The reason this picture is successful, besides the graphically pleasing curl of the baby elephant's trunk, is because of the soft, diffused light. I took this picture at 11 o'clock in the morning when the sun was high in the sky and thus very contrasty. However, I noticed that the mother elephant's bulk shaded the baby, and that presented me with the perfect opportunity. I shot this image in Kenya, and at this time of day it's hard to find great shots. I used a 500mm telephoto plus a 1.4x teleconverter to eliminate the sunlit portions of the scene. The 700mm of focal length gave me this tight composition in perfect light even though just outside this frame was harsh and contrasty sunlight.
Shooting a mid-day is a tough proposition, but with an alert eye and an awareness of what makes a strong picture, you can sometimes find excellent opportunities.