Mammoth

I visualized this shot so many times in my head before coming here, over, and over again. A big tusker walking towards me with Kilimanjaro in the back. Piece of cake, right? Well, it wasn’t that easy! This was supposed to be dry season but ended up raining everyday and most roads were flooded, and the mountain wasn’t visible from the clouds. We decided to give it a try anyway. Driving around and rerouting for hours I finally come across this gentle giant. She was perfect! Tusks so white, so straight, she could easily be in a toothpaste commercial. I’ve seen elephants before but nothing like the ones here in Amboseli National Park. So here I am, perfect angle, on the ground, looking at this gorgeous creature and praying for Kilimanjaro to reveal itself. And it did. This photograph wouldn’t be this special if the sky was clear blue. I think the snowcapped and highest free-standing mountain in the world was as important as the creature in front of it. I used my 250mm prime and avoided a wide lens and gave the mountain its rightful place in this capture.