Caption: Reflection of elephant emptying water from its trunk into its mouth while drinking from a small pool in river, Mashatu Game Reserve, Botswana.

Camera: Canon EOS 50D; Lens: Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM telephoto zoom; Focal length: 220mm; Shutter speed: 1/1600; Aperture: f/5.6; ISO: 400

This is the final shot in a series of elephant reflection photos where I’ve tried to show the same scene in varying ways. As in the previous image, here I’ve again focused on the reflection, making it the focal point of the picture.

There’s nothing particularly unique about this approach, but it does provide an alternative view of a familiar subject, with the underside of the head and tusks now visible.

Caption: Reflection of elephant with trunk extended as it sucks water from a small pool in an otherwise dry river, Mashatu Game Reserve, Botswana.

Camera: Canon EOS 50D; Lens: Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM telephoto zoom; Focal length: 220mm; Shutter speed: 1/1600; Aperture: f/5.6; ISO: 400

In this image, one in a series of elephant reflections where I’m striving to illustrate the same scene in different ways, I made the reflection the main subject, rather than the other way round. Now there’s only a hint of the physical elephant shown, where the trunk and its reflection meet on the water’s surface.

Here I focused the camera on the reflection, trying to get it as sharp as possible, as I want attention to be drawn to the elephant’s tusks and eye, then move updwards along the trunk.

Caption: Elephant group is reflected as they crowd together to drink from last remaining water in river, Mashatu Game Reserve, Botswana.

Camera: Canon EOS 50D; Lens: Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM telephoto zoom; Focal length: 115mm; Shutter speed: 1/2000; Aperture: f/5.6; ISO: 400

This is the second in a series of elephant reflection images, trying to show different views of the same scene.

Caption: Elephants cast reflections as they drink from a shallow pool, the only water remaining in one of the rivers found in Mashatu Game Reserve, Botswana.

Camera: Canon EOS 50D; Lens: Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM telephoto zoom; Focal length: 70mm; Shutter speed: 1/2500; Aperture: f/5.6; ISO: 400; Exposure compensation: -1/3

Elephants (Loxodonta africana) are relatively easy to photograph, yet difficult to make interesting. They’re often out and about in the mid-day sun when the light’s most harsh and contrasty. They don’t snarl, glare, bare their teeth, hang their tongues out or show facial expressions.

It helps if they’re near water, as they will often go into the water, splash around, spray themselves and glisten with moisture. Otherwise reflections are useful to add interest, as in the shot above. I took a series of pictures of this group at the water, and will post the others in the next couple of days, showing how I tried to find different ways of illustrating the same event.

Caption: Baby elephant (Loxodonta africana) under close protection by a pair of adults, Mashatu Game Reserve, Botsana.

Camera: Canon EOS 50D; Lens: Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM; Focal length: 400mm; Shutter speed: 1/2000; aperture: f/5.6; ISO: 400

While out on a morning game drive during a visit to Mashatu Game Reserve in Botswana, we had the privilege of watching a large herd of elephants — probably around 150 in all — moving slowly past in groups of varying sizes (below).

Within the groups there were many youngsters, varying in age from vulnerable infants to precocious sub-adults.

It was the “close protection” afforded the babies by the surrounding adults that was particularly fascinating to watch. Very seldom was a young elephant isolated for long enough to grab a photo; the majority of the time the youngsters were obscured by a protective forest of adults’ legs and trunks.