Elephant photographer

Carol Stevenson is an Asian Elephant photographer. She captures ethereal pictures of the elephants in the wild as well as posed portraits of them and their mahouts, using hotel bedsheets sewn together and supported by a tree as a backdrop. Carol uses her talent to support the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation or GTAEF as a non profit organisation.

The GTAEF, in a heavily jungled area of Northern Thailand supports rescued street elephants that now lead a happy life eating bananas and sugar cane. The goal for the Elephants and Mahouts photography project by Carol is to showcase these magnifiscent animals, raise awareness of their plight through photography, as an educational tool and as a funraising vehicle to provide ongoing support for the elephants. The project is intended to span 5 years of each young or newborn elephants' lives and their complex relationship with their mahouts which is portrayed through the portaiture. Recently Tawan was released into the wild. He was rescued by the GTAEF as a street begger in 2006 after being hit by a car at the tender age of 6. He has been nursed back to health after loosing part of a tusk, probably due to unatural upbringing. He has had numerous portraits taken including the tryptic below and was extrmely popular with the ladies on the sanctuary. Tawan has been watched very closely as he was reintroduced to the jungle and is said to be getting along extremely well in full health.