Behind the Shot
Masai Mara, a Kenyan National Reserve along the Tanzanian border, is an area of preserved savannah wilderness and home to about 2,500 elephants. It’s a truly magical place where wildlife roam free, and photographer Pierson Oglesby was lucky enough to experience it himself.
He traveled to Kenya to film a documentary about the wildlife and the conservation efforts being made to preserve it. He found that thankfully, elephant poaching in Kenya has fallen by 91% in the past few years due to wildlife conservation and anti-poaching efforts. Pierson didn’t only hear about the elephants, though. He witnessed them firsthand in their natural habitat- something most of us only dream about.
This print captures an incredible moment from his safari. A majestic elephant native to Masai Mara walked gently across the plains in front of the photographer. He froze that moment in time, bringing a bit of the magic to us. This shot of an immense and gorgeous creature against the backdrop of African wilderness is a reminder that we share our Earth with some pretty awe-inspiring creatures.