honorable mention
Amish Chhagan spain
title
Conservation Heroes
My most recent trip to the Masai Mara in Kenya involved visiting and exploring the operations of Mara Elephant Project (MEP), an impressive outfit and one that has created tremendous impact in the 10 years of their existence. I was there to help create visuals of their ongoing projects, teams, rangers and premises for their upcoming 10 year anniversary. I was also there to provide my time, to learn and my ongoing objective to support impactful conservation organisations such as MEP. It is very easy to take their work for granted as most of us do not get the access or understand what happens behinds the scenes. In 2020, there were zero elephants poached in the Masai Mara - the first time this has happened in decades and MEP has played a major role in this.
For this series submission, I would like to focus on the front line heroes, in particular the female rangers, who put dedicate their lives to protecting Earth's most majestic creature, the Elephant. These particular photos are from the Mau Forest, just north of the Masai Mara, the inception of the Mara River. Every single day they put their lives at risk, every single day they make an impact and every single day we should thank them for the work they do. A typical day, these rangers may dismantle multiple snares and use those locations as potential stake outs to confront the people that set them up.
On behalf of Earth and its habitants, we thank you Conservation Heroes.
My goal with my photography is not only to showcase the beauty of African wildlife, but to bring the viewers closer to these magnificent species and their natural habitat through my own creative lens, both visually and emotionally, whether through their interactions, mannerisms, or nature’s circle of life.
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entry description
My role as a wildlife photographer exists because there are beautiful and spectacular moments to capture in the wild, but therein exists an important duty to show my continued support for promoting conservation and the medium of photography is a crucial tool to do so.My most recent trip to the Masai Mara in Kenya involved visiting and exploring the operations of Mara Elephant Project (MEP), an impressive outfit and one that has created tremendous impact in the 10 years of their existence. I was there to help create visuals of their ongoing projects, teams, rangers and premises for their upcoming 10 year anniversary. I was also there to provide my time, to learn and my ongoing objective to support impactful conservation organisations such as MEP. It is very easy to take their work for granted as most of us do not get the access or understand what happens behinds the scenes. In 2020, there were zero elephants poached in the Masai Mara - the first time this has happened in decades and MEP has played a major role in this.
For this series submission, I would like to focus on the front line heroes, in particular the female rangers, who put dedicate their lives to protecting Earth's most majestic creature, the Elephant. These particular photos are from the Mau Forest, just north of the Masai Mara, the inception of the Mara River. Every single day they put their lives at risk, every single day they make an impact and every single day we should thank them for the work they do. A typical day, these rangers may dismantle multiple snares and use those locations as potential stake outs to confront the people that set them up.
On behalf of Earth and its habitants, we thank you Conservation Heroes.
about the photographer
Growing up in Zambia, I was fortunate to get numerous opportunities to explore the flora and fauna of this spectacular region of Africa. I appreciated the glaring contrasts at a young age; ecological, physical, visual, and mental. The serenity of these vast lands and the excitement of spotting wildlife often transpired within me; more so when I found photography (or when photography found me).My goal with my photography is not only to showcase the beauty of African wildlife, but to bring the viewers closer to these magnificent species and their natural habitat through my own creative lens, both visually and emotionally, whether through their interactions, mannerisms, or nature’s circle of life.
back to gallery