PROBOSCIDEA

---

A beautiful book to inform and inspire, to bring people closer to elephants through positive and emotive imagery with accessible text. The idea originally came about from a combination of being a photographer, my love of animals and wanting to try and make a difference however small - it's that simple. I have attempted to produce a book that can be related to on three levels: visual, informative and intuitive, evoking a sense of intimacy with the world of elephants. My images are intended to provide a window into elephants' private lives and behaviour, to bring them closer to us and for us to feel closer to them. I chose elephants or they chose me - either way. They resonate in me very deeply. I had grown up with the elephant's iconic status, on television, in zoos and as these great beings we all know, but realised I knew nothing about them, I needed to find out. I believe that in life, we are drawn to what is important to us, what lessons and messages we have to learn. I believe I was given the amazing gift to be able to work with elephants. I focused on Sri Lanka which has a high population of Asian elephants relative to its size and was primarily interested in capturing both rare moments and the spirit of elephants, in an attempt to bring the viewer closer to bridging a personal connection between them and us; qualities that I felt a lot of wildlife books lacked. Sri Lanka was a country that I had never been to, knew nothing about and had no previous contact or connection with. It is a magical country with beautiful national parks. After having lived periodically in Sri Lanka for over four years, working with elephants, capturing amazing moments and being amongst elephants has been a life-changing experience for me. This book was printed under fair conditions in Germany on 100% recycled French paper using alcohol free non-toxic inks. Hamish John Appleby

---