The Matriarch” is undoubtedly one of last assignment’s highlights in Kenya. I was doubting when to release this image as there seems no good timing these days. However, there’s probably no better inducement for this image than Earth Day’s 50th celebration.
Scenes like this play out every day on Amboseli’s dry lake. The challenge is to be at the right time at the the right location with the right equipment. And with sunset imminent for just about 15 minutes of Amboseli’s 400 square kilometers it is a lot of ground to cover… Thanks to the amazing speed of my guide and driver Sammy, this was a joint team effort came true at exactly the right time.
The angle of the camera works in this low to the ground “Ant Man” position. The sun is at just the right angle and the mud drying up on her skin while she is looking down… It creates the perfect mood and spotlight on the leader of the heard. She‘s a true power stature, a savage, magnificent, impressive and she shows how fragile and little we are amongst forces of nature.
Jochen van Dijk
Amboseli, Kenya
17/01/2020