Sunset Elephants of Chobe
One thing for sure, if you go to Chobe, you will have a great chance to photograph elephants. The park is known to be home for over 50,000 elephants. Some sources place the number at over 60,000. When the numbers are this big, the specifics are not important. In particular, the elephants all seem to come down to the river near sunset. This makes for an exceptional site as groups of 50 to 100 elephants together are the norm. For the photographer, this presents an opportunity and challenge. One wants to capture the spectacle of all of the elephants, but some of the best images are often focused on a single animal as shown below.
A single elephant at a Chobe sunset
In this evening setting, there are two common photo paths. Above is an example of shooting into the sunset. To do this, I advise to intentionally underexpose by 2 or 3 stops. this allows the color of the sky to be captured. Of course the downside is that no detail of the animal is included. Below is another example of this technique:
Young elephant at the waterhole near sunset
An alternative to shooting into the setting sun is photographing these magnificent animals with the beautiful light to one’s back. This is actually best done at Chobe FROM THE WATER. It sounds challenging, but really is pretty easy. We rented boats at the dock at the Mowana Lodge. Once can go on an 8 person vessel or with a group on a larger pontoon boat. Prices vary, but expect to pay about 230 pula as of 2009. Below is an example of views one can expect from the water vantage point:
Elephants drinking in the Chobe River as sunset approaches.
Mom and babe drinking at sunset
Satisfying a thirst along the Chobe
These examples are a small example of ways to photo elephants along the Chobe. More examples and recommendations will come in future posts.
All images in this post are the property of Justin and Buddy Eleazer