Happy mom, happy child

09/05/12 20:41

This photo was taken on Duba Plains in the Okavango Delta in Botswana. We were watching two herds of elephants grazing on the fertile plains of the island. The matriarch of the one herd seemed an old female, probably struggling to fulfill her role as guide of the group. She was grumpy and the atmosphere in the herd was tensed. They stayed close together around the matriarch, like listening closely to her instructions. It wasn’t even nice to watch them. The tensed atmosphere was contagious.
It was such a relieve when the other herd came closer. A mother with calf was walking happily in front of them. Her calf was confident and exploring the plains. There seemed to be more space for each herd member to do its own thing and even the faces looked friendly and open, while the faces of the other herd’s elephants looked frightened. What a difference.
It was very interesting to photograph both herds and to feel the difference when looking at the images. But when having to choose, I always pick this photo, because of the contagious happiness. Happy mom, happy child, happy photographer.

Ute Sonnenberg, rohoyachui.com