As symbols of strength and wonder, elephants remain one of the most impressive and charismatic land mammals that roam our planet. Unique to these divine creatures are their large ears, tusk and trunk. When they flap their large ears, their ears function as a cooling system. Their trunks have over 40,000 muscles that are used to breathe, smell and communicate. They can pick up something as big and have it as an average-sized horse to something as tiny as a grain of rice. Their tusk serves multiple purposes and like humans, they prefer using their left or right, which is why one is usually shorter than the other.
For this portrait in which the elephant’s eyes are closed, almost as though he is praying, I wanted to capture the glory of this dynamic species.