john lund

PHOTOGRAPHY

Vanishing Elephant Photos

This vanishing elephant photo, an image in which an elephant stands alone on a vast plain as he fades into transparency, was created to bring attention to the challenges faced both by elephants and by wildlife of all manner that face extinction through habitat loss, poaching and resource mismanagement. The elephant is standing as if braced for an onslaught, strong and powerful. Yet the fact that he is fading away indicates a vulnerability that strikes a chord of emotion with the viewer. The juxtaposition of strength and weakness makes for image that becomes more than the sum of its parts. Overhead dramatic clouds are gathering, further indication of a coming challenge and turmoil. Change is in the air. The elephant faces the coming adversity bravely, but alone. The barren landscape is an indication of what may well come, a landscape that will only be that much more empty if the elephant loses his battle with extinction. 

Plight Of The Elephant

This image addressing the plight of the elephant was created to bring attention to the challenges facing wildlife, nature and our environment. To facilitate such uses in advertising, editorial offerings, and social media communications, I created the photo to be easy to crop to square, vertical or horizontal and to retain ample copy space for the headline and copy needs of photo editors, designers and art directors. The slightly muted colors enhance the emotional connection to the viewer and lend just a bit more urgency to any message communicated. 

Elephants, Conservation And Ecological Responsibility

It is my hope that this elephant image can help promote messages of conservation and ecological responsibility. It relies on our inherent connections to the great beasts, our sense of elephants as self-aware, emotionally attached, and powerful noble animals. If a creature as strong and powerful as an elephant is in danger of disappearing before our eyes, what does that say about the tens of thousands of other forms of life that are threatened by mankind's disregard for his impact on the earth be it through global warming, chemical pollutants or massive wasting of resources?

This is an image about the future and the way forward in dealing with our blue planet and our fellow life forms. It is about global thinking and responsible custodianship of the environment. This is an image as much about our own future as the future of elephants.