In Search of Baobabs and Tuskers
Tusker
Over the last year, I've spent a lot of time reflecting on the direction of my photography. What I discovered was an inconsistency in my portfolio. My landscape and wildlife portfolios were all made up of single images. They were impressive on their own, but not so much as a collective.
To correct this, I had undertaken some long-term projects during COVID, the first on quiver trees and Wild Horses. Now that we are slowly returning to normalcy, I yearned to return to my first love of photographing African wildlife while also embracing my newfound love of landscape photography.
I needed projects that would excite and challenge me, as well as projects that I had never done before. I've decided to do a photo study of Africa's megafauna and megaflora as my next long-term project. The iconic Baobab Tree and Elephant Tusker.
Ancient One
The majestic baobab tree is an icon of the African continent and lies at the heart of many traditional African remedies and folklore.
Why the Baobab?
Throughout my travels in Africa, I have heard and read countless stories about the "upside-down tree," "The Elephant Tree," and "The Devil's Tree."
It has captured my imagination in a way that no other landscape subject has. Every Baobab is unique in terms of girth, height, and shape, and it can be found in some of the world's most beautiful landscapes, from Botswana's arid salt pans to Uganda's magical Mountains of the Moon.
The baobab is revered or feared by most tribes throughout Africa; some even believe it is cursed. Others believe that the trees have souls or are homes to ancestral spirits. Some even believe that the trees move around at night, but once the sun rises, the tree will remain motionless until the sun sets.
Ancient One
Impressive Wall Art
This project has everything I need to keep me challenged and excited as a landscape photographer.
Why Elephant Tuskers?
I needed something to satisfy my adrenaline cravings as a wildlife photographer. That got my heart and blood racing, as well as my creative juices, flowing. Photographing Africa's largest mammal, the Elephant Tusker, would definitely get my heart pumping if not stopping for a few seconds during close encounters.
With the onslaught of the Elephant population for ivory finding Tuskers within Southern Africa may prove difficult. I could travel to East Africa, where the Tuskers are well-known, protected, and relatively easy to find.
But I was looking for a challenge. I didn't want to be a safari passenger while someone else drove, searched for, and found the Tuskers for me. That is rarely how I operate. I like being alone and have always been a bit of a loner. I enjoy driving and searching for wildlife subjects; yes, it is difficult and requires knowledge of the subject and location, as well as a great deal of patience.
Tusker Elephants are extremely rare, with fewer than 30 remaining in Southern Africa. Given that the elephant population in Southern Africa is approximately 300,000, It'll be like looking for a needle in a haystack.
To be considered a Tusker, an elephant's tusks must weigh approximately 45 kg each and be around 2m in length.
I also wanted to look for "Emerging Tuskers," which are elephants with tusks that are at least 1.5 meters long. Because this will be a long-term project, identifying "Emerging Tuskers" now would mean that I would be familiar with this elephant's location and habits, as well as having a photographic study of its journey to becoming a full-grown Tusker.
My first trip to start this project would include photographing both the Baobab and Tuskers. Later, I will separate the two projects. Having the Baobab and Tuskers in the same location meant I could begin both projects in earnest and whet my appetite for the future.
When I travel on my own to photograph, I love to write notes or short stories about my experiences.
Excerpt from my notes:
“When I discovered this magnificent Baobab standing alone in a parched, dry landscape. I couldn't help but wonder about the ancient giant tree's history. Baobabs can live for thousands of years.
How many people and animals had sought shelter under its branches for shade or to make a home? Eat its fruit to stay alive or to cure illnesses.
This Baobabs trunk was covered in scars from Elephants that had ripped away the bark for its water content. The Baobab is a resilient tree; even if it loses its bark, it will almost always heal and grow back. This has contributed to its mystical aura.
I am not permitted to walk around the wildlife reserve and must photograph from my vehicle. which is not ideal. But I did my best; I wanted to include a small portion of the road in the composition to demonstrate man's hand. Even though humans had altered the landscape and polluted the air, and animals had ripped at its bark, this iconic Baobab tree survives and will hopefully live for another millennium”
After 3 days I had not found a Tusker, I had driven 100s km, and spent countless hours at waterholes. But not all was in vain. I did have a wonderful sighting of two magnificent "Emerging Tuskers". I found them digging for water with their feet and trunks in a dry river bed, and as the water bubbled to the ground, a small pool formed, and the Bull elephants would drink or spray their massive bodies with mud. I knew they'd leave eventually. I predicted where they would emerge from the steep River bank, and when they did, I was ready to capture beautiful environmental portraits of the "Emerging Tuskers."
Over the next few days, I travelled throughout the reserve, photographing numerous Bull Elephants with impressive tusks, as well as a few Baobabs. I was having a great time with my photography, and it was a beautiful reserve to drive around. Being immersed in nature again recharged both my body and soul. I was content and glad to be back doing what I absolutely loved.
On my last day, I came across a beautiful oasis in the middle of nowhere. A small reservoir of water surrounded by trees.
I decided this was the perfect setting for a coffee break. As I sipped my coffee, I watched Buffalos, Elephants, and a variety of Antelope come and go, some simply quenching their thirst and leaving. Others drank and stayed to take a mud bath or nap in the shade of a large tree.
Bull Elephants In the shade of Tree (photo insert)
Then I noticed a blurry image in the distance approaching. Because of the heat haze, it took me a while to figure out it was a Tusker. He was a massive Bull Elephant with heavy tusks as he walked towards the waterhole to drink.
My heart skipped a beat, and I immediately picked up my camera. The photographic conditions were dreadful, with heat haze and harsh light making capturing a good image impossible, but I did my best under the circumstances.
On this trip, he was my first and only Tusker. In some ways, I was relieved that finding and photographing a "Tusker" was extremely difficult. I relish a challenge, and I'm currently planning my next trip to continue both my Baobab and Tusker projects.