Great foot - Kurt Jay Bertels - Wildlife Photographer of the Year2007

2007: Creative Visions - Specially Commended

Kurt Jay Bertels Enlarge image Great foot

Kurt Jay Bertels (South Africa)

Great foot

'I spent weeks in South Africa's Greater Kruger National Park trying to photograph elephants in a fresh way. I focused on the heavy movements of the feet and tried to show the effort the elephant puts into each step. The long exposure shows its speed despite its huge size.' The elephant is the world's largest land mammal. Deforestation and poaching threaten all three species - two in Africa, one in Asia. They are good communicators, using sound and body language, but also their feet. Research shows an elephant's foot is surprisingly sensitive. They can 'hear' slight vibrations through the ground and so can communicate with each other through their feet.

Canon 20D + Canon 100-400mm lens; 1/20 sec at f9 (-1 exposure compensation).