2 Weeks With The Beasts...

Spent 2 weeks up North in the Thai mountains chasing whats left of the vanishing Elephant culture in it's true environment. When the logging industry died in the -80's in Thailand, most of the working elephants got the sack as well. Most found a way in to the growing tourism industry and government run conservation camps. These ones I manage to find during my 2 weeks on a motorcycle in the mountains and forests in the North Eastern corner of the country still had some roots attached to the old ways. I wanted to get close to the animals and handlers which was a thrill many times. These elepahants are huge and you could feel the power and bond between human and animal, a great thing to have the cahnce to see and shoot for me. Also a nice way to break of the mood and style you develop shooting most times during the year, in the urban jungle. I converted these images into B/W after originally shooting in color digital. I could see that the B/W images gave more power and simplicity to the subjects (nothing new!) and just to keep the tradition alive. Haven't been shooting 35mm B/W (or slide) for almost a year and it's a medium I miss but I will not bring with me all the extra gear it takes to shoot both film and digital. We just have to use what we have at hand and do the best of the whole situation. And with new gear being produced each season there is no need to worry too much. Just take a look at the new Canon EOS-1 Ds Mark III and you know what I am talking about.