Elephants at Sunset

Botswana is a land-locked country in the centre of Southern Africa, with the very large and critical Chobe River sustaining a large portion of wildlife in the region. During the Dry Season (May - November), many of the marshes and wetlands become dry, forcing animals to travel significant distances in search of water and food.

While on safari in the Chobe River area, the most unique part of our trip was four days spent on the river, living on a houseboat during the night and photographing from a specially designed photo boat during the day.  The photo boat had been adapted for photographers, providing each person with a "gunner" type chair - a full 360 degree swivel with a steady camera mount.

Our days on the river started before sunrise and apart from a mid-day break, we stayed out until sunset. To capture this image, the boat was positioned at the end of a channel where a thin strip of land joined two larger land masses.  As we got settled and the sun began to sink, all we needed was an animal (or two or three) to walk in front of the setting sun.

Of course, simply watching the stunning African sunset was beautiful but it wasn't until Day 4 that the 'unlikely' happened. A group of elephants - including a couple of very young calves - strolled by at the perfect moment!

Click here to discover more wildlife photography from Canadian visual artist Christine Lundvall.