Wildlife / Animals 1st place winner

By visiting the exact same forest over a period of five years, the photographer was able to assemble this ethereal series. Growing along the Zambezi River, bordering Zambia and Zimbabwe, is a magical forest, home to many creatures but especially elephants - all drawn to the nutritious pods of the trees. Spending countless days waiting for an elephant to appear in appropriate patches of the forest, at the exact time golden light streamed through the canopy, was an exercise of passion and patience. Each piece in the series contains an elephant but the real subject is the enchanted forest itself.

Greg du Toit first picked up a camera 22 years ago, uncovering an artistic vison and purpose in the thrilling pursuit of a career in wildlife photography. He has gone on to photograph many of Africa’s wildest, remotest and largest ecosystems. The BBC Wildlife Magazine featured an article titled ‘A Waiting Game', detailing his 270 hours spent sitting inside a Kenyan waterhole to photograph endangered lions. His fine art wildlife collections have been shown across the globe from New York to Singapore, including in a solo exhibition with the National Geographic gallery in London and seen by an unprecedented 40 000 visitors each day. He is the author of three books, the first being the bestselling AWE coffee-table book and most recently his African memoir, Wilderness Dreaming. Greg was only the second South African to win the acclaimed title of ‘BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year’. He has been interviewed by the BBC World Service and appeared on CNBC’s TODAY show. A sought-after photographic safari guide, photo competition judge and guest speaker, he has delivered presentations as far afield as Finland.
See www.GDTprints.com