Not your average bathtime!

Being African-born and -raised, this article in the Daily Mail made me more than a little homesick.

This daring British wildlife photographer is shown taking a dip with a herd of wild elephants, who are crossing a river delta in Zimbabwe.

Using a floatation device hidden under his clothes, Chris Weston followed the herd into the tributary of the Zambezi River, capturing images that most wildlife photographers can only dream of.

However, the 44-year-old from Weymouth had spent five weeks gaining the trust of the herd during his time in the Ngamo Game Reserve – which meant he was not considered a threat.

‘I was never really in any danger,’ explained Mr Weston.

‘Although there is always an element of that when working with animals, especially ones this size.

‘But it’s key to be able to read their body language and the way they communicate with you.’

The seasoned wildlife photographer, who has travelled all over the world to document large mammals, says he wants to capture the personality of an animal in the same way a portrait artist would with a human subject.

‘It’s not so much getting as close as possible,’ said Mr Weston.

‘Lenses change the perspective of the way we see things.

‘What I like to do is show it as we see it and the standard lens is 50mm which means you have to get relatively close.

‘The idea is to give the viewer an idea of the personality of that individual animal.

‘In much the same way as you would take a person’s portrait, you can’t be standing half a mile away with a long lens.

‘You have to get close and establish some kind of relationship.’

There’s more at the link, including several more (and much larger) photographs. Fun reading.

However, I disagree profoundly with Mr. Weston’s assertion that he was ‘never really in any danger’. African elephants are wild animals, with all the unpredictability of any wild animal. They can be fine, nine times out of ten . . . but on the tenth occasion, they might just decide to spread you all over the landscape like a thin smear of butter. If you’re armed only with a camera, there’s not a damn thing you can do to stop them. Nope; I won’t be getting anywhere near that close to elephants in the wild. I have far too much respect for them – and for what they can do to me!

Peter