Awesome III

Awesome III, Mara North Conservancy, Kenya

There is a version of this image that is about an elephant. This is not quite that. This is an image about weather, and weight, and the particular feeling of a landscape that is about to change.

The elephant is offset to the left of the frame, dropping off the ridge line rather than commanding it — a deliberate compositional choice that shifts the balance of the image toward the sky, which by this point had earned the attention. The clouds had been building for the better part of the afternoon, darkening through a range of greys that black and white renders with a precision that colour, counterintuitively, cannot match. By the time the elephant reached this position on the ridge the sky had taken on a density and texture that felt less like weather and more like consequence.

The decision to shoot in black and white was made before the light changed. Colour would have introduced warmth — the residual ochre of the grass, whatever remained of the afternoon light — and warmth was precisely the wrong note. This image needed to be cool, heavy, and a little unsettling. Monochrome delivered all three.

The offset positioning of the elephant is worth sitting with. Centrally placed, it would have been a statement of presence and dominance — the animal against the sky, holding the frame. Here, moving off the ridge, it becomes something more ambiguous. An entrance; a passing. A silhouette that the landscape is in the process of swallowing. The sky fills the space it is leaving behind with considerable authority.

This is a companion piece to Awesome I, and the two work well together — same landscape, same animal, entirely different emotional register.

About These Prints

Every print is produced by Whitewall, voted the world’s best photo lab by TIPA for multiple years. The quality speaks for itself.

Fine Art Print — Hahnemühle Photo Rag paper, printed with a 1cm border. A museum-quality archival paper that renders tone and shadow with exceptional depth.

Framed Print — As above, with a 3cm passe-partout mount and a 2cm black oak frame. Ready to hang.

Artbox — The image mounted behind glass in a slim aluminium frame. Clean, contemporary, and particularly striking at larger sizes.

Do visit my Prints and Framing page for more information on these products.

A note on sizing

All sizes refer to the image area only — the border, mount, and frame add to the overall dimensions. If you’re buying for a specific wall space or an existing frame, please factor this in. Not sure? Drop me a message and I’ll help you work it out.

Something else in mind?

Different size, different frame, different format entirely — I’m happy to help. Get in touch via the Contact page and I’ll do my best to sort it.

All prints are supplied without watermark or copyright overlay.