WāllStōries - Elliē #002
Another week, another WāllStōries, I hope you enjoyed adorning your screens with the image of our beautiful mountain.
When it comes to wildlife, the next thing I love after big cats is elephants. There’s just something incredible about these gentle giants the way they move with such calm confidence, their slow rhythmic strides across the plains, the quiet rumble that almost feels like the heartbeat of the savannah itself. Watching them roam reminds me how strength and gentleness can coexist so beautifully.
This week’s wallpaper was captured in the Masai Mara National Reserve on the very first day of quick safari I made. After a long journey from Nairobi, the open plains of the Mara felt like a deep breath of fresh air. As we drove in, the golden grass swayed gently in the afternoon wind, and not far from the road, a small herd of elephants appeared. It felt like a reward nature’s quiet way of saying, welcome back.
The matriarch led the group, her calm presence commanding respect as the younger ones trailed close behind. I stayed still, camera in hand, just soaking in the sight of these magnificent creatures moving in harmony with the land. If you’ve followed my photography for a while, you know I love shooting close-ups of animals not just for the detail, but for the perspective it gives. Getting close allows you to see their stories more intimately: the texture of their skin, the gentleness in their eyes, the quiet dignity they carry. That’s what I wanted this wallpaper to reflect not just elephants in the wild, but the feeling of meeting them up close, as if you could reach out and feel the earth tremble beneath their steps.
A Few Facts
Elephants have remarkable memories. They can recall water sources and migration routes for decades a skill passed down through generations.
They communicate through vibrations. Those deep rumbles you sometimes feel rather than hear travel through the ground for kilometers.
Each herd is a family. The matriarch leads, nurtures, and teaches. Her wisdom is the heartbeat of the group.
Their skin is sensitive. Despite its rough look, elephant skin can feel the slightest touch or a fly landing. They use mud as natural sunscreen and skincare.
Elephants are one of the few animals known to mourn their dead. They often stay near the body of a fallen companion, touching it gently with their trunks, sometimes returning days later almost as if paying their respects. It’s a rare, deeply emotional behavior that reveals how intelligent and compassionate they truly are.
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Creative Tip of the Week
When photographing animals, really observe before you shoot. Spend a few minutes watching how they move, where the light falls, and what moment tells the truest story. Patience often rewards you with authenticity.
May this week’s wallpaper remind you to move through life like these gentle giants — strong but kind, bold yet peaceful.
See you next week for another story on your wall.
Tag your setup on Instagram and use #WallStories, I’d love to see how it looks on your screens.
Colour Wheel
Some weeks back I partnered with a friend and awesome make up artist Wakesho Nzano, working on a few themed photoshoots. For this particular shoot, we chose to dwell on colour and see how best to achieve this through bold makeup, hope you enjoy the images.
MUA: Wakesho Nzano || Model: Mutanu Malinda || Lights: Sweeney Onchiri
“Every form is a base for colour, every colour is the attribute of a form!””
““the Best colour in the Whole World is the ONE that looks GOOD on YOU.””
Be sure to check back here for more. Thanks for stopping by; feel free to like, comment and share :)
A Mile for Hope
Hello people's,
I thought I would share something small from a project I did some months back. There is this group of cyclists called the Extra Milers, they run an annual event dubbed Miles & Hope. What they do is cycle (I think that's pretty obvious) but for a cause. They raise money for Orphaned and Vulnerable children and I followed them on a tour they did to Nyahururu that they conveniently called 'Tour de Nyahururu'. This was an over 400km journey to be covered over 3 days and boy was I excited to document this trip.
This had 3 stops for the night, the first being Naivasha, 2nd Nyahururu and the last being Limuru on the way back to Nairobi. I never knew what kind of passion and resilience it took to ride these bikes over that number of kilometres but I saw great passion and endurance for each and every member of that team, these guys had a resilience I had never seen before in my life and this just went down to note that this is something I don't think I can hack.
From riding in the rain and fog to climbing up steep hills, pushing each other along the way, and we Nairobians know how our road users have little to no regard for cyclists ... This was quite the sight to behold.
“The bicycle is a curious vehicle. Its passenger is its engine.”
This trip was an exciting and an embedded memory in my mind for me. Below is a short clip of a what this whole project is about and the impact that my friend John Wachira from Flow Images and I put together.
Thank you for taking time to read, hope you enjoyed the post. Feel free to like, comment and share!
The Road to Amboseli
Amboseli is one of those parks I have visited severally and I absolutely love it. Why you may ask? Mainly because it is the home of elephants, I believe just one of the most beautiful creatures to observe and photograph. The first time I went to Amboseli was 2013, its was such an epic short journey I had to make my way there again. After several solo trips it was time for an OnetouchLive trip to Amboseli, and this one was special because it was gonna be a long one, about 3 nights in the park ... I was really exited for this.
Heading to Amboseli head west on Mombasa Road/A109 till you get to Emali, thereafter you take a left onto the C102 all the way to Kimana (roughly 86 kms), just slightly after Kimana town you take a right onto the C103 which shall lead you directly to the gate.
This trip proved quite eventful and the longest 255 km trip I have ever made in my life. On departure, just slightly past Sultan Hamud, Lisa (pictured on the left), burst a pipe and spewed all the engine oil. In such moments is when you realize getting help out there is quite the challenge ... we had to look for a place that sells oil and purchase at the same time we got some road side mechanics who quickly came to the rescue and fixed the pipe, due to pressure it was unstable so they provided a fix for us.
We went on ahead and stopped in Emali to confirm all is well with the car and also check why it was losing power, by this time it was already past 6pm and we hadn't even turned off the main highway (A109).
Luanda at camp
From Emali to Kimana the ride was smooth we made good time but just after Kimana, as you turn off to the C103 the road is a marram road that is quite rough. By this time it was already too late to make it to the park gate so we had to call ahead and said we are on our way because our campsite was in the park. On that marram road, Lisa just went off and lost all momentum and couldn't move we we baffled and wondered what to do. only option in the middle of nowhere was to tow the vehicle all the way to the gate which was a really rough road of about 15 kms. We arrived at the campsite around 11pm after a really long treacherous ride but the plan was to get the park mechanic to come look at the car in the morning and we called it a night, to prepare to head out early morning for a game drive.
The morning was magical, the elephants came out to play and we enjoyed the shoot, due to Lisa being down we squeezed 7 people in one car to shoot the morning game drive.
Mt. Kilimanjaro
After that game drive, we had to call in a mechanic who came to check on Lisa, We eventually had to call for a back up car now that Lisa was unrepairable after the mechanics diagnosis. This meant that Lisa had to be towed back to Kimana to a garage there until further notice. Despite the car trouble, we had to continue shooting and having fun in this awesome park.
There was this morning we stumbled upon lions (which are a rare sight to behold in Amboseli), these young males casually strolling in the park very playful gave us some nice entertainment.
Out here its a matter of anything for the shot
I hope you enjoyed the blog, feel free to like, comment and share! Amboseli was good to me, join me next time as I tell of my next adventure.
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