The Grand Master

Maasai Mara, 2023

After spending over two months closely following this magnificent elephant bull, and countless hours pouring over photos and editing, I’m thrilled to finally share the first print release of this year.

Capturing this bull in his element required a bit of patience and planning.

His favourite locations were the forest along the winding banks of the Mara River and the marshland directly opposite. It’s between the two where capturing him was optimal.

Nightly ventures into the forest and his early morning emergence from there became the norm. Acknowledging this pattern of behaviour would become crucial to obtaining the shot that I was after.

I scouted locations around the forest periphery, seeking out backgrounds that would enable me to accentuate his incredible size.

His immensity and surprisingly impressive tusks made him stand out among the other Mara elephants. It’s quite rare to see an elephant with his sized tusks in this area of Kenya. I was obsessed from the first day I saw him and made it my mission to leave the Mara having given my all to get the best imagery I could of him.

Some days were spent in quiet observation. If he decided to head straight into the marsh, there would be no opportunity of a shot. The lay of the land and the obstacles within it made it incredibly difficult to achieve what I wanted. It would be a case of try again tomorrow. And the next day, and the next. You get the idea.

But on those special occasions when he explored beyond his usual routine, I knew I had to make the most of the opportunity.

This image is one of my favourite moments with him. The Grand Master, out in the open in all his glory.

I’m incredibly grateful for the support of the Mara Elephant Project, who recognised the time I was spending with him and honoured me by naming this remarkable bull after myself. It’s a gesture that continues to astonish me even now.

Harry became more than just a subject of my lens; he became a friend who I had the privilege of spending a great amount of time with.