Remembering Giraffes - A Selected Winner - Mark A Fernley

Remembering giraffes - Remembering Wildlife

We are incredibly proud to share that an image by Untamed Photo Safaris photo host Mark A. Fernley has been selected as one of the winning images for the upcoming Remembering Giraffes book, part of the globally respected Remembering Wildlife series.

This is a huge honour, not only for Mark as a wildlife photographer, but also for us as a team at Untamed Photo Safaris. The selected image was captured from Shompole Plains Hide in southern Kenya, a place that has become deeply important to our work, our photographic style, and our understanding of wildlife behaviour at water level.

What is Remembering Wildlife?

Remembering Wildlife is a conservation-focused book series created to celebrate some of the world’s most iconic and threatened species through powerful wildlife photography. Each book brings together images from photographers around the world, with the purpose of raising awareness and funds for conservation projects that protect the featured species in the wild.

Over the years, the series has become known for its beautiful coffee-table books, high-quality wildlife imagery, and meaningful contribution to conservation. Rather than simply showcasing photographs, Remembering Wildlife uses imagery as a way to remind people what is at stake, and why these animals deserve protection.

What is Remembering Giraffes?

Remembering Giraffes is the latest title in the Remembering Wildlife series, this time focusing on one of Africa’s most recognisable and quietly vulnerable animals.

Giraffes are often seen as gentle giants of the savannah, but their conservation story is more complex than many people realise. Across parts of Africa, giraffe populations have faced pressure from habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict, poaching, and environmental change. By dedicating an entire book to giraffes, Remembering Giraffes helps draw attention to their beauty, behaviour, and the need to protect them for future generations.

For Mark’s image to be selected as one of the final 20 winning photographs is a very special moment.

The Image: The Language of Touch

Mark’s selected photograph was taken at Shompole Plains Hide, one of the underground photographic hides in Shompole Conservancy, southern Kenya. From this low, hidden perspective, photographers are able to observe wildlife at eye level as animals come to drink, interact, and move naturally around the waterhole.

The image shows three giraffes coming together in a beautifully entwined moment. Their long necks overlap and curve into one another, creating an almost sculptural structure against the soft background. What makes the photograph so striking is not only the shape they form, but the emotion within the scene.

Giraffes are often photographed standing tall and solitary, but this image shows something more intimate. The three individuals are rubbing against one another, touching, leaning, and forming a quiet bond. It is a moment of connection. A moment of softness. A reminder that wildlife photography is not only about drama, action, or rare sightings, but also about behaviour, relationship, and patience.

From the hide, Mark was able to work at a low angle, using the waterhole and open landscape to frame the giraffes in a way that feels both peaceful and powerful. The reflections at the bottom of the frame add another layer of atmosphere, while the soft light and distant landscape give the image a calm, almost dreamlike quality.

The Technical Side

The photograph was taken with a Canon R5 and Canon RF 24-105mm f/2.8 lens. In a hide environment, this lens choice allowed Mark to stay flexible as the giraffes moved close to the waterhole, giving him enough width to include the full structure of the three animals while still preserving the intimacy of the moment.

At Shompole Plains Hide, wildlife can approach very close, so a wider lens is often just as important as a long telephoto. In this case, the 24-105mm range allowed Mark to capture the full interaction without cutting away the shape, the landscape, or the sense of place.

Why This Moment Matters

For us, this image represents so much of what we love about photographic safaris. It shows what can happen when you slow down, stay still, and allow wildlife behaviour to unfold naturally. It is not a forced image. It is not a rushed image. It is the result of patience, understanding, and being in the right place with the right approach.

At Untamed Photo Safaris, this is exactly the kind of photography we believe in. Ethical, behaviour-led, and deeply connected to the natural world.

We are thrilled to see Mark’s work recognised in Remembering Giraffes, and even more proud that the image will contribute to a project with conservation at its heart. For a photograph taken quietly from a hide in southern Kenya to become part of a global conservation book is something truly special.

Congratulations to Mark A. Fernley, and to all the photographers selected for this important project.

The Opening Event - London

Readers should also keep an eye out for our upcoming blog, which will be published after the Remembering Giraffes opening event in London on 14 October 2026. The event will bring together a number of the wildlife photographers featured in the book, including Mark A. Fernley, who will be taking part in the official book signing.

We will be sharing more from the event, the launch of the book, and what it means to be part of a conservation project that brings so many photographers together in support of giraffes.

See the Remembering Wildlife website here

Remembering Wildlife