The Long Wait

Nomadic, unsheltered, exposed to the elements. A non-stop quest for water, day-in, day-out while only leaving footprints behind that are instantly swept away by the wind. That's th e life of an elephant in Amboseli. On this particular afternoon, sudden clouds were blown in from the northwest, making this majestic lone bull elephant appear insignificantly small.For 3 years I had been envisioning this image, making sketches in my mind and dreaming up compositions and light. But when it finally happened while sitting on the ground next to our vehicle on the dried Amboseli lake-bed, with a 180bpm pulse, taking it all in, it hit me more than expected. Everywhere across the world, the wild is vanishing in front of our eyes as animals and people compete for land, water, and food. The fact that such monumental sights still exist, in between all those ever-decreasing wildlife populations is something to protect, to cherish, and to celebrate.This image is a tribute to that. Minutes after taking this photograph, and after a 9-month long window without a single drop of rain, the skies opened and started pouring. What a relief. Show more