Entwined

2020

Flamingo are widely recognised as monogamous, meaning they choose, and stay with, one mate for their entire lives. The social structures within a flock are complex, and W birds very much rely on one another — they even mate at the same time, so that all chicks hatch at the same time.

I wanted to capture their special bond in a single frame, but flocks can contain up-to several hundred birds, and the resulting imagery would be messy, and lack any sense of intimacy, so I needed to focus on a pair of birds.

I dedicated an entire four-hour shoot to this image, and observed the pair for a considerable amount of time before I nailed the final image. I think it’s a special image that offers an emotional glimpse into the intimate bonds these creatures share.