Elephant and Mt Kilimanjaro, a photo from Rift Valley, West

Photographer's Note

Here's a classic image of East Africa - an elephant in the foreground and the snow capped Mt Kilamanjaro in the background. While the mountain is in Tanzania across the border, it can be viewed clearly from Amboseli, Kenya, where the weather and conditions are hot and dry. It's an interesting juxtaposition of landscapes.

This elephant is wading through a swamp and eating the grass as it goes. I loved this reserve - there was much wildlife to see and camping within it was a unique experience.

avene, zmey, euryan, maglex, atljax, kyzer, besnard, Floydian, feather, kleeross, samrat_roy1, abulafia, Waylim, siolaw, Wandering_Dan, maloutim, jusninasirun, MeAT, lucasgalodoido, gervaso has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

avene (12669) 2008-05-03 18:13

you've got one happy elephant here :) fantastic photo, David, not simply "classic", but almost "iconic". you've framed it very well with the path of the animal conveying the sense of movement. the birds are great addition to the scene to illustrate what your note says about the abundance of wildlife. I'd try to eliminate the slight noise in the sky, but that's not a major point. excellent work, my compliments.

with best regards,
Kristine

manojtnair (435) 2008-05-03 18:22

hi david,
very good composition. nice framing of the elephant and birds in green swamp in the foreground and mt. kilimanjaro in the background. tfs.
manoj

euryan (8416) 2008-05-03 18:34

That huge bull elephant in the foreground looks amazing. The lighting could not have been better to show his wrinkly skin and to highlight his big tusk against his dark body. You composed this shot perfectly. I'm very jealous.
Take care,
Ryan

arcticseal (35) 2008-05-03 18:56

I love this photo, great composition and contrast. I really like the cloud cap ontop of the mountain.

Thanks for the great photo,
Jesse

maglex (1916) 2008-05-03 19:40

Hi David, I like this wilderness shot sowing us the habitat of the elephant and the surrounding landscape. Perfect lighting condition. Thanks for sharing...Alex

atljax (189) 2008-05-03 19:54

David,
Stunning photo! Congratulations :-)

Best regards,
Mark in Santiago, Dominican Republic

MiguelP (14434) 2008-05-03 21:03

You got here a photo I wasnt able to achieve while my travel to Tanzania. I like the POV David, the path he´s leaving behind on the water, the greatness of Kilimanjaro where I was once up, up, up at the summit. Bring me great memories. Take care.
Miguel

kyzer (341) 2008-05-03 22:11

Hi David,

Amazing portrait of the Elephant, who is enjoying his supper. Excellent sharpness and nice composition,

I like the contrast in colors, the greens, greys, and the blue of sky and white ice capped mountains.

Cheers
Paddyrags

besnard (45672) 2008-05-03 23:00

Bonjour David
Une belle image de cet éléphant qui suit tranquilement son chemin dans le sentier boueux. Tu as plus de chance que moi, ici le Kilimanjaro est ensoleillé, lorsque j'y étais l'été dernier il était dans la brume.
Merci pour ce rappel de mes dernières vacances. Je te souhaite un bon dimanche.
Nicole

avallaunius (6) 2008-05-03 23:04

beautiful elephant and lighting
nice colors and composition
TFS

Floydian (30970) 2008-05-04 1:45

Hi David,
Classic or not, it looks great how you included the Kilamanjaro in the background. Makes the Elephant smaller and the surrounding landscape even more fantastic. The vertical framing works excellent, a very clever idea to present it like this...i like it a lot.
Regards, Henk

Jeppo (17221) 2008-05-04 2:02

HI Dave,

so...camping in Africa?? what a lovely experience! My only Africa so far was South Africa....well..it was a great experience..but I do not think it is to compare with yours.

the composition is really lovely...it is just what a western expects from Kenya: wildlife, wild nature, endless landscapes

ciao
Silvio

PS: if you like elephants, have a look at my pic "mixed traffic #2" in my SA gallery...

bracasha75 (24471) 2008-05-04 2:45

Hi David
This is for National Geographic and i will nothing say i will only join in this awsome image
TFS
Cheers,Braca

marek-mzungu (506) 2008-05-04 2:57

great shot - a dream photo: an eli and Kili ;)
Amboseli is one of my favorite parks in Kenya ...
best rgds
m

feather (51114) 2008-05-04 4:32

I don't care if it is "classic"; You saw more than we did in Tanzania, as Kilimanjaro managed to keep itself hidden. The elephant looks to be deep in mud. The path he left leads right back to the herd in the distance. Good shot! Which country did you prefer for safaris - Tanzania or Kenya?
Kath

zmey (7333) 2008-05-04 7:14

hello david

an awe inspiring sight. incredible... the whole setting, the presence of the collusus, the cranes following it, the animals in the far background, kilamanjaro... amazing! love it, david! :) unfortunately, this might as well be one of the last snow-capped kilamanjaro sightings... the cap is supposedly doomed to disappear very soon.

warm regards,
kristaps

pablominto (53742) 2008-05-04 7:18

Hello David,
Is there possibly anything more Africa than this?
A wonderful composition with a great sense of depth, a minor issue is I think there is a slight CCW tilt...
The fine backlight really makes the elephant stand out!
Greetings,
Pablo -

kleeross (159) 2008-05-04 22:08

David,
What a great capture. The composition is really good. The details of the elephant are great. Well done.
Regards,
Kevin

samrat_roy1 (697) 2008-05-04 23:32

the elephant certainly seems to love you david....thats why it has left its herd far behind!!! you do magic with your equipment, man! this is fabulous. picture perfect framing with the icing on top. great work done...
thanks for sharing

mafegan (8340) 2008-05-05 17:58

Hi David
Great shot of an elephant trudging through the swamp and others in the distance. You topped it off with Uhuru and Mawenzi to create a classic photo.
TFS, Marlene

Stepan (27204) 2008-05-05 23:57

I don't know why but the elephant seems small (probably because of the swamp) and it makes the compo really interesting and even funny. And, of course, the background is beautiful. Classical but really greaty, with an original touch.
Stéphane

LuxAdams (16) 2008-05-06 5:04 [Comment]

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Waylim (20207) 2008-05-06 15:21

David,
Yes, it is a classic shot. Well done my friend. I love the line of elephant in the background as well. I have not been to this park, sometimes I wish I did, but then there's so much to do and so little time and money.
TFS this wonderful image.
Way

crckt (7216) 2008-05-07 6:51

Hi Dave,
A gorgeous shot! What a setting to have, a wild life photo with Mt. Kilimanjaro as a backdrop. Fascinating!
Regards,
Shaeri

Bluejeans (59330) 2008-05-07 11:25

Ola David,
Magnifica cena com este elefante e o Monte Kilimanjaro de fundo , muito interessante os pássaros atrás do elefante para comer os bichos , boa profundidade de foto e cores, parabéns!!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

MarcT (20940) 2008-05-09 12:24

Hi David,
That's a gorgeous picture. The light, the elephant, the mount in the background, everything fits perfectly.
Cheers
Marc

doctabrez (392) 2008-05-10 23:26 [Comment]

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siolaw (35731) 2008-05-12 23:25

Hi Dave,
This is an outstaanding African nature shot! The vertical framing is giving great depth and perspective to the scene, perfect colors and spot on sharpness.
Superb
Laurent

Wandering_Dan (3449) 2008-05-13 11:07

Hi, David -

Great shot of the mountain and the elephant. And lucky, too - most days the mountain is obscured by this time of day. Good choice of vertical, and the elephant is well positioned both with respect to the mountain and to the swamp, and the diagonal of the stream is also well done. The bird on its left is a little hard to make out, though.

You might look into correcting the horizon tilt in Photoshop.

Regards,
Dan

colinb (1590) 2008-05-27 17:18

Wow, what a classic shot you captured with this one. To get the elephant in full stride at the perfect angle with the snow peaked Kilimanjaro in the background is a world class capture. Great shot!

Angshu (47471) 2008-05-27 20:37

Hello David
An excellent shot with the elephant in the FG, trudging along the swamp with the lovely Kilimanjaro in the BG, capped by a cloud. The vertical framing works well here. In the far BG we do see the herd of elephants appearing so small against the mighty volcano. A beauty David, well done!
Regards
Angshu

jmcl (14535) 2008-05-29 18:20

Hi David,

Wow!!!!!
you couldn't imagine a more powerful and mythic composition of an elephant .. beautiful .. love the vibrant tone, the dimension, wonderful composition. tremendous. take care, John

maloutim (7128) 2008-05-30 5:46

Hi David!
Came across your gallery by chance. I was struck by this magnificent photo of the elephant with Mount Kilimandjaro in the background. It has set me dreaming that I want to visit that place one day! Hope there will still be snow on the mount by then.
Thanks ever so much for sharing!
MarieLouise.

jmdias (39116) 2008-05-30 8:35

david

we can have a nice whole trip enjoying this image, wonderful everything. Africa is here with its contradictions. congratulations for this work

hugs

jorge

fariischee (581) 2008-06-10 2:51

a very very natural picture of the elephant taking a stroll among the marshland

indeed.. as i constaly look through ur photos.. everyones is carefully choosen..... a very very beautiful .. collection of images..

thnaks and cheers

happypoppeye (4813) 2008-07-11 15:31

Definitely a "classic". A virtual "animal portrait" in the foreground, one of the premier sites of Africa as a background. Good color, great exposure and nice composition to boot.

Nice work
John

babujayan (142) 2008-07-13 1:18

Its beautiful to capture a photograph like this. Congratulations David.
Babujayan

jusninasirun (15188) 2008-09-09 6:06

Hello Dave. Excellent isolation of this elephant from the herd. The choice of tall framing is very good balancing the shot well with the mountain backdrop. Superb composition and well done. Jusni

MeAT (1174) 2008-12-04 19:55

This is something else... Like you are saying must have been a unique experience.

In picture terms: the background, the elephant framing of it all... this is just a GREAT shot David.

MeAT :)

lucasgalodoido (20870) 2008-12-04 19:59

Olá David,
fantástica essa captura mesmo, com uma excelente inclusão elefante e da paisagem local numa primorosa composição. Belo trabalho.
Parabéns e Abraço

testmaniac (13476) 2008-12-08 21:30

Hi David, great composed photo! The elephant and the Mt Kilimanjaro. I like it very much!

TFS and regards,
Phil

gervaso (7551) 2009-09-09 18:59

Hello, David!

Incredibly beautiful composition with the animal and those snow mountains in the background in the same picture! Excellent depth and colors! Really well done!

akh (275) 2010-02-21 2:52

Wow! Symbolic shot of Africa. I wonder how you could frame these great element in this lovely shot. Happy elephant in FG and great klimanjaro at BG with extra nice light and colors. I also like the elephant pathway which comes from the waterway.

Congrats

Azadeh