It’s April 2024, and multi-award-winning wildlife photographer David Lloyd is leading a photography safari in Kaziranga National Park, Assam, India, when his group encounters a herd of Asian elephants.
The herd instinctively gathers together to form a protective barrier around the two vulnerable calves, while Lloyd’s instinct is to raise his camera and capture the innate behavior of these imposing yet beautiful animals.
“I have seen it before. It is natural for an elephant family to herd the young ones into the middle of themselves in order to shelter them,” he says.
The image, entitled Herd Huddle, goes on to receive a Highly Commended distinction in the “Behaviour: Mammals” category of Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026, Lloyd’s seventh distinction at the contest.
David Lloyd's gear and settings
- Camera: Fujifilm X-H2S
- Lens: Fujifilm XF 150-600mm f/5.6-8 R LM OIS WR
- Focal length: 420mm
- Exposure: 1/500 sec | f/7.1 | exposure compensation −0.67 EV | ISO 320
For Lloyd, wildlife photography should preserve the reality of any encounter, with images balancing authenticity and artistry. “Nature needs no embellishment,” he says. “I think we can compare this to photojournalism, where accuracy is paramount.”
According to the photographer, the encounter with the herd of Asian elephants lasted just a “few minutes,” giving him a mere moment to decide on his composition.
“I was very much aware that, given the presence of the calves, this encounter would not last very long at all before they melted into the forest."
By making the entire herd, rather than an individual calf, the subject, Lloyd was able to capture the relationship between the adults and their young. “I opted for a frame that is over the two calves, and I’m pleased I did.”
While Lloyd prefers natural-looking images, his approach doesn’t mean that every image should remain completely untouched in post-production. The photographer explains that, for Herd Huddle, he did something he “rarely does–" reducing the saturation to achieve the sepia-like aesthetic.
“The elephants exhibited various tones in real life, and by doing this I was able to create a satisfying duotone look."
Not encroaching on an animal, however, is always at the heart of Lloyd’s approach. According to the photographer, when an animal is disturbed for a shot, it not only puts the subject at risk, but the authenticity of the scene disappears.
“No animal should be detrimentally affected by anyone trying for a particular photo, and also the behavior would then cease to be natural,” explains Lloyd. For Lloyd, Herd Huddle succeeds because it documents the elephants’ innate, protective response rather than forcing a moment for the camera.
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