What I love most about Mana Pools is the fact that one can walk around without a guide. In contrast to some other places where walking is also allowed the animals are very tolerant to human presence on foot. This time around we spent a great deal of time walking – the senses are heightened and more attuned to the happenings in the forest compared to when one is simply sitting in the safety of a vehicle.
One day, as the last rays of sun were disappearing, we were following a bull elephant in the forest. I kept repositioning myself but the results were mediocre at best, the light was gone and the background tough to deal with. When I was ready to throw in the towel and call it a day I spotted a younger elephant walking in front of a clearing in the forest. A couple of impalas were nearby. I quickly positioned myself to shoot against the light as I wanted to capture this moment as mysterious silhouettes. The young elephant obliged by curling its trunk.
Techs: Canon 5D Mark 3 | Canon 200-400 with 1.4 Extender @ 560mm | f 5.6 | 1/500s | ISO 800
Hi Alison
I was perusing National Geographic online and came across your unique image, it is a wonderful capture from that magic Mana Pools. I’m dying to get back there. I love your website and images, and might pinch a few ideas of the layout, as I am in the process of setting one up myself. Hope you don’t mind (:
I see you have the 200-400 1.4 ext lens, isn’t it just a beautiful piece of equipment ? I recently took the plunge and purchased one. Still learning my way around it.
Keep up the great work, and I look forward to your next trip report on the SA 4×4 forum.
Regards
Peter Estment