Page 20 - APH Sep 2020 Mono Award

ANIMALS
BEE ELLE
TURN TO DUST
Bee Elle is an independent photographer specialising in wild- life and conservation. Her passion stems from a profound, lifelong respect for animals and a strong connection with
wide, open spaces and fauna that call these places home. Photography is her main vehicle to creatively express her fondness for animals and to create calls to action to protect
wildlife and the natural world.
Her Places category winning image, Turn to Dust, was
captured on the South African veld and represents the
Winner
fragility of life and the plight of the African elephant. “During a beautiful encounter with this wild African elephant, I watched as he dust bathed,” she explains. “The clouds of dirt he hurled quickly dispersed and seemingly vanished as they fell. To me, this represented their fragile exis- tence and the unjust swiftness with which their species could
quickly disappear and become extinct due to the ivory trade.
bee-elle.com
JUDGES’ COMMENTS
MATT PALMER
This image captures fantastic drama as particles of dirt and rock are thrown into the air. The close-up crop works really well to make the most of the scene and moment without providing any unnecessary distraction. The character of the elephant’s skin and beautiful grasses below provide all the contextual information needed.
ANTHONY MCKEE
In this beautiful portrait of an elephant dusting itself, it is the exceptional use of light that has turned an otherwise common occurrence on the African plains into a rather extraordinary capture.
Strong directional light accentuates the wonderful textures and shapes of this pachyderm’s skin and tusk, but it is the dust, captured against an otherwise dark background, that adds a beautiful softness to this image. Like most great photos, I think many of us will enjoy this image for a long time.
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