I had a desire to photograph a model and an elephant somewhat inspired by a famous image by Richard Avedon. I put together a trip to Thailand with the goal of creating this image along with some different general stock images. Using the website Model Mayhem, I discovered a model who had an image with an elephant, so I planned to meet with her to schedule a shoot and inquire about how she encountered the elephant.
It turned out that she was an experienced mode and useful guide to photographic locations. We had to travel from Bangkok to the area of a Thailand national park that included an elephant sanctuary. The model brought along a friend who was also a model and ended up being the model in the photo. Although we could drive to the entrance of the sanctuary, I had to haul my Profoto AcuteB pack, strobe, soft box and stand out into the jungle where the elephant was living possibly a quarter mile.
I was happy to pay the sanctuary for access to the area and elephant for a single hour. It was a low amount compared to the fees I am accustomed to in New York, but the local models were apologetic for the cost. I was assured that it contributed to the upkeep and feeding of the elephants. It also secured a bushel of turnips that the elephant seemed happy to eat. The bushel lasted about as long as I had for the photos so it worked out well.
This particular elephant had been accustomed to humans and been used for conversation eduction and was apparently well known in the country. To say that it was awe inspiring to stand next to it is an understatement. It truly a gentle giant. One remarkable occurrence was standing next to her head for a selfie, she flipped her ears to prevent flies from bothering her and made contact with my head. Even that motion of her ears was almost as impactful as being slapped by a hand.
The models were cautious but not fearful of the elephant and i was able to quickly photograph both of them, one in traditional Thai costume and one in black dress. I feel like the lighting from medium soft box added a desirable element of lighting to the scene.
With that shot and the other images from a waterfall made for an exhausting but exciting day of photography.