Category: Kenya

Security

Elephants are one of nature’s greatest, but most gentle giants. As humans we show an incredible lack of respect to these great mammals, failing to recognise their majesty and grace. Poachers, drought and man-made boundaries are threatening the lives of these amazing creatures.It’s heartbreaking to think how some people can stand in front of these giants, stare past the long beautiful eyelashes into their tiny glassy eyes and think of them nothing more than a trophy that’s there for the taking. Through trips to Kenya, I’ve had the incredible experience of spending time with elephants both in the wild and at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust's Nairobi orphanage. It’s impossible for your heart not to break as your orphaned elephant grabs your finger with his trunk and looks into your eyes with a trust he’s only just beginning to understand. You cannot fail to shed a tear as you witness a new orphan being brought into the orphanage, scared, shaking and crying.

Elephants are one of nature’s greatest, but most gentle giants. As humans we show an incredible lack of respect to these great mammals, failing to recognise their majesty and grace. Poachers, drought and man-made boundaries are threatening the lives of these amazing creatures.

It’s heartbreaking to think how some people can stand in front of these giants, stare past the long beautiful eyelashes into their tiny glassy eyes and think of them nothing more than a trophy that’s there for the taking. We have had the privilege of seeing and communing with elephants both in the wild and at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s Nairobi orphanage. It’s impossible for your heart not to break as your orphaned elephant grabs your finger with his exploratory trunk and looks into your eyes with a trust he’s only just beginning to understand.

You cannot fail to shed a tear as you witness a new orphan being brought into the orphanage, scared, shaking and crying. In happiness? In sadness? I’m not sure. Ideally none of this would exist, no need for wildlife trust, replaced by an understanding and a safety. But in the absence of that, I have great appreciation for the work of DSWT, no more so on Daphne Sheldrick’s 80th birthday today. Daphne has been very ill recently but very pleased to hear she could enjoy today at home, “waking up to that all familiar birdsong and elephant trumpets”. I hope the trust continues to benefit from secure funding and blessed keepers who become so attached to the elephants, but I sincerely hope the reason for their existence changes, less of an orphanage, and more of a children’s hospital, nudging the species’ survival in the right direction.

For Daphne’s 80th birthday #daphne80 #dswt

From the good old days…appreciating what you have

In a underground hide we realise the enormity of the african elephant

So, I’ve been spending some time in our photography archives recently, reviewing images taken many years ago that have been since banished to the depths of my hard drive. My hope was that I might previously have overlooked some gems which, ten years on and with a different eye, I might choose to resurrect and share here on Taraji Blue.
Thankfully my effort was not wasted…

Our photos from years gone by are such a departure from what we normally do – but rediscovering the SLR film images from 10 years ago is inspiring me to capture and portray techniques typically lost to DSLRS. I have spent so long chasing the dream of pixel perfect, sharp images that I have often forgotten what it’s like to be artistic with my images.

This year’s Wild Photos conference taught me that a good picture isn’t always a technically perfect one – sometimes it’s a sense of place/environment or a sense of the moment which is more enthralling. People don’t just want to observe our travels and images – they want to feel a sense of what is it like to be there… What it’s like to stare a male bull elephant in the face from ground level or what it’s like to see a lion chase for the first time. Or what emotions flow though your veins when you see a rhino for the first time…knowing that their time on this earth is numbered. Only by feeling these emotions or connecting to the wild and rugged environment will they ever develop a passion for supporting and preserving the environments and animals we hold so dear to our hearts. That’s why we’ve decided to share some images which are far from perfect, but to me, they convey a real sense of being there. And that’s what matters 🙂

To see more images from our archives please visit our Kenya gallery online – and let us know what you think of this ‘retro’ approach to wildlife photography.

Another image resurrected from our archive, taken using a Canon film SLR in Kenya 2004

It’s World Elephant Day!

A herd of elephants in Addo National Park

12th August marks World Elephant Day and its aim is to bring the world together to help and protect our elephants. Regular followers of Taraji Blue will know that elephants are one of our most favourite animals. We have been privileged to spend many a happy hour in their company, mainly in the National Parks of South Africa and Kenya and we will never grow tired of their company.I thought it pertinent to therefore share some of our favourite experiences of elephants and some of our favourite photos that we have captured over the years.

Meeting the Herd:
At Harpoor Dam in Addo National Park we were speechless to come across one the largest herds of elephants we have ever seen. Despite their bulk and size they appeared out of the bush silently, marching slowly in formation toward the watering hole. I stopped counting at 40 elephants as my heart could take no more. Instead I focused my attention on the tiny babies who were confidently leading the herd across the plains. Ears flapping and tails swinging with excitement they almost tripped over themsleves in glee. We spent a couple of hours with them, before slowly trailing them back towards our camp at a respectful distance. Elated and buzzing with adrenaline we got back to camp and set up a braai under the darkening skies. As the stars came out we heard a rustle to the bushes at our right. Seeking a vantage point beside our tent I peeped on tiptoes to see who or what was sneaking up on us. I needn’t have bothered with the tip toes, because right next to our tent was a HUGE male bull in the midst of the 40 strong herd who’d popped by to say hello once more. Who could ask for a better night?!

Talking with the elephants:
Elephants communicate with a spoken language that they need to learn from other elephants, and with body language that is instinctive at birth. Being so close to these gentle giants you can often hear their rumblings as they communicate to one another as they graze and travel.As they move silently past you, your respect naturally turns to fear. Providing you remain totally silent and still, they’ll not harm you, or even glance at you, but on the rare occasion that you find yourself accidentally invading their space there’s no mistaking their trumpet calls – often used as a sign of distress or as a show of strength. The noise is unmistakable and terrifying. It’ll make every hair on your body stand on end as you brace yourself for the charge.

Mr Crotchety Pants:
It was  a lovely afternoon – the sun was beginning to lower and the temperature had become very pleasant. We set out from camp for a game drive and decided to take a nearby loop road to enjoy the last few hours of the day. Barely a few km down the road we saw a HUGE bull elephant standing beside this tree. Due to the low vegetation height we saw him in plenty time and parked a very respectful distance from him to see if he’d walk on. I was the driver that afternoon and really did not want to scare the mother-in-law too much by driving too close (she was in the front passenger seat beside me).

As the elephant started to amble toward the road it became evident that we’d need to wait this out – as there was no way I was going to try and squeeze past him to continue our drive – nor was I too keen on getting any closer. So I popped the engine into neutral and we waited patiently. After about ten minutes we’d started to form quite a queue of traffic behind us and I was worried that, on this single track road, the other drivers might start getting very impatient (unfortunately not many people are that respectful of elephants and will happily drive on quickly by). It was at this exact moment that I recalled how closely packed the row of cars behind us was that the elephant took an immediate dislike to me. He swung to face us head on. Standing in the middle of the dirt track, ears spread wide he raised his trunk towards us. The sense of annoyance was intense. With a very meaningful and not well intentioned gait he started to stomp towards us – throwing out his right front leg to the side as he approached. It became very clear that this was a very unhappy ellie. I had no chose but to start the engine up – something that rattled him even more and he sped up, coming closer every second.   My heart was racing and adrenaline was pumping through my body – I threw the car into reverse gear but had no where to go as the car behind was right up my jacksie. I started to gesticulate to the driver behind – but he seemed oblivious – it was only when he saw the elephant through our front window that he realised that hulk of grey was not bad weather in the sky, but a very angry bull. Regardless, I decided that I could not afford to wait any longer – I was petrified. I started to reverse, figuring that the worst that could happen is that I forcefully push the guy behind me back and have a dented rear-end for the pleasure. Thankfully the driver behind got the message – and he too started to reverse into the guy behind him – it felt like the slowest chain reaction in the world.

My first elephant encounter:
So dominant, so overwhelming. You’ll struggle to take a breath the first time a wild elephant walks by. Rooted to the spot you’ll want to reach out, overwhelmed yet unafraid of the magnamity that is this wild beast. You’ll notice details you never have before. The long, seductive eyelashes, slowly fluttering to protect the tiniest of eyes. The whiskers protruding from the mouth, drawing further attention to the stature and age of the matriarch. The minimalist tail, naked but for a few tatty end hairs which the young cling onto.

As the elephant ambles by, you’ll notice the plodding nature of the giant feet and your attention will be drawn to the footprints left behind in the sand, their size somewhat magnified as the youngest of the herd gingerly follow in the elders’ footsteps. It’s almost hard to spot the smallest among the herd. So protective, so loving, the elder females will encourage the young to walk in the centre, ever mindful of potential dangers yet seemingly oblivious to the risks of such small and fragile frames underfoot. Morphing between giddy with excitement and shy and retiring, each elephant calf will transform before your very eyes as they gain confidence with each step and they explore new landscapes.

Read more about World Elephant Day @ http://worldelephantday.org/

The Perfect Sunset

Location: Olare Orok Conservancy, Maasai Mara, KenyaDescription: The dawn of another day in Kenya's Maasai Mara

This week on Taraji Blue we’re recalling and celebrating our favourite sunrises and sunsets.

It was taken in the Maasai Mara a few years back on a return trip we’d longed to take. It captures the rising sun through the silhouette of a tree and symbolises not only the awakening of the bush, but the way Africa awakens my soul every time we visit. To me, it captures the essence of the bush and symbolises the hope of the day ahead. I have it blown up in my living room at home in the UK and it never fails to raise a smile from me, and plays havoc with my wanderlust to return to Africa.

This photo is a continuation of a week where we celebrate our favourite sunrises and sunsets. If you like this picture, please feel free to share using the social media links provided below.

For more images, visit the Taraji Blue photo gallery.

You can also show your support for Taraji Blue by liking us on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/tarajiblue following us on twitter https://twitter.com/TarajiBlue and connecting with Alistair and myself on Google+

One from the archives

A herd of elephant disappear amongst the tall trees and vast skies in the Tsavo National Park, Kenya.

This is an oldie but a goodie.

Taken in the ye olde days when we shot in film we captured this image of elephants in Samburu National Park. I have purposefully not post processed in anyway because I love the rawness and texture  of the image . The immense landscape, the colours, the seemingly insignificant size of the herd of elephants – they all help to demonstrate the enormity of Africa’s beauty.

Sometimes I do miss film, then I recall how much it cost to process, the agonising wait to receive your holiday snaps back and the disappointment when your pictures have not turned out as planned…then I fall back in love with digital.