Remembering Giraffes - Remembering Wildlife Books
Remembering Giraffes - Remembering Wildlife 2026
Three Masai giraffe bulls stand together at a waterhole in southern Kenya, their long necks gently intertwined. I captured The Language of Touch during a quiet social interaction between animals more often photographed towering above the plains. My photograph was selected as one of 20 competition-winning images for Remembering Giraffes, joining a collection of wildlife photography created to raise awareness and funds for conservation.
Seeing this moment featured in Remembering Giraffes - Remembering Wildlife carries particular significance for me. I took the photograph at Shompole Plains Hide, a location closely connected to my photographic work in Kenya and the experiences we host through Untamed Photo Safaris. Its journey from a waterhole in Shompole Conservancy to the pages of an international conservation book shows how an encounter in the wild can reach an audience far beyond the place where it happened.
Remembering Giraffes - Mark A Fernley 
Remembering Giraffes - Remembering Wildlife
Remembering Giraffes: The Story Behind Mark’s Selected Image
Wildlife photography often demands patience, but some of its most memorable moments are brief. In The Language of Touch, I photographed three Masai giraffe bulls gently entwining their necks in an interaction lasting approximately 20 seconds. I observed an exchange without the force or dominance posturing associated with sparring, revealing a quieter aspect of giraffe social behaviour.
For me, the photograph invites the viewer to pause. The intertwined necks create a striking composition, while the interaction itself encourages a closer look at animals that can feel so familiar on an African safari.
That familiarity is part of what makes Remembering Giraffes an important publication. Giraffes are instantly recognisable, yet recognition alone does not ensure that people understand the challenges facing them. Through my photography, I hope to open that conversation by offering something unexpected: a behaviour, a relationship or a moment that makes the viewer look again.
Having my image selected offers an opportunity to share this encounter from Shompole with readers around the world. Within the book, it becomes part of a broader photographic portrait of giraffes, bringing together different landscapes, perspectives and experiences.
Three Giraffes - Remembering Giraffes - Mark A Fernley
Celebrating the Book’s Launch in London
Jaren and I attended the Remembering Giraffes launch at the Royal Geographical Society in London on 14 October 2026, celebrating the publication alongside fellow photographers and members of the conservation community.
The evening’s programme brought together Remembering Wildlife founder Margot Raggett MBE, Stephanie Fennessy, co-founder and executive director of the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, and contributing wildlife photographer Marcus Westberg. Presentations explored giraffe conservation and photographic storytelling, while a slideshow showcased images from the book.
I also took part in the book signing, joining other contributing photographers as readers collected signatures in their copies of Remembering Giraffes.
For us, the occasion was a chance to celebrate both my photograph and the collective effort behind the publication. A book of this kind depends on many people contributing their time, expertise and creative work. Meeting those involved made that shared commitment tangible and connected the finished publication with the individuals working to make it possible.
It was also an opportunity to hear more about the conservation work that gives the book its purpose. The Giraffe Conservation Foundation contributed the foreword to Remembering Giraffes, strengthening the connection between the images readers enjoy and the expertise needed to protect giraffes across their range.
Mark A Fernley - Remembering Giraffes 
Remembering Giraffes Book - Royal Geographical Society 
Remembering Giraffes - Royal Geographical Society 
Remembering Giraffes Book Signing - Royal Geographical Society 
Mark A Fernley, Remembering Giraffes - Royal Geographical Society 
Mark A Fernley, Remembering Giraffes - Royal Geographical Society, London
Why Remembering Giraffes Matters
Remembering Giraffes is the eleventh book in the Remembering Wildlife fundraising series. Its photographs celebrate giraffes while helping draw attention to the pressures affecting their future, with profits supporting conservation projects.
As a wildlife photographer, I believe photography has a valuable role in making that purpose accessible. A reader may first open the book because of a striking cover or a love of wildlife imagery. As they spend time with the photographs and accompanying text, that initial interest can develop into a greater understanding of the animals and their conservation.
My image contributes a particular perspective to that story. Through it, I hope to encourage readers to notice the subtle interactions that are easy to miss, even with such conspicuous animals. These quieter encounters are among the most rewarding moments I experience while observing and photographing wildlife.
I am proud that The Language of Touch has found a place in a publication where appreciation for wildlife is connected with practical support for its protection.
Remembering Wildlife: How Photography Helps Fund Conservation
Behind Remembering Giraffes is a project that began with one photographer’s determination to respond to wildlife loss.
In 2014, British wildlife photographer Margot Raggett witnessed a poached elephant in northern Kenya. The experience prompted her to approach fellow photographers with an idea: donate images to a photographic book that could raise money for conservation.
The response led to Remembering Elephants, published in 2016, and established the foundation for the Remembering Wildlife series.
As a wildlife photographer, that beginning resonates with me. My work depends on the continued existence of the animals I photograph and the landscapes they inhabit. Contributing to Remembering Wildlife gives me a way to support that future through my photography, joining fellow photographers in creating publications with a shared conservation purpose.
Remembering Giraffes - Remembering Wildlife 
Maasai and Remembering Giraffes
A Collection Built Through Collaboration
Following Remembering Elephants, the series expanded to include books dedicated to rhinos, great apes, lions, cheetahs, African wild dogs, bears, leopards and tigers. The anniversary publication, 10 Years Remembering Wildlife, followed in 2025, before Remembering Giraffes joined the collection in 2026.
One of the things I value about the series is the different ways my fellow photographers see wildlife. Close portraits sit alongside environmental images and photographs of behaviour, offering opportunities to appreciate both individual animals and their place within a landscape.
As a photographer, I understand how a single image can capture someone’s attention, while a carefully assembled collection can sustain it. I hope readers take time to notice those differences, discover unfamiliar behaviours and develop an interest in species they may never have encountered themselves.
I also value the lasting presence of a printed book. It can be revisited, shared with friends or passed to someone discovering wildlife photography for the first time. The photographs have time to be studied, giving their conservation message repeated opportunities to reach the reader.
How the Fundraising Model Works
As a contributing photographer, I am part of an initiative that combines donated creative work with advance fundraising. Photographers, writers and designers contribute their work, while Kickstarter campaigns help cover production costs before the books are printed.
Remembering Wildlife states that 100% of profits go to conservation projects supporting the featured wildlife. Margot Raggett selects the recipients, prioritising organisations working directly in wildlife protection.
For me, this gives the photographs a purpose beyond the page. Purchasing a book brings wildlife photography into your home while supporting a model designed to generate conservation funding.
I also think it is important to distinguish between sales and profits. Producing and distributing a book involves costs, and Remembering Wildlife’s commitment concerns the profits generated, which are directed towards its conservation beneficiaries.
According to the initiative’s published figures, the series has donated more than £1.28 million to over 80 conservation projects across 36 countries, with more than 62,000 books sold worldwide.
Where the Conservation Support Goes
For me, the project’s published funding records show why contributing to Remembering Wildlife matters. The series has supported practical work including anti-poaching patrols, veterinary treatment, community ranger programmes and habitat protection.
I recognise that these activities require consistent resources. Rangers need equipment and transport. Researchers need ways to monitor animals across large areas. Veterinary teams need supplies to respond when wildlife is injured, and organisations working with local communities need the capacity to maintain those relationships.
One example is support for Tiger Watch in India. Remembering Wildlife reports that grants have contributed to anti-poaching and community engagement, including motorbikes for Village Wildlife Volunteers and a computer lab for local students.
In Kenya, funding for The Pangolin Project has supported tracking equipment, veterinary supplies and a dedicated night ranger team to help monitor and protect giant ground pangolins. Other grants have supported the care and rehabilitation of pangolins rescued from the illegal wildlife trade.
These examples help me appreciate what sits behind a fundraising total. They make the connection between a book and conservation tangible, tracing that support to equipment, field teams and animal care.
Why Wildlife Photography Has a Role to Play
Through my photography, I hope to make someone curious enough to learn more. An image can introduce an unfamiliar species, reveal a behaviour or encourage a viewer to reconsider an animal they thought they knew.
I recognise that this ability carries responsibility. The way I photograph, describe and present wildlife influences how others understand it. I want my work to encourage appreciation while respecting the complexity of each animal’s life and the challenges surrounding its conservation.
Contributing to Remembering Wildlife gives that connection a practical route forward. I join fellow photographers in donating images, readers support the publications, and conservation organisations receive funding for work in the field.
For me, the strength of the project lies in those contributions working together. My photograph is one part of a much larger effort.
What This Means to Us at Untamed Photo Safaris
At Untamed Photo Safaris, observing wildlife carefully is central to the experiences I share with our guests. Understanding behaviour, anticipating an interaction and allowing animals the space to move naturally all contribute to meaningful photography.
For me, these experiences also encourage a deeper appreciation of what makes those opportunities possible. Every wildlife encounter depends on living landscapes, animal populations and the work of people helping protect them.
My inclusion in Remembering Giraffes connects my photographic work in Kenya with an initiative that shares that wider concern. My selected image began as a brief interaction at a Shompole waterhole. Through the book, it now reaches readers who can enjoy the photograph while supporting a collective conservation effort.
Remembering Wildlife Book at shompole plains hide, shompole, kenya. 
Remembering Giraffes Book at shompole plains hide, shompole, kenya.
I am proud to be part of that story and to celebrate the photographers, conservationists and supporters who continue to build it.
To explore the collection and learn more about the projects it supports, visit:
