In the Eye of a Giraffe

This was taken at a nature preserve. I was riding in the flat bed of one of their trucks and taking photographs of a large herd of giraffes they had on site. We pulled up beneath a couple of palm trees that provided shade. Occasionally the giraffes would wander over to nibble from them the branches overhead.

My camera was in my hands and I was taking photos of the giraffes in the distance. In particular, there was one sitting down which I was photographing.

My camera strap, at the time, was a vivid and brilliant green. It was tacky but I could always tell when I was grabbing my camera strap amongst all my other normal accoutrements. The foliage the giraffes were eating- palm fronts- were also green. I was snapping pictures when I was aware of a head bigger than my torso trying to eat my shoulder!

Hitting the shutter key and focusing was a gut reaction. I honestly wasn't even aware I had done it! Later, when I was going over my roll of film, I was astonished to find this photo nestled amongst the rest. It was truly a lucky shot. Oh, and on a side note? Giraffe tongues are disturbingly prehensile.

Image available in 8x12", 12x18" and 20x30" prints. All prints are done on archival grade photostock. Images are signed on the back by the artist and individually numbered.