A "senior" African elephant (at least that's how the keepers put it). There are few things on earth more awe-inspireing than these beautiful and graceful—and massive—pachyderms.
Robert, I couldn't agree with you more. I find them to be one of the most fascinating creatures to watch....to the point of becoming half obsessed with a Live Afri-Cam awhile back. It was a video camera aimed at a specific place in Africa, 24/7, where one can watch life, as it happens, each day at an African watering hole.
When the elephants would come into view I would be hypnotized, and watch them until they finally wandered back into the brush.
All that to say..... I love this image, and feel the same way about these amazing animals that you do. If you have any shots showing those huge, incredible ears, I'd love to see them.
He looks so tired, doesn't he? Like he is just exhausted from all he's done and seen in his life. Or maybe that's just how I see it. I just love it.
I loved the Afri-cam site as well!! Robert and I are going to Africa in November and can't wait to see these guys and girls up close and personal. Wonderful eye, exposure sharpness etc.
Great idea Robert,
Your execution is just perfect. I like this shot a lot, aged is the first thing that comes to mind when I see all these wrinkles. A finalist for sure.
-Nick
Philly:
I only took a couple shots of the African, so there wasn't a very good picture of the ears. Though I did take this one of her playing with one of their toys. She was rolling it back and froth from one ear to the next over the top of her head for several minutes trying to get a carrot to fall out of one of the holes...and she would literally just raise one ear to roll it one way, then raise the other to get it rolling back. It was the funniest thing and she had big crowd watching her with delight, but it was also amazing how easily she did it without being able to see what she was doing.
And here's one of the Indian elephants in mid ear-flap.
Marc:
Here's the original a bit lighter:
How does everyone like the lighter look? Better? Worse? Neither
Congratulations, Robert! I am so glad to see your image among the finalists. Thanks for posting the extra shots, too. I had no idea African elephants had such control over their ears!
I love them all! (But I like your original entry best...the lightened one doesn't seem as dramatic to me.)
Tom:
Thank you very much. I am really happy with the way this one ...you could almost say I surprised the crop out of myself with this one. HA! (Sorry, couldn't' resist)
Philly:
Thanks and congrats to you as well. And you're very welcome; my pleasure sharing them. My time here and help from everyone seems to be paying off. I am slowly starting to look at things a bit differently, albeit slightly.
