garnered by perseverance from the untamed dustbowl of Amboseli. I have waited a long time for this shot – six years in fact. Big elephants have sometimes come right or left of my remote camera and sometimes smaller tuskers have comehead on, but this is the golden combination. Our eye is grabbed by the elephant and he won’t let go. I reckon those six years were worth the wait.

But far more importantly, the majesty of the elephant gives the photograph topicality and relevance. How on earth is the on-going slaughter of this magnificent primal species happening on our earth – on our watch? This is a picture that the world needs to see and I will do all I can for it to be emblematic.

I wrestled with what to call this image. In the end, I felt the name must convey his sense of power and sovereignty. This elephant answers to no one in his community but he brings not just power to his role, but something perhaps less tangible – a mystique that demands our deference and respect. He is ‘The Don’.” – David Yarrow

Amboseli, Kenya 2018

“This is one of the most unusual contextual images I have taken in East Africa in the last few years. The white of the flowering meadows and the white of the summit of Kilimanjaro combine to give the image an ethereal glow. The extreme weather conditions – it had rained torrentially for four or five days – had resulted in an implausible theatre of dreams. There was more snow on Kilimanjaro than I have ever seen before and the normal arid dustbowl of Amboseli was a garden bursting into acres of white carpet. For anyone that knows this area, thecombination of whites provokes a degree of visual disquietude. It was quite a remarkable sight that was all down to the freak weather.

The biblical rainfall had discouraged almost any other visitors and we had the amphitheatre to ourselves. We also had a film permit which allowed us to go off road – albeit the ground was very saturated and we were getting stuck regularly – we needed two vehicles to be safe.

The bigger problem was that there were very few elephants in the park – the rain had pushed them out of the park and into the forests below Kilimanjaro. I knew, however, that in the vicinity of the KWS Rangers’ HQ, there are always a good number of big elephants hanging around as they feel safe. It was here that we spent much of our time this March – despite it being a 90 minute drive from our base.

As soon as I saw the white meadows, I knew we had the chance of an image that offered a story of both lyrical grace and beauty – especially if the cloud lifted and we were exposed for a few brief minutes to the summit of Africa’s tallest mountain. Then we just needed the elephants and this was the X factor. No elephant – no party. About 5 pm on one unforgettable evening, everything came together as a small group of elephants headed to the foothills for the night and in so doing walked right through the white meadows. Getting in the right place for the composition was a fairly intense 10 minutes – I knew that this was a moment in time and I would not forgive myself if we missed it.

I look at this picture a great deal and wonder whether it would be better if the elephants had been coming away from Kilimanjaro rather than moving towards it? We will never know, but the formation of the herd has a nice diagonal shape and it tells a story of a journey unaffected by my presence. I think the anonymity of the individual elephants helps focus on the wider context – which is really a hallmark of some sort of fantasy. Was this what The Garden of Eden looked like? Who knows, but it does have a virginal feel.” – David Yarrow

Amboseli Kenya 2018

“There can be little doubt that this already well known image is a career highlight. It is unquestionably the most warmly received photograph that I have taken – so much so that the limited edition prints are nearly sold out within six weeks of capture. Manifestly, we have been able to do very little to stagger demand, including raising the price. It is what it is and the art market is exactly that – a market.

I still get goosebumps just looking at a big print. Tim is the world’s most famous big tusker – and our big Los Angeles prints have never been more necessary – why diminish Tim in print when we can surely glorify his magnificence? To find him in the open in the foothills of Kilimanjaro offered a lucky opportunity and we took it to the full.

I will always treasure this image and I doubt I will ever take a more powerful portrait of either an elephant or East Africa. That’s the thing about this work – it’s a collision of two enormous features – one volcanic, one iconic and they complement each other and raise the bar higher still. It’s a timeless piece and closer to perfection than anything I can remember in my career. The contextual narrative behind Tim is East Africa at its symbolic best. We felt we could getaway with calling the image “Africa”. It’s a dangerous title for sure, if the product is not extraordinarily special.

The irony is that three hours prior to taking this image, I was sitting back at our base somewhat grumpy that for once the location was not delivering. Indeed, I was considering leaving early, as time is money and this did not appear to be our trip.

But at 2.20pm, just before our flights were rescheduled, we received the news that our scouts had located Tim in the open, 90 minutes away and there was a chance to do what I had always wanted to do. We grabbed our gear and made haste.

When we arrived the sun was still too high and we had to bide our time and keep our distance from Tim. I wanted a fresh charge not a tired one and that meant waiting and playing smart. We had to keep him at distance, but equally keep him in our sights. It was a tactical hour ahead and there were many people to thank for keeping their discipline and encouraging me to keep mine.

The greatest credit for this piece of art should go not to me, but to Juma Wanyama, my local guide for the last eight years in Amboseli. He found and incentivised the scouts that tracked Tim, but more importantly, he knows both this elephant and me equally well and he allowed me to put myself potentially in harm’s way. Had our relationship been nascent, there is no way this picture could have been captured, because at its heart there is a triangular trust between three mammals. I have had to earn that with Juma and Juma has certainly had to earn it with Tim. It is this simple dynamic that is the secret to the image – trust.

It was this trust that offered me the chance of a ground up perspective and that was key to the composition, as was the 58mm lens – an optical dream of a lens – and the very same lens with which I shot Mankind with in 2014. It will always be my favourite lens now – how can it not?” – David Yarrow