Amboseli National Park, Kenya. We stayed at a simple, but very charming and classic safari lodge, at a town nearby. We enjoyed daily drives down to the lake where local elephants came to feast on the water lilies, cool off, and head back to their territories following the same trails they used to get there.
The western side of the lake had fewer trees surrounded by dryer and shorter grass. Many large elephant herds were coming from that direction, almost running towards the lake. It was late afternoon and the harsh sun backlit them. The dust kicked up by the rushing elephants was making matters even more difficult for capturing a decent shot.
I was struggling to find my range and any patch of elephants for which I could get a decent exposure to have something that could be workable. Three or four separate herds were coming down just like a parade with little separation between them.
I started from the back of the line and worked my way up to the front. It dawned on me that herds with nursing calves were the first and second herds, and the elephant in the front was the matriarch of the herd. Royal babies get to drink first.