Giraffe Gyrations

145mm, 1/250s, f/5, ISO400

Rwanda’s mountain gorillas understandably steal much of the country’s headlines as far as wildlife tourism goes. But Akagera National Park in the country’s east is a wonderful experience of the more “typical” kind with plenty of the usual suspects: giraffes, buffaloes, elephants, zebras, lions and rhinos (though the latter two can be a bit tricky to find). The landscape is anything but typical, however, and that’s one of the reason I enjoy it so much. I took this photograph up on the hills of the park’s western side, facing east towards Tanzania.

After years of photography — and hundreds of thousands of photos — you start to develop an instinctive feel for how to frame a photograph. Framing (and soft light) are what makes this photograph work. The grass provides a nice lower frame, and the two pairs of giraffess help create a nice balance in the image; without the “smaller” giraffes in the distance, that balance would be different, though I think the image would still work.

Don’t miss our extensive interview with Marcus and head to his website for even more.