William Fortescue. Walk The Earth.
Never could so many humans move together and make such little noise. If I’d had your back to the approaching herd I would never have known they were behind me, at least not until they started to stream past on either side of our Land Rover.
This is how all my interactions have been with elephants. Calm, silent (on the most part) yet different every time. I often wait hundred of meters ahead of an approaching herd, hoping they’ll keep in some kind of visually interesting formation, a rare occurrence.
And yet, if you keep doing the same thing over and over and over again, and ignore those that say you’re insane if you expect a different result, sometimes things all come together. The herd all follow the call of the matriarch, her presence drawing each elephant towards a focal point and creating a natural story for the image, the last rays of sun light the grass in front of them and glints off their ivory. It’s a scene I hope to photograph for many more years to come.
The cornerstone of William Fortescue's photography is the desire to depict wild animals in their natural environment. Each image is taken by hand and his work, while raising over £100,000 for various charities, has been awarded in multiple global competitions.
Follow William on Instagram @willfortescue.
