Photograph of the Month July 2023 – Elephant in the African Dawn

The photograph of the month for July 2023 comes from my recent ground-level wildlife masterclass in Zululand, South Africa (read the trip report) and is of a large bull Elephant that came to drink at one of the watering holes on first light. The photograph was taken from one of the game reserves’ state-of-the-art overnight hides with a 14-35mm f4L IS Lens at 14mm. I had set up the camera on a tripod, ready to go in the eventuality an animal would come to drink. After sitting in the hide all night, having such a wonderful opportunity was manna from heaven. Photographs such as this are often pure serendipity. Outside of having the technical proficiency to capture such rare opportunities, it sometimes comes down to a little luck with the wildlife arriving on the scene at just the right time. In this case, the night in the hide had been quiet, with no activity and no animals coming to drink at the watering hole (a test of patience). Then, on first light, this large male Elephant walked out of the trees to sake its thirst. The Elephant stayed in what was the best light of the day for maybe a minute before it wandered back into the bush. During the minute the Elephant came to drink, I don’t think I drew more than a breath or two, my heart racing, recognising the unique and special opportunity I was being provided. Best of all, I could share it with the others in the hide.