© David Lloyd
At dusk, in Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve, Lloyd waited for a herd of elephants on their evening trek to a waterhole. As they got closer to his vehicle, he could see that the mellow light from the fast-setting sun was emphasizing every wrinkle and hair. For a photographer who enjoys working with texture, this was a gift. When they were just a few meters away, he could see the different qualities of different parts of their bodies, the deep ridges of their trunks, the mud-caked ears and the patina of dried dirt on their tusks. The elephants ambled by in near silence, peaceful and relaxed. The female leading the dozen-strong herd, probably the matriarch, looked straight at him, her eye a glowing amber dot in the heavy folds of skin. Her gaze was, he said, full of respect and intelligence, the essence of sentience.
