A shadow under the stars

At the height of the dry season in Savute, Botswana, the bull elephants are forced to rely upon a handful of pumped waterholes. Over the last 3 years, I have spent many nights shooting in the dark from the ground, trying to capture the perfect photograph of them under the stars - there was only a narrow window to do this when the milky way was in the optimum position. Getting both the focus and the lighting right was the most challenging part as they were frequently moving and I wanted to ensure I didn't disturb them, so only used a small burst of flash to freeze the movement during my long exposure I needed to capture the stars. I deliverately shot with a cold white balance to give this bull a more ghostly feel.