“Without a shadow of doubt, elephants are my favourite animal. It’s more than the physical presence of the animal that demands attention. It’s an almost spiritual connection that makes me, as an artist, come to life when I photograph them. 

The poet in me speaks of grace and beauty: long eyelashes and dark golden eyes; soft footfalls through the dust; light glancing from rough-hewn grey hides.

The humanist in me feels the care of mother for child: sister for sister, or elderly for the young, and it grieves with the grieving animals as they touch the bones of their dead and as they stand forlorn at the bodies of the broken.

The pragmatist in me sees the moulding of environments turning forests to open savannahs, providing space for both predator and prey, dispersing seeds, digging water holes and changing their world and that of others around them.

Despite so much research, we still appear to have only scratched the surface with our knowledge of how they communicate, their intelligence and their sensitivity. To share those intimate moments that show us how like us they really are and to bring the emotion, courage, gentleness, sadness, fun and magnificence of their lives to a two-dimensional image seems an impossible task and one that I’m compelled to continue.”

hilaryhann.com.au
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My Big 5

Elephant
Cheetah
Lion
Zebra
Leopard