Rorschach Family – Limited Edition Print

African Elephants, Okavango, Botswana, 2010

After deciding which animal to photograph, a crucial part of Packham’s process is looking at what already exists in order to determine what he will not repeat. ‘If it’s been done before,’ goes his motto, ‘I’m not interested.’ 

For subjects with which he has infrequent acquaintance – elephants, for example – his preparation begins on a laptop months in advance. He studies vast quantities of images, not for inspiration, but to figure out how an elephant reads through a lens. From which angles does it become awkward? How much of the far eye can be shown without distortion? What kinds of positions create grace, and which make the animal look like a grey lump?

The process led him to the image displayed here, a silhouette that exploits the elephant’s unusual geometry – trunk, dome, legs – to create a complex but cleanly doubled form. It demanded conditions that wildlife rarely grants, still water, the correct number of elephants, the sun positioned to maximise reflection, and a camera placed so low that it looks across the water’s skin rather than down through it.

Since the use of a vehicle could compromise any of these elements, Packham researched locations where it was possible to leave the car safely, then contacted guides and sent them a drawing of the image he intended to make. 

As is often the case, the reality on the ground had little respect for the photographer’s vision. A large gang of elephants arrived, their jostling bodies creating too much overlap and producing a single black mass punctured by stray trunks. Having travelled almost 8,000 miles to see elephants, he now wanted most of them to take their leave so that he could get the shot he wanted. 

Then, as he lay in the water with his camera during sunrise, the shot Packham had envisioned fell into place. Two adult elephants, flanked by their calves, raised their trunks high above the watering hole.

Prices and sizes available on enquiry. Contact gallery@iconicimages.net

• Edition of 6
• Signed and numbered on the front by Chris Packham
• Printed on Hahnemühle hemp paper