This picture of three elephants (Loxodonta africana) crowding around a water source was taken in Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. The one animal was a glistening, near-black color after wading in the muddy water, while the others were a matt grey.

It was sunset and the slanting rays turned the wading elephant’s ear into copper while emphasising the facial corrugations and creases of the tusker on the left, suggesting his great age and wisdom.

I deliberately used a slow shutter speed (1/40) to portray the constant, rhythmic flapping of ears that elephants use to cool down their bodies. Such awe-inspiring animals!

Picture taken with a Canon EOS 400D (Canon Rebel XTi) plus EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM telephoto lens, one of the large selection of Canon Zoom Lenses available for EOS SLR cameras.

It’s sundowner time at Masuma Dam in Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park, with clusters of animals arriving for a drink before nightfall. As the elephants arrive for their turn, we see a small group of buffalo reluctantly moving off and heading back into the scrub mopani.

The photograph was taken with a Canon EOS 400D (Canon Rebel XTi) plus 70-300mm IS zoom lens. Shutter speed was a relatively slow 1/60 at an aperture of F11, with ISO set to 400. It was around 5.30pm in August (ie winter in the southern hemisphere so early sunset).

This photograph of an elephant walking across a partly dried out pan was taken in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe. It was late afternoon so the slanting rays of the setting sun have bathed the background in warm light. The elephant is following a path where others have previously crossed and broken through the crusty surface of the pan.

I used a Canon EOS 400D with 70-300mm IS zoom lens at a focal length of 200mm. Aperture was F5.6, shutter speed 1/80th and ISO 200.