Giraffes at watering hole, Ol Pejeta

View On Black

 

Giraffes are beautiful creatures and watching them go about even the most mundane tasks like drinking at a watering hole is all kinds of exciting. This beautiful herd gave us a visit at Sweetwaters Tented Camp, Ol Pejeta Conservancy. The evening sun was low and very bright, and we were busy sipping tea. All of a sudden we spotted some movement in the trees in the background and out popped 4 heads. They came, they drank, they looked at us quizzically, inspired us to take some selfies with them (Girfies!) and then they went away. All in a fluid few minutes. But everyone around them was enthralled.

 

This image is also an homage to all the what if /oh so close moments in photography. We always set ourselves up for a ‘type’ of photo we want to take. I, for example, wanted the giraffe herd to form some interesting patterns against the landscape. This photograph came close, and would have been twice as beautiful if the head of the third giraffe had just popped up on the other side of giraffe 2. But it didn’t. I took quite a few shots of but somehow seemed to completely miss that ‘magic’ moment. Frustrating isn’t it? I think so. But I couldn’t throw away the beauty of the rest of the frame, so I am uploading it nevertheless. I mean what’s one less head eh? Sometimes you may not get that perfect shot you desperately thought you wanted, but that doesn’t mean what you did capture is any less special.

Done