photo sharing and upload picture albums photo forums search pictures popular photos photography help login
Type your message and click Add Comment
It is best to login or register first but you may post as a guest.
Enter an optional name and contact email address. Name
Name Email
help private comment
Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Thirty Two: On Safari -- expressing the essence of nature > Big gulp, South Luangwa National Park, Zambia, 2006
previous | next
31-DEC-2005

Big gulp, South Luangwa National Park, Zambia, 2006

A suckling elephant calf at work. The mother provides her newborn with milk, while the rest of the herd pitches in to protect them from predators. I was able to create a triple abstraction with this image – the calf burrows its face into its mother’s breast, while the mother’s head is enveloped by a mass of foliage. A third elephant merges into both, providing safety and shelter. The contrast between the large animals and tiny cattle egrets at their feet adds a touch of scale incongruity to the scene. Finally, nourishment – the subject of this image – is just as much a human value as it is an animal value.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30
1/60s f/4.0 at 23.2mm iso80 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
share
Phil Douglis26-Jan-2006 01:24
You are right, Carol. Context is everything in a shot like this, isn't it?
Carol E Sandgren26-Jan-2006 00:04
It's that size relationship that makes this shot so endearing. An image of just a baby is not nearly as powerful as if it's with a parent or larger version!
Phil Douglis25-Jan-2006 05:55
Thanks for this comment, LaRee -- the bond between mother and offspriing comes through, doesn't it? And the egrets bring a dimension of both scale and nature to it. You would never see a scene like this in a zoo.
LaRee 25-Jan-2006 05:49
This is a heartwarming image. The egrets definitely add to the scene.
Type your message and click Add Comment
It is best to login or register first but you may post as a guest.
Enter an optional name and contact email address. Name
Name Email
help private comment