Category Archives: Nature

Articles relating to nature photography

The ‘Birds at Home’ Project

Sometimes a photographic project emerges, when there was never an intention to embark upon a photographic project.

For me, what I call the ‘Birds at Home‘ project, is exactly that.

Every now and then, I will see a bird in our garden and feel inspired to try and capture a pleasing image of that bird.

Over the years, this happened numerous times, and it retrospectively became the Birds at Home Project.

As any experienced wildlife photographer will know, bird photography is very difficult, especially if the subject is small, skittish or both (and this is often the case).

It requires preparation, skill, patience, timing and sheer luck.

Our neighbourhood is unfortunately not one in which people are particularly inclined towards keeping plants, trees and gardens, but our yard consists of a variety of native Australian plants and trees, so this attracts many species of birds.

The project, which unintentionally commenced in 2018, is ongoing, and consists of photographs of wild birds that have come to visit our garden.  So far, I have photographed only six different species at the time of writing.

Many more have visited, but I have not photographed them.

Here is a look at the species of birds that I have photographed (to the time of publication of this article).

My first images consisted of the white-plumed honeyeaters that often visit us.

From that initial session, I published two images.

White-Plumed Honeyeater

White-Plumed Honeyeater

Here, a white-plumed honeyeater is amongst the foliage of the native grevillea bushes that adorn our garden.

I like this image, as the honeyeater fills the frame, and is shown in its native habitat.

By contrast, I photographed another honeyeater sitting on the top of the fence.

Fence Sitter

Fence Sitter

The honeyeater is nicely posed, and its details are visible, but the man-made fence and background (the roof of another house) is not so appealing.

We are very fortunate to have rainbow lorikeets visiting us on a daily basis, and the vivid, attractive colours of these birds appeals to me both in a visual and photographic sense.

I have captured a number of them, but what I had longed to capture was a clean image of a rainbow lorikeet out in the open, set against an indistinct background.

By sheer luck, I achieved this image on one occasion.

Profile of a Rainbow Lorikeet

Profile of a Rainbow Lorikeet

The rainbow lorikeet had been feeding in a grevillea, and flew away, landing on the top of the clothes line.  It was early on a summer evening, so the light was warm and soft, and I finally landed an image of the lorikeet in the setting that I wanted.

For comparison, here is another rainbow lorikeet photographed only three minutes earlier, positioned nicely in the grevillea.  I am not sure if it is the same lorikeet, as usually these birds visit in pairs or groups.

In His Element

In His Element

One species of bird that I have only seen once is the silvereye.

After letting the cat outside in the afternoon sun, he started meowing at the tree in the corner.  I thought that there was nothing there, but alas, a tiny silvereye was feeding in our tree.

Silvereye Surprise

Silvereye Surprise

I headed back inside to grab a camera and lens, not expecting that the silvereye would still be present upon my return; but he was, and he seemed completely comfortable with me being within only a few metres of him.

A very common species of bird around here is the cinnamon spotted turtle dove.  We see these on an almost daily basis, and on one occasion, I decided to photograph one that was sitting on the back fence.

Cinnamon Spotted Turtle Dove

Cinnamon Spotted Turtle Dove

It was early on a summer evening, so the light was perfect for bird photography.

In 2020, our main dwarf wattle tree produced seed pods for the first time since we planted it, and it attracted flocks of little corellas on a daily basis.  It was the first occasion on which corellas had visited us, so I seized the opportunity during their time here, and captured one feeding on a pod.

Little Corella

Little Corella

The corellas had not returned here until 2023.  I did venture outside to photograph them, but on first inspection, there were no pleasing images.  I may need to re-visit the images and see if there is an image worth publishing.

My most recent image depicts a female superb fairywren.  Of late, superb fairywrens have been visiting our garden very frequently.

Of particular interest is the male, with his distinctive, vivid blue plumage.  I have seen a few males here, but fairywrens are constantly darting around, and I have not so far been able to successfully capture a pleasing image of a male.

On a gloomy and rainy day, I decided to head into our yard and engage in some bird photography.

I spotted this female superb fairywren, and as my luck would have it, the bird flew down to the tiles on the garden bed wall, and posed beautifully, staying still for just long enough for me to capture this image.

Female Superb Fairywren

Female Superb Fairywren

My quest to capture a pleasing image of a male superb fairywren continues, as does my ‘Birds at Home‘ project.

What Makes a Great Wildlife Image?

Introduction

In my last article, I discussed what makes a great safari.

In this article, I will discuss what makes a great wildlife image.

Firstly, as I discussed in my last article, you need to be in the right place at the right time, which comes down to a combination of planning and sheer luck.

To me, there are four kinds of great wildlife images:

  1. a frame-filling, up-close facial portrait of an animal;
  2. an image of an animal doing something interesting, in its natural habitat;
  3. a combination of a clean portrait and a story; and
  4. an artistic image.

The four types of images are very different, and have their own strengths.

When I started with African wildlife photography, I wanted the frame-filling portraits, and I captured a few very pleasing images that show a tremendous amount of detail about the animal‘s face, with a smooth, creamy background.

I use a 300mm f/2.8 lens and a 400mm f/2.8 lens for wildlife photography.  The long focal lengths and wide apertures allow me to fill the frame with the subject, and blur the background — sometimes almost out of existence.

Combined with the 1.4x and 2x extenders that I have, I can achieve focal lengths of 420mm, 560mm, 600mm and 800mm, and I have used all of these focal lengths for my wildlife images.

The longest focal lengths of 600mm and 800mm have allowed me to achieved some very pleasing images, both by closing the distance and blurring the background.

With birds in particular, I tend to favour the longest focal lengths that I have, as even at short distances, such focal lengths are needed to fill the frame with a small subject.

While I love these kinds of images, they can have their limitations.

The reality is that some images like that could have been captured in zoos.  I know this, because I have captured frame-filling portraits in zoos, as well as in the wild.  My images captured in the wild could have been captured in zoos, and my images captured in zoos could have been captured in the wild.

There is no context; there is no environment in which the animal is depicted.

The main difference, which is typically seen in images of lions, is that wild lions are not perfect.  They engage in battles and permanently carry injuries as a result of their conflicts.  Animals that were born in captivity and never had to fight for food, mating rights or territory are picture-perfect and unblemished.

The other difference is that some animals are not found in zoos.

Animal Portraits

I love portraits of wild animals, shot tightly with long focal lengths, filling the subject with the frame, obscuring or obliterating the background, and showing the fine details of the animal‘s face.

One of my favourite animal portraits is this image of the late male lion, Ximpoko.

The King's Face

The King’s Face

I captured this image of Ximpoko during our first safari in Africa, back in 2012.  He was also the first male lions that we saw in the wild.  He was a very large, heavy lion, and was reputedly the largest male lions in the Timbavati at the time.

This image depicts his detail-laden face, shows his age and experience, and allows the viewer to look right into his intense eyes.  We have a large print of this image on our lounge room wall.

Could this image have been captured in a zoo?  No.  It is clear from Ximpoko‘s injuries that he had encountered numerous battles in his time, and that he was a wild lion rather than a lion in captivity.

Another favourite portrait image was this image of female cheetah Kisaru, captured in the Mara North Conservancy of Kenya during our 2019 trip.

Portrait of Kisaru

Portrait of Kisaru

In this image, Kisaru dominates the frame, and the soft, late afternoon light accentuates the rich colour of her eyes.

Kisaru was perched on a mound at the time, and the combination of a long 600mm focal length, relatively wide aperture and subject distance allowed for nice background blur.

Could this image have been captured in a zoo?  Possibly.  Some zoos have cheetahs, but capturing an image like this, depicting a captive cheetah, is not as easy to achieve, given that man-made objects are in abundance at zoos, and lighting conditions such as this are typically not experienced during zoo operating hours.

Another pleasing animal portrait that I captured, again during our first safari, was female leopard Rockfig Jr.

Observation

Observation

This is a profile portrait, shot tightly using a 300mm lens wide-open at f/2.8.  The relatively long focal length, wide aperture of f/2.8, short subject distance of 7.37m and longer distance between Rockfig Jr and the background allowed me to achieve a very smooth, creamy background, which isolates Rockfig Jr‘s face and eliminates all distracting subject matter in the background.

One of my more recent animal portraits was captured during our most recent trip, in Sabi Sand Wildtuin, South Africa.

It was a very wet morning, and we headed out despite the inclement weather.  We spotted several nyalas in the scrub to the side of the road, and I wanted to photograph them.

This is one of the images that I captured:

Nyala in the Rain

Nyala in the Rain

I like this animal portrait because not only does the nyala fill the frame, but it is shot in flat, even lighting, has a relatively clean, blurred background, and also shows the relentless rain that we had encountered during that morning.

A particularly pleasing image that I captured our first trip to Kenya in 2015 was this image of a lilac-breasted roller:

Lilac-Breasted Roller

Lilac-Breasted Roller

It was late in the afternoon and the light was warm.  The subject was perched on a branch, and the rich green colour of the grass in the background was appealing, forming a striking contrast against the subject.  Using the 800mm focal length, I was able to achieve a very clean, frame-filling portrait of the lilac-breasted roller.

I have many more animal portraits, but these examples demonstrate the qualities that I like about such images, and make them visually strong and striking.

What they do not do, however, is tell much of a story, or necessarily portray the animals in their natural habitats.

This brings me to the next type of great wildlife image: the story shot.

Story Shots

In as much as I love the clean, frame-filling portraits that I have just discussed, over the years, I learned to capture the story shots.  These are the images in which a wild animal is doing something interesting, and in which the animal‘s natural environment is depicted for context.

For a photographer such as myself, who seeks clean images free of distracting or displeasing subject matter, capturing story shots is somewhat harder, because the environment in which something interesting is taking place is not always aesthetically pleasing.

Some of the issues with which to contend are bright areas, messy foliage, branches or leaves obscuring some of the animal, or even random subject matter such as logs, rocks and bushes on the ground, all of which can detract from an image.

It is to be remembered that wildlife photography takes place in nature; the ‘perfection’ and precise control over the scene and lighting, which are easily achieved in a studio environment, simply do not exist in nature.

One must work with what is there, and try to manage it as best as possible by changing positions, focal lengths or composition.

Story shots are far more interesting than portraits, for the obvious reason that they tell a story.

Here are some examples of my story shots in the African wilderness.

During our first trip to Kenya in 2015, we had encountered a large herd of Cape buffalo.  I was trying to isolate one buffalo within the herd, which itself was difficult.

What I did not realise while shooting at that sighting in the Mara North Conservancy is that I had captured an interesting image which told a story.  I only discovered the image several days later.

Lift Off

Lift Off

I had managed to isolate a buffalo, but I also captured a very interesting moment.

It is a story shot, as it depicts a grumpy-looking buffalo (these animals are very grumpy and very aggressive) which is being constantly pestered by flies and other insects, immersed in a crowd of other grumpy bovines, but most interestingly, with an oxpecker having just launched into flight from the top of the buffalo‘s head.

It is a busy scene, and there are flies everywhere; but it still tells a story of a Cape buffalo‘s existence.

During our first trip to Africa, I was fortunate enough to capture a moment in which two impala bucks were sparring.   Impala bucks will engage in battles for dominance and mating rights.

In this image, I captured the clashing of heads.

Headbangers

Headbangers

These two impalas were not engaged in serious battle, but were play-fighting, sizing each other up.

One of the highlights of our Maasai Mara safari in 2015 was the sighting of mating leopards.  It was a first-time experience for us, and during the encounter, I captured an image of the female in thick scrub as the male was making advances.

Growl of the Leopardess

Growl of the Leopardess

This is definitely a story shot, as it depicts the displeased female snarling and showing aggression towards the advancing male.  It was not an easy image to capture, as the setting was dark, and the environment in which the female leopard was sheltered was messy and distracting.  However, it tells a story, and depicts a moment in time, and a moment in nature.

During our Maasai Mara trip in 2019, there was something in the air, as we saw lots of mating activity.

One particular sighting resulted in a pleasing image which tells a story.

Gimme Some Action

Gimme Some Action

A particularly excited male wildebeest was running around, trying to mate with the females.  It was quite a funny sight, as he was all over the place, grunting and trying as best as he could to capture the interest of the resident females.

In this image, I captured him standing at attention on multiple counts!

While I used a 300mm lens for this image, the subject distance was sufficient for the environment to be depicted, with other wildebeest scattered around, and a view of the open plains of the Maasai Mara.

During our Maasai Mara trip in 2019, we were fortunate on one afternoon/evening game drive to have a lengthy and exclusive sighting of female cheetah Kisaru.

We were in the northern part of the Mara North Conservancy, close to the Mara River, and we were on our own, with no other safari vehicles in sight.

It is unusual not to encounter other safari vehicles at a cheetah sighting, but we were fortunate on that occasion.

Kisaru had been resting on a mound, and eventually decided to get up and stretch before moving on.

Evening Stretch

Evening Stretch

This is very typical cat behaviour, and by shooting an interesting moment with a wider focal length, I was able to place Kisaru in her environment doing what she naturally does.

Also during that same trip, we were very privileged on one morning to witness the Offbeat Pride lions feasting on a buffalo that was taken down earlier in the morning.

Table Manners

Table Manners

This image depicts the pride male and one of the pride’s females feasting on their kill, with other lions joining in the pandemonium.

While it is a tightly-framed image captured with the 600mm focal length, it tells the story of a lion pride feasting on a kill, with the male gorging himself and one of the females snarling, with her face messy from the savagery of her feasting.

During our most recent trip, on this occasion in Sabi Sand Wildtuin, we encountered two male zebras fighting.

I have not captured many photos of zebras during our trips to Africa, as while there are plenty of them, most of the time, they do not do anything interesting.

On this occasion, however, two male zebras got into a fierce fight.

Clash

Clash

Males fight for dominance and mating rights, and in this image, one of the zebras clearly has the upper hand.

The action was certainly noticed by the impala herd in the background.

I love the action in this image, and the story that it tells.  The fighting stallions are in their natural environment, which the image depicts; and the position of the zebras is perfect and visually appealing.  It is especially appealing to me because zebras generally do not do much of photographic interest, and I captured a moment that I had never seen before.

One of the most exciting sightings that we have experienced was that of female leopard Makhomsava, who had captured and killed a scrub hare and scrambled up a tree to protect herself and her kill from a hyena that was on the ground at the base of the tree.

Dinner Time

Dinner Time

This image depicts a brief moment as Makhomsava, with her kill in her mouth, standing in the bough of a tree before she quickly climbed higher to safety and began to devour her meal.

The next type of wildlife image combines the qualities of a clean, frame-filling portrait and the story.

Combinations of Clean Portraits and the Story

To capture an image which ticks two proverbial boxes can take it to the next level, and I have been fortunate to have captured several images which exhibit the aesthetic appeal that I desire, as well as the story and the interest.

During an afternoon game drive on our Maasai Mara safari in 2015, we happened across a pied kingfisher bouncing up and down to the side of the road.  We stopped for only a very brief amount of time, and I fired the shutter release button on my camera only twice.  This was the result of one of those shutter releases:

Suspended

Suspended

This image was the result of pure luck, and depicts the interesting behaviour of the pied kingfisher as it bobbed up and down in the air, whilst set against a clean background which isolates the subject.

Also during that same trip, we were privileged to spend some time with elephants, and I captured two of them engaging in ‘trunk wrestling’.

Trunk Wrestling

Trunk Wrestling

Using my 400mm f/2.8 lens wide-open, I was able to get right in close to the action, and capture the story of these two elephants engaging in bonding.

The background is nice and blurry, but it shows the vast plains of the Maasai Mara set against a rich blue sky, while the story of elephants playing and bonding is the dominant, frame-filling element.

One of the more unusual images that I captured was during a trip to the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya during our 2019 trip.

Peekaboo

Peekaboo

This image fills the frame with the subject, but most interestingly depicts unusual behaviour.  This hyena was hiding in the hollowed trunk of a large tree.

Hyenas are aggressive, dominant predators that rarely show signs of timidness and apprehension, and this particular hyena appears to be vulnerable and frightened, choosing to hide within the hollow tree trunk.

An image that I had long desired to capture was that of an African leopard posing beautifully on a mound in warm light, with a clean background.

It took ten years for me to land such a shot, but I achieved that goal during Sabi Sand Wildtuin trip in 2022.

The star of that safari was a female leopard called Tiyani.  As it turned out, we enjoyed five sightings of Tiyani over the seven-day trip, and on the fifth day, the opportunity for a long-desired image was finally realised.

Tiyani Surveying

Tiyani Surveying

Leopards love to rest of mounds, and cat, big and small, love height, as it allows them to survey their surroundings.

Tiyani had been located on a mound, and during the warm afternoon light, she posed beautifully on her mound, looking around, and occasionally looking at us.

Finally, I was able to capture an image of a leopard on a mound in warm light, with a clean background.

During the same Sabi Sand Wildtuin trip in 2022, we were privileged to experience several sightings of African wild dogs.  These are critically endangered, and we had never seen them in the wild until that trip.

During one great sighting at a dam, I landed this image of one of the African wild dogs of the Ottawa Sand Pack:

You Have My Attention

You Have My Attention

This image also illustrates the the combined qualities of a clean image with a story unfolding.

This African wild dog had lowered its head and was moving towards whatever captured its attention.  It shows the behaviour of African wild dogs that are in hunting mode, whilst being isolated against the background and shot from a low angle.

Artistic Images

The final type of image that I consider to be a great wildlife image is the artistic image.  Such images depict a strong subject in its natural environment, but take on a more artistic aesthetic.

In my experience, an affective way of achieving such an image is to depict the subject in silhouette.

During our Maasai Mara safari in 2015, we headed south to the Maasai Mara National Reserve.  On the way, early in the morning, we saw some distant giraffes.

We decided to capture what was unfolding in front of us.  A mother and her calf were strolling across the Mara plains, and rays of sunlight were streaming through the cloud-land sky.

Here is the image that I captured:

Wait for Me, Mum!

Wait for Me, Mum!

To me, this image has all of the elements of a great artistic wildlife image.  Furthermore, it combines a frame-filling subject, a great story, and an artistic aesthetic.

Several years later, back in the Mara, I again employed the use of silhouette to depict female cheetah Kisaru against the rich sky as the sun was setting.

Kisaru in Silhouette

Kisaru in Silhouette

Other Considerations

I have presented a range of my African wildlife images from what I consider to be the four categories of great wildlife images.

However, no matter what type of image is desired, there are various factors to take into consideration.

Firstly, there is the light.

The most appealing wildlife images are captured early in the morning, or late in the afternoon, which are the times during which the sun is low in the sky, resulting in warm, appealing light, and avoiding the glary, bleached conditions and harsh shadows of broad daylight.

The quality of light during the periods of twilight that begin and conclude the day also make for great wildlife images.

Not only are the early and late hours of the day the most visually appealing, but they are also the times during which animals tend to be more active.

The next consideration is angles.

Sometimes, it is literally a matter of inches between a good image and a great image.  Changing one’s position ever so slightly can really make a difference.

One of the most important angles is the vertical angle.  In safari vehicles, photographers are positioned higher, which means that most of the time, they are looking down on the animals.  A downward-facing angle is not very appealing, and the more pleasing wildlife images are captured from the animal‘s height.

Unfortunately, this is not always possible; but depending on the environment, it may be possible to be positioned higher or lower, in line with the subject.

One way of achieving this is by using distance.  The greater the distance, the less pronounced is the height difference between the photographer and the subject.  Of course, a greater distance between the photographer and the subject means that longer focal lengths are needed in order to close the gap and make the subject more prominent.

Horizontal angles are important, too.  Consider the position of the sun.  Great wildlife images can be captured from various angles relative to the sun.  Shooting into the sun is one option, and can result in rim lighting around the subject.  Shooting into the sun also allows the subject to be depicted in silhouette.

Side lighting reveals shape and form and can make a three-dimensional subject actually look three-dimensional in a two-dimensional image.

The next consideration is focal length.

Various focal lengths from ultra-wide to very long telephoto can be used to great effect in wildlife images.

Wildlife photography is typically the domain of long lenses, with focal lengths from 300mm to 800mm.  Longer lenses are used primarily due to distances from the subjects.  Sometimes it is not possible to be close due to the wildlife being dangerous, skittish or otherwise impossible to be near due to environmental factors such as rugged terrain or water.  Some kinds of wildlife is small, and the difficulty is compounded by some small fauna being flighty.

Additionally, it is necessary to maintain a healthy distance out of respect for the wildlife.  While it may be possible to get close, it is not necessarily a good idea.

Other than the ability to close the distance between the subject and the photographer, the use of long focal lengths also allows the subject to occupy most or all of the frame.  I earlier discussed the kinds of frame-filling portraits that I like to capture, and these were all captured with longer focal lengths.

However, the use of long focal lengths can sometimes be a disadvantage.  If an animal is being photographed from a distance with a long focal length, and that animal decides to move towards the photographer, the opportunity for an image may be lost.

This has happened to me several times.

On one occasion, I was using my 400mm lens to photograph a lioness in the Mara North Conservancy of Kenya.  She was out in the open, and the warm sun was behind us.  The lioness saw an opportunity to seek some shade from our vehicle, and walked right towards us, stopping outside the 4WD, at which point she looked right at me.  My 400mm lens was quite useless at that point!

More recently, we were photographing a large elephant bull in the rain in Sabi Sand Wildtuin, South Africa.  While we had distance from the elephant, the elephant was constantly on the move, and kept closing the gap between us, which meant that I could not depict the whole elephant within the frame.  Consequently, we had to drive away and re-position ourselves so that the elephant was further away, giving us time to compose our images.

Wider focal lengths can be very handy when an animal is close, but wider focal lengths can also be used to great effect to position an animal in its natural habitat, which aids in telling the story.  Depicting an animal with less prominence in the frame, but within the context of its environment, can result in a stronger image.

In addition to focal length, the aperture of a lens is an important consideration.  Wide apertures have multiple benefits: they allow for subject isolation, smaller depth of field, shorter shutter speeds and easier composition and visibility before capturing the image.

As a lot of wildlife photography can be conducted in low light or other darker conditions, wide apertures are very beneficial.

Finally, an important consideration is shutter speed.

There is nothing more useless than a wildlife image in which the subject is unintentionally blurred.  A sufficiently fast shutter speed is necessary in order to ensure a sharp image, particularly when the light is low, or when the subject is moving, or worse: both.

The use of longer focal lengths, which magnify both subject and photographer movement, requires faster shutter speeds.  Combined with low light and subject movement, it may be necessary to increase the ISO rating of the camera so that a suitably fast shutter speed can be maintained for the conditions.

Light, angles, distances, focal lengths, apertures and shutter speeds can all be used, both singularly and in combination, to achieve great wildlife images.  Sometimes adjusting some or all of these attributes is necessary in order to overcome a technical challenge; and at other times, these attributes can be used creatively for a desired aesthetic or story-telling effect.

Conclusion

Throughout this article, I have outlined in words and images what I consider to be four kinds of great wildlife images.  In addition, I have outlined some other factors that need to be taken into consideration for creating great wildlife images.

For me, the never-ending pursuit of creating great wildlife images will continue, but not soon enough!

What Makes a Great Safari?

Introduction

After a long hiatus, and having recently resumed my series of articles covering each day of our last safari in Sabi Sand Wildtuin in October and November of 2022, Africa has occupied my mind again, and I am wanting to re-live it, and re-experience it.

In fact, we have already decided upon our next African trip, and have already spoken to our friend and chosen safari leader about it.  I will not say more about it for now, as it is early days; but it all starts with an ambition, which then forms a goal, which hopefully leads to the realisation of that goal.

During an early morning walk today, what came to me was the idea of outlining what makes a great safari.

Quite a lot, actually.

I have discussed in lengthy detail the adventures of our four African trips to date, but I have never discussed what it is about safaris that appeals to me; so firstly, here is the story of our safari journey.  Then, I will explore what makes a great safari.

There is no bad safari, really.  Being on an African safari is an experience that no words, images or videos can do any amount of justice.  It really is something that one must experience.  Documenting the safari, of course, is an important part of that; but that merely enhances the experience.

Our Story

I have been a photographer for many years now.  Until 2012, I was not, and did not consider myself to be, a wildlife photographer.  Sure, I had captured a few images of wildlife here and there, but that was merely dabbling, or opportunistic.

As a photographer, I had focused predominantly on shooting seascapes at dawn, and had been doing that for several years, plus a few other forms of photography.  Shooting seascapes was my main photographic interest, and I would frequently venture to the coast in the dark, pre-dawn hours on weekends in order to be there for first light.

In 2012, an unexpected event changed the course of my photography, and my own course, perhaps.

We were invited to a wedding.  Sure, plenty of people are invited to weddings, but the bride is a South African expatriate, and she decided to have her wedding in South Africa.

At the time, I had not ventured abroad since the year 2000, and the world had changed.  I was not across the ways of international travel, and in fact, I did not have a current passport at the time.

We were going to South Africa, a country that I had never visited, on a continent that I had never visited, and about which I knew very little.

When people think of travelling to Africa, the first thought that comes to mind is the quintessential African safari.  It is just what people do, so we decided that yes, we needed to go on a safari.

Knowing that we were going to South Africa, I took more notice of wildlife images, particularly on 500px, and I had been looking at the work of wildlife photographer and safari leader Mario Moreno of South Cape Images.  We contacted Mario, told him of our plans, and before we knew it, we had booked our first safari.

It was a short safari of three nights over four days, as we would be in South Africa for around two weeks, with the wedding being the reason for the trip.  We actually made three holidays of the one trip, with time in Cape Town and the Western Cape being the other chapter.

Our safari was in the Motswari Private Game Reserve, part of the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve, which is distinctive for being the only wildlife environment in the world in which can be found the exceedingly rare white lions.  We did not see them — they are rare, after all.

Our guide at Motswari was Chad Cocking, an outstanding wildlife photographer and passionate field guide. Chad, on the other hand, has seen, and photographed, white lions.

Our first game drive of our first African safari brought us into the presence of a male leopard called Makepisi.  We experienced four days of magic, and like an addictive drug, we were hooked.

That was how it began.

Three years later, we re-united with Mario for our second trip to Africa, but this time, the destination was the Maasai Mara region of Kenya.  It was vastly different environment and a vastly different experience, but it was an incredible trip which brought us unforgettable sightings, experiences and images.

A long four years later, we returned to the Mara with Mario again, staying at the same luxury camp in the Mara North Conservancy, and going out again every day with Francis Koome, who had been our guide during our first Mara trip.

A few years later, the itch needed to be scratched again, and we were again in discussions with Mario on our next trip.  We chose South Africa, but the plan was to head to the premier destination of Sabi Sand Wildtuin, a fair way south of the Timbavati, and known for its leopard population and sightings.

Our guide this time was Gabriel ‘Gabe’ Harmer, and the trip brought us many incredible experiences and sightings, and many first-time experiences and sightings.

So, that is our story so far.

The Key Ingredients in a Great Safari

Now, what makes a great safari?

A lot goes into a great safari.

Firstly, there is the location.  Various parts of Africa are famous for their wildlife populations and scenery, and a great safari begins with the destination.

We have been to three of Africa‘s greatest wildlife sanctuaries, and captured the wildlife for which they are known; but there are so many other great locations, too.

A great safari leads a great safari leader — someone who knows Africa, who has experience, who has knowledge, who has the contacts, and who can arrange the entire safari and bring clients the best possible experience.

For us, that person is Mario Moreno.  Mario was born in South Africa, and his business is providing safaris for photographers.

Many people go on safaris, but many of them are tourists, or ‘bucket list’ tickers.  Of course, many are photographers, and Mario‘s business caters specifically for this type of safari-goer.

To us, Mario is a friend, not just a safari leader.  We have gone on four safaris with him, and we have got to know him well over the decade worth of safaris.

In addition to a great safari leader, a necessary ingredient is a great field guide; and we have been privileged to be with the best.

In the Timbavati, we had Chad Cocking, a great photographer and very experienced guide.

In the Mara, we had Francis Koome twice, and that man has forgotten more about the Mara than we have ever known.

In the Sabi, we had Gabe Harmer, with whom I am still frequently in contact even today.  He is passionate about wildlife, and has developed his wildlife photography in the process.

A good guide will find the wildlife and deliver the amazing experiences.

In South Africa, guides are accompanied by trackers, who sit on a small chair affixed to the front of the safari 4WDs.  The trackers literally track animals, and can quickly tell if a lion has been in the area recently.  The tracker is essential to the experience, and works closely with the guide.

In Kenya, the art of tracking is not used so much; instead, there are spotters.  In our case, Francis was both the guide and the spotter.  The Mara plains are vast and expansive, and finding wildlife is mostly a visual exercise.

Another part of the safari experience is the lodge.  We have mostly stayed at high-end safari lodges and camps within private concessions and conservancies.  These wildlife reserves, although unfenced and natural parts of the world, are privately managed, with conservation and research being fundamental to their existences as managed wildlife sanctuaries.

Unlike Kruger National Park and Maasai Mara National Reserve, day-trippers cannot simply visit; in the private concessions, safari-goers are staying within one of the established lodges or camps.

These are expensive.  Even the lower-priced lodges and camps can approach $1,000 per night per person, and the ultra-high-end lodges can cost $3,000 to $4,000 per night per person.

These run on the concept of full board, which means that accommodation, all meals and two daily game drives are all included in the price.

Still, it is very expensive; but the benefits of staying in private reserves are significant, and in our experience, they are worth it.

Firstly, because these reserves are very carefully managed, the numbers of visitors, and therefore vehicles, are kept small.  This means that sightings are not crowded, and that the presence of humans and man-made vehicles are not disruptive to the wildlife.  The environmental impact is substantially smaller.

What private reserves also allow is off-road access.  In the public reserves, safari vehicles must stay on the established roads.  Deviating off-road can result in substantial fines and other penalties.  The sightings, while they can be great, are much less controlled and much less accessible.  If the action is happening 200 metres away from the road, then being close is not possible.

We have twice been in the Maasai Mara National Reserve, which, while it is the same ecosystem as the Mara North Conservancy, has vastly different conditions, with many safari vehicles visiting, and great sightings statistically lower.  We have, however, had great sightings and captured great images in the Maasai Mara National Reserve; but in the Mara North Conservancy, the quality is much higher.

In private reserves, big cats walk right past the safari vehicles.  We have had cheetahs, leopards and lions all right outside our vehicles as they made their way to wherever they wanted to be.  That can and does happen in the public reserves, but the chances are much lower, and the crowds are much higher.

A crucial part of our safari experience has been our exclusive use of private 4WD vehicles.

The 4WDs belong to the lodges and camps.

These vehicles are equipped with three rows of seats, each accommodating three people.  There is also the front passenger seat.

What this means is that there can be ten guests in a vehicle, plus the guide and tracker on the front.

That comes with a lot of undesirable consequences.

Firstly, we carry a lot of bulky gear.  There is nowhere to store it when the vehicle is full of guests.  When we go out with Mario, we each have a row to ourselves, which allows plenty of room for big lenses, backpacks and whatever else we bring.

It also means that we can freely move around the vehicle. If the action is happening on one side of the vehicle, we can easily slide over to that side.  If two other people were there, they would be in the way, and our lenses would either be obstructed from seeing the action, or they would be bumping people’s heads.  Not good.

What the use of private vehicles also allows us is freedom.  We can head out earlier, come back later, and go wherever we want.  With six other people in the vehicle, each with their own wants and needs, we would not necessarily be able to capture the kinds of images that we want, or enjoy the kinds of sightings that we want.

We like to shoot landscape images, and that is a big part of our Mara trips.  In a vehicle full of people, that probably would not happen.  We were generally always the first to head out into the plains under the cover of darkness, which was before some guests were even up.  We would come back late, and on both Mara trips, we went much further south into the Maasai Mara National Reserve, which meant that it was an all-day trip.  We took food with us, and were away from camp until evening twilight.

We could not have visited the main reserve if we were in a vehicle full of people.

Even within the private reserves, we could take the road less travelled.  Tourists on safaris might want to see lions and that is it.  We want to see everything, and photograph everything.  Yes, the big cats are of significant interest, but I am happy to photograph birds, Cape buffalo and anything, really.

During our 2019 trip to the Mara, we were at a buffalo kill.  The Offbeat Pride had taken a large bovine in the darkness, and we were on the scene, along with three or four other safari vehicles, as the lions, including a large pride male, were feasting.

Mario and Francis, who know lion behaviour, recognised that the pride male was done, as he was showing signs that he was going to venture off for a drink and a rest in a thicket.

While the females and cubs were still feasting, we took off at seemingly the speed of light, but in reality, no more than 40km/h.  In the African wilderness, 40km/h is high speed.  I can only imagine that the other safari-goers in the other vehicles were dumbfounded at why we would suddenly evacuate the scene of a lion pride feasting.

What they did not know was what we were doing.  Francis knew where the pride male was heading, so we intercepted him by getting onto the other side of a creek and positioned ourselves to see the pride male descend the bank, have a drink, and climb up the opposite bank, right towards us!  We experienced the sighting, and landed the images that nobody else achieved on that morning.

It would not have been possible without our own vehicle.

Unfortunately, securing a private vehicle is either impossible or very expensive.  Many lodges in South African reserves no longer offer private vehicles, and the few that do will charge for every seat.  It is to be remembered that these vehicles are intended for ferrying a full load of paying guests around the reserves, not just the two of us plus Mario; so there is a financial impact to the lodge if the vehicle is not full.

To secure a private vehicle in Sabi Sand Wildtuin came at a cost of several thousand dollars.  That was on top of everything else.

Was it worth it? Absolutely! It drives up the cost substantially, but as I have outlined, it gives us exclusive access and sightings, experiences and images that others do not achieve, and we have the flexibility, space, time and freedom of choice.  It is priceless.

Part of the African safari experience is the lodge or camp life.  Staying at one of these eco-friendly lodges or camps is amazing and intense, with great food, surroundings and company.  While we enjoy all of that, the reality is that we are out in the field for most of our time.  The lodge or camp is where we eat, sleep, drink and do life maintenance.

For me, there is little rest during a safari, as I am on a constant high during the whole time.  I cannot just sit back in a deck chair and stare out into the plains; that is not me.  I am processing and publishing images, making multiple backups of our images, managing the gear and generally running around doing anything other than nothing.

For us, the accommodation is the least important part of the safari experience.  As I say, if the accommodation is important, book the penthouse in a high-end hotel and stay there for the whole time.  We want to be in the wilderness, surrounded by wildlife.

One more essential ingredient in a great safari is the timing.  The destination and the time go together.  Sure, in some places, wildlife can be spotted at any time of the year, but for events such as the Great Migration, it is all about the timing.  There is a natural cycle to the Great Migration, and one must be in the right place at the right time in order to witness it.

While we have not gone to the Maasai Mara specifically for that incredible event, we did witness the beginnings of it during our 2019 trip, when we saw a lot of plains game that had already crossed the Sand River into Kenya, from Tanzania to the south.

Conclusion

As this lengthy article has outlined, what makes a great safari is a combination of factors.

We have the location, the timing, the safari leader, the guide, the lodge, and, in our case, a differentiator: private 4WD vehicles.

Having the right people, and being in the right places at the right times, will result in the sightings, experiences and images that we want.

Along the way, there was much to be learned, and I have learned several important lessons in this last decade of safaris.

Firstly, as much as it is pleasing to capture a frame-filling portrait of a big cat set against a blurry background, it is important to tell a story.  Look for the ‘story shots’ that reveal the real African wilderness.  Place an animal in its environment, doing something interesting.  A photo of an antelope grazing is rather boring, but an image of fighting zebras, or lions feasting on a kill, or a bird in flight, is much more interesting.

Secondly, manage one’s expectations.  The amazing sightings, while they do come, do not always happen.  Sometimes what we want just does not happen.  On our last Mara trip in 2019, we did not see any leopards at all despite having seen leopards in the area previously; yet in Sabi Sand Wildtuin, we had leopard sightings on all seven days, featuring five unique leopards; and on one single day, we saw three of these leopards.

We have been out in the rain, and had slow days; but I took advantage of it and landed pleasing images, despite the conditions being unfavourable for us as well as the wildlife.

Just to be out there is great.  We love seeing everything.  If we do not see a big cat, we will still see plenty of other wildlife.  Take joy in everything that Africa has to offer.  Some of my favourite images are not of big cats, but rather, feature antelopes or birds.

Every day in Africa is different.  Every game drive is different.  Each drive is to be treasured, and even a ‘bad’ day on safari beats a good day at the office, hands down.

So, that, to me, is what makes a great safari.

Sabi Sand 2022: Day 2 of 7

After a very exciting first day in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve (its official name is Sabi Sand Wildtuin), day two had arrived, and it would be our first full day in the African bushveld for this trip.  We had no idea what awaited us, which always makes for an adventure.

Unusually when we travel from east to west, we experienced jet lag.  I woke at perhaps 3:40am, and I was wide-awake.  It was still dark, and the wonderful sounds of the African bush were right outside our door.

At Elephant Plains Game Lodge, the guides wake up guests at 5am for a 5:30am departure on the morning game drive.  I was ready well before wake-up call, and when the time came, we headed to the main building for a morning coffee and brief chat with the guides before continuing outside to the 4WD.

Morning drive on day two was to be full of many species of wildlife, as we would discover.  We were ready to go, eagerly anticipating the adventure ahead.

Gabe headed north-east of the lodge, towards Gowrie Gate.  Along the way, we spotted some squirrels, a spotted hyena, a greater blue-eared starling and some ducks before we encountered a breeding elephant herd on the Simbambili Cutline.

It is always great to see elephants in the wild.  Apart from their status as the largest land animals in Africa, they are remarkable creatures, and they often come confrontingly close to safari vehicles.

For this trip I had brought my Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM lens, as I knew from experience in both South Africa and Kenya that the 300mm focal length, plus the 420mm and 600mm focal lengths enabled by my telephoto extenders, would cover me well.

In the Maasai Mara, which is a vast open savannah, longer focal lengths are necessary; but in areas such as the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, shorter focal lengths are often more suitable.

However, sometimes even 300mm is too long!  When a large elephant is only eight metres away, that focal length is rather useless for capturing the magnificence of the creature.  Instead, it is necessary to be creative, and go for the rich details and textures that are very much in one’s face when looking through a 300mm lens.

Here is an image I captured of one of the grazing elephants, which shows the rich textures and patterns

Eye of the Elephant

Eye of the Elephant

This is a semi-abstract image; but there is no mistaking what is the subject.

We only spent five or six minutes with the elephants before we headed off.  I suspect that Gabe was up to something.  It was only early into the trip, but I was able to figure out when he had a plan, as he would have known what had been spotted and roughly (or even specifically) where it was.

The next sighting was to be a first-time experience, and a very special sighting indeed.

Gabe headed east-south-east to Tree House Dam, where we encountered the Ottawa Sand Pack of African wild dogs!

This was our fourth trip to Africa in ten years, and we had never seen African wild dogs in the wild, until now.  It was day two and our first morning drive, and we had already been treated to a special sighting of a critically endangered species of wildlife.

There are perhaps only two or three hundred African wild dogs in South Africa, and we were seeing them with our own eyes.  Many people will never see African wild dogs in their lifetime, and yet the privilege was bestowed upon us.

Ottawa Sand Pack

Ottawa Sand Pack

At the time of this sighting, the Ottawa Sand Pack was eight-strong, having recently lost the alpha female.

When we encountered the dogs, they were very active and playful, and were running all over the place.  In the chaos, I captured one of the dogs drinking from Tree House Dam.

There was also a spotted hyena on the scene.  Hyenas often follow other apex predators in the hope of scoring a meal, as they intimidate other predators and steal their meals.  The lone hyena was no threat to the dogs, however.

We had been at the scene for no more than 15 minutes, when suddenly, the dogs decided to move.

African wild dogs can cover a lot of ground in a short time, and they have a high amount of stamina.

We had to move well ahead of them and wait for them to come to us, which they eventually did, trotting down one of the dirt roads in the reserve.

The dogs were heading west, and Gabe was determined to position us ahead of the pack so that we could observe and photograph the dogs on approach.  We stopped at the junction of Main Gowrie Road and Flockfield Road.

As I was to learn, photographing African wild dogs is very difficult, as they tend to be very active,  and congregate close to each other.  Isolating a single dog takes time and patience, but I was fortunate to capture a clean image of one of the pack’s members, awaiting the arrival of the other dogs at the scene.

Waiting for the Pack

Waiting for the Pack

A few minutes later, Gabe headed north along Flockfield Road in pursuit of the dogs, which had once again decided to move on.  One of the dogs was resting on the side of the road, so we stopped, and I captured this image of an otherwise busy dog at rest:

African Wild Dog of the Ottawa Sand Pack

African Wild Dog of the Ottawa Sand Pack

Soon enough, it was time for us to depart and find a place for a coffee break.  We continued north, passing along Gowrie Gate, and continuing further north to the dam outside Jacana Private Game Lodge.

In that relatively short drive, we encountered many species of wildlife.  We did not stop, but the species we spotted consisted of zebra, Cape buffalo, a red-billed buffalo weaver, lesser masked weavers in nests and an impala sitting in the grass.

Incidentally, this brief sighting of a herd of Cape buffalo was the only sighting of these large bovines that we would encounter.  We did not stop for photography.

During our coffee stop at Jacana Dam (in which we spotted, but did not photograph, a hippo), we were treated to one of Africa’s smaller creatures: a dung beetle, which provided for some entertainment as we sipped on hot chocolate and coffee with a snack.

On this particular morning, the sky was quite overcast, which made for ideal photography conditions, as the lighting was very flat and even, and there were no harsh, bright highlights or deep shadows.  It is very easy to photograph wildlife in this sort of light, and the wildlife itself can be more present, not needing to shelter under thickets in order to avoid the hot sun.

It was time to head south towards the lodge for a brief rest followed by breakfast.  Along the way, we again encountered numerous species of wildlife, including a grey heron, yellow-billed stork, Wahlberg’s eagle, side-striped jackalTiyani leopardess (for the second time in less than two days) and Bateleur eagle.

In between game drives, there is plenty of time for rest and leisure.  As it is my ritual, I downloaded all of the images from the cameras and backed them up to the external hard disk.

On safari, I always like to keep at least three copies of everything, and I try to avoid erasing the cameras’ flash cards unless necessary.  In that case, I have two copies, and when we travel, the backup hard disk is carried separately from my laptop.

In between game drives, there is a lot of time.  Breakfast at the lodge is served from 8:30am and lunch is served at 2pm.  There is also the opportunity for a bushwalk after breakfast.  The afternoon game drive commences at 4pm.

As became our custom, we met Gabe at 3:50pm, boarded the 4WD and set off into the bush again, for what was now our second afternoon game drive.

We headed north of the lodge’s airstrip, towards Simbambili Game Lodge, spotting a yellow-billed hornbill.  We had barely been in the vehicle for a few minutes when suddenly, “leopard!” was yelled.  Gabe brought the vehicle to a stop and backed up twenty metres.

We had driven right past Tiyani!  She was casually sitting five metres from the road.

On this drive, I was shooting with the Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x.  This lens is not mine, but belongs to Mario.  It is his go-to lens these days, and having shot with it before, I was keen to use it again.

I am a fan of prime lenses, and I do not own any zoom lenses, but this lens is exceptional, and as it turned out, it was very handy when a leopard was very close, as indeed Tiyani was.  I was able to use the 200mm focal length at the wide end, which was perfect for framing this image:

Laying Low

Laying Low

We had now seen Tiyani three times: twice in as many days, and twice in one day.  She had so far proven herself to be a prominent character in Sabi Sand Wildtuin.

At the scene, Gabe noticed a small scrub hare.  Somehow, Tiyani had not noticed it!  If she had noticed it, she may have tried to kill it, as leopards are very opportunistic and will take any potential offer of a meal.

Soon enough, Tiyani yawned and moved on.  We followed her through the bush, and in total ended up spending around 40 minutes with her before we departed further into the game drive, seeing an impala and a cute hyena.

Just when we could not imagine the drive getting any better, we encountered the Ottawa Sand Pack of African wild dogs again!  That was the second encounter in one day.

This time, a very interesting situation presented itself, as there were three hyenas on the scene, and there was some unusual interaction taking place.

The hyenas and the dogs were in close quarters with each other, taking semi-playful bites into the air towards each other, as if to both assert their dominance, but perhaps also bond.  It was unusual and captivating.

Photographically, it was not a great sighting for me, but I did record video footage of this strange interaction, and it was one of those sightings which was simply great to see.

Soon enough it was time to head for a sundowner (a ritual on any safari in a private game reserve), so Gabe brought us to a small dam west of the southern end of the lodge’s private airstrip, along the way to which we spotted some zebras.

Yet another surprise was in store for us: another sighting of Tiyani!  By now, it was dark and Colbert was flashing the spotlight on Tiyani so that we could capture images as she rested under a thicket.  Again for me, it was not a great photographic experience, but seeing a leopard is always spectacular.

After less than ten minutes with Tiyani, who we had seen three times on this day, and twice in the same drive, we headed a short distance back to the lodge for a drink and dinner.

Day two had come to a conclusion with two very special sightings of African wild dogs and three great sightings of Tiyani, one of the star leopards of Sabi Sand Wildtuin.

Stay tuned for our adventures on day three, which was to present us with one of the most amazing and unforgettable sightings that we have witnessed in Africa in ten years.

Some Rewarding Urban Birding

Earlier this year, I learned of an urban watering hole, at which various species of birds could be found.

During my first visit to this watering hole, I saw the potential, and decided that it would be a good location to visit at another time and photograph the bird life there.

Recently, after an afternoon thunderstorm, I thought that it might be a great opportunity to visit the watering hole and see if any birds were active.

The time before and after a storm can produce some amazing light, so I reached for my longest lens and headed to the watering hole, where I found two little black cormorants and an intermediate egret.

The watering hole contains a large, dead tree with a photogenic branch which allows birds to perch, and which is set against distant trees along a creek in the background.  Additionally, the vantage point faces east, which means that warm afternoon light illuminates the subject and the background.

On this particular visit, I was fortunate to find a little black cormorant drying his wings in the sunshine.

Drying My Wings

Drying My Wings

Photographing birds can be quite challenging, but photographing birds doing something interesting is even more challenging.

I was fortunate to capture this image of the cormorant with his wings spread out, drying after the deluge.

Here is another image of the cormorant, this time resting on the branch in the warmth of the afternoon sun.

Little Black Cormorant

Little Black Cormorant

Visiting the watering hole was worthwhile, and there are definitely more opportunities awaiting me on future visits.

Revisiting our 2019 Kenya Trip

Yesterday I decided to start looking back through the many thousands of images I captured during our most recent trip to Kenya in 2019.

It has now been over two years since that wonderful trip, and sometimes, in the excitement of the ‘now’, it is easy to overlook images that should have published.

Additionally, the benefit of time away from the subject, the place and the images can also allow one to see things differently.

So far, I have published two previously unpublished images from that trip, and in the coming days, weeks and perhaps months, I may find more images that are worth publishing.

Revisiting these images allows me to virtually revisit a place that I love, which current world-wide circumstances do not allow me to do.

Here is what I have published so far.

Rolling

Rolling

This is female cheetah Amani in the process of rolling, as she spends some time resting in the late afternoon in the Mara North Conservancy, Kenya.

Amongst the loves of cats is height, and rolling around.  Here, Amani has the best of both worlds.

For cheetahs in particular, heights such as this mound provide great vantage points for surveying their surrounding territory for potential threats and prey.

Age and Experience

Age and Experience

This is a large, solitary elephant bull which we encountered on our first game drive in the Mara North Conservancy of Kenya during June of 2019.

He is an impressive big-tusker, and he clearly has years of age and experience behind him.

During this encounter, sensing that we were no threat, he wandered right up to within mere metres of our 4WD before turning to pass it.

We encountered this same elephant some days later, and again stopped to spend some time with him.