The shimmering heat of the high sun, the mirage behind the giraffes and the composition itself have combined to create an almost surreal image. It’s an “animal Broadway” or an “animal Times Square” in the heat of East Africa. I have never had this number of giraffes all within 100 yards of me.

The composition fell kindly, but I had to be patient to allow the two lead players to be as close to me as possible. This was not “my first rodeo”. I also firmly believe that giraffes are best photographed in the company of other giraffes and in an exclusive collective in a setting as raw and elemental as Amboseli, they remind us just how remarkable our planet is. Unless something lurks deep in the Costa Rica jungle, giraffes are the least vertically challenged species of us all.

Sometimes we should take stock, step back and gently remind ourselves that we share tenancy of earth with extraordinary diversity. Giraffe City encourages this perspective.