Photographer Art Brewer’s photo of a bathing elephant and its rider earned him a 3rd place in this year’s APA National Awards. The image, which was taken while on a sailing trip around the Andaman Islands off the coast of India, was one of only a few, given that the mother elephant didn’t stay long in the cooling water. Art provides the background description: “I had heard stories of elephants swimming, but had never seen them in past trips. I talked to the boat’s captain about it, and he mentioned a logging camp on one of the islands where the handlers take their elephants down to the beach to bathe in the afternoon, after working all day. A couple of days later we were moored off that beach. At about 4 pm, a mother elephant and her baby emerged from the jungle to the beach and into the water. After 15-20 minutes, they headed back into the jungle, leaving me with this image out of 2 dozen shots.”
Big congratulations to Art for capturing the moment so wonderfully and taking home this prestigious award!
