RIP Kisaru

Early this morning, I heard the bad news that female cheetah Kisaru, resident in the Mara North Conservancy of Kenya, has been tragically killed by lions.

Portrait of Kisaru

We were privileged to experience a fantastic sighting of Kisaru during our Mara trip in 2019.

At the time, she was heavily pregnant, and she raised a litter of six cubs.  She later raised more litters, and was a very successful hunter and mother.

Kisaru was the a star during that trip.

It is always distressing to learn of the loss of a special animal such as Kisaru.

The life of a wild cheetah is never easy, and each day of survival is a win.  Unfortunately, the world is now a lesser place for this loss of this magnificent cheetah.

RIP, Kisaru.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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.

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

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

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.

Maasai Mara 2019: Observations and Comparisons

In the African wilderness, every day is different.  Every game drive is different.  Every encounter and experience is different.  That is what makes it so amazing and exciting.

As I have chronicled in recent articles, we spent a fantastic seven days (which is too few!) in the Maasai Mara region of Kenya in June of 2019, photographing wildlife and landscapes.

This was the second time we have been to this particular location, with our first trip being in June of 2015.

This time, we stayed again at Elephant Pepper Camp in the Mara North Conservancy, a privately run conservancy north of the public Maasai Mara National Reserve.

Elephant Pepper Camp is now run by Tom and Alison, whereas during our first trip, it was run by Patrick and Sophie.

Having twice been to the same place, it was interesting for me to compare the two trips; for while a lot was familiar and similar this time, a lot was different.

Abundance of Wildlife

One thing I did subsequent to this most recent trip was compile a list of all of the species of wildlife we encountered.

We encountered 42 unique species of wildlife.  There may possibly have been more; but as best as I can recall, it was 42.  Here they are:

1. Agama lizard
2. Baboon
3. Banded mongoose
4. Cape buffalo
5. Cheetah
6. Dik-dik
7. Dung beetle
8. Eland
9. Elephant
10. Genet
11. Giraffe
12. Grant’s gazelle
13. Grey crowned crane
14. Hartebeest
15. Helmeted guineafowl
16. Hippopotamus
17. Hyena
18. Impala
19. Jackal
20. Lilac-breasted roller
21. Lion
22. Marabou stork
23. Martial eagle
24. Ostrich
25. Oxpecker
26. Red-necked francolin
27. Reedbuck
28. Rock hyrax
29. Saddle-billed stork
30. Secretarybird
31. Short-tailed eagle
32. Starling
33. Thomson’s gazelle
34. Topi
35. Tree python
36. Vulture
37. Warthog
38. Waterbuck
39. Wildebeest
40. Woodland kingfisher
41. Yellow mongoose
42. Zebra

For a seven-day trip, this is quite a large list of wildlife species.  This list documents unique encounters, but we had multiple encounters with numerous species, and sometimes we encountered the same unique animal on multiple occasions.

What this list also shows is just how abundant and varied is the wildlife inhabiting the Maasai Mara.

I wish I had compiled a list of the wildlife species we encountered during the first trip; but certainly, we did encounter quite a few species from this list.

Year of the Cheetah

Amongst the wildlife we encountered during this most recent trip, the stand-out was the cheetah.

During our first trip, we only had one cheetah sighting, down in the Maasai Mara National Reserve.

This time, we had numerous cheetah sightings, most of which were in the Mara North Conservancy.

On our first day, we had not one, but two cheetah sightings.

Early into our first game drive shortly after landing at Mara North Airstrip, we first met Amani and her three cubs.

This is Amani:

Amani

Later that day, during the afternoon game drive, we encountered Amani and her cubs again, and landed some pleasing images as the cheetahs rested.

On day two, we encountered Amani and her cubs for a third time, and on this occasion, they had captured a juvenile Thomson’s gazelle, and were in the process of killing it and consuming it right in front of us.

Fast Food

This was a special sighting, and happened to be the final time we saw Amani and her cubs.  I have no doubt that other people in the conservancy had seen her again after we saw her for the last time.

A few days later, we spent most of the day in the Maasai Mara National Reserve.  While private conservancies offer more exclusive access, as well as the ability to go off-road and get close to wildlife, the Maasai Mara National Reserve is always worth visiting, as it is a much larger reserve and is home too some truly special characters.

On day four, we were treated to some special sightings, including one of the infamous Five Musketeers, a coalition of cheetahs which has been dominating the Maasai Mara National Reserve and causing a lot of trouble.

When we saw the Five Musketeers, the weather was warm, and the cheetahs were resting in the shade; but it was still special to see these legendary cheetahs.

One of the Five Musketeers

Back in Mara North, we encountered two new-to-us cheetahs on day five.

We had our first and only encounter with brothers Mbili and Milele, who are the sons of Kiraposhe.  We never met Kiraposhe, but her sons had unfortunately lost their lunch to hyenas, which is unfortunately quite a common problem cheetahs encounter.

Defeated

We spent quite a while with Mbili and Milele, tracking and following them as they headed east and into Lemek Conservancy, which was the end of the road for us.

The next cheetah we would encounter — and a very special cheetah at that — was Kisaru, a female.

Kisaru is a daughter of Amani, and at the time we saw her, she was heavily pregnant.  She produced a litter of six cubs subsequent to our departure.  That is special.

We had two fantastic sightings of Kisaru, and during one late afternoon and early evening game drive, we had her to ourselves.  Inexplicably, nobody else in the conservancy was aware of her presence until it was too late, as when we left her to return to camp on the evening we first met her, other vehicles were heading towards where we had been, by which time it may have been too late.

Typically, when a big cat is spotted (no pun intended!), vehicles from all over the conservancy descend upon the scene.  We had the Dream Team of Mario and Francis, so we might have got a piece of the action before anyone else!

Here is Kisaru in her spectacular glory:

Portrait of Kisaru

Indeed, this was what I call the Year of the Cheetah, as we had experienced, across seven sightings, a total of 12 individual cheetahs, mostly in the Mara North Conservancy, but also in the Maasai Mara National Reserve.

Kisaru in Silhouette

We had met Amani and her cubs three times, encountered Kiraposhe’s males Mbili and Milele once, seen the Five Musketeers, and experienced two fantastic sightings with Kisaru.

Life is good.

King of the Jungle

The term ‘king of the jungle’ in reference to lions is a misnomer, as lions do not live in jungles; they live on the savannah.

Naturally, on this trip, we encountered many lions.  We encountered familiar prides, as well as new prides.

On the first day, we encountered a lioness from the resident, and familiar, Cheli Pride.  The Cheli Pride, named after Cheli & Peacock Safaris, was the first pride of lions we encountered during our first trip.

The Cheli Pride has significantly changed in the past four years.  There have been numerous off-shoots, which have become distinct prides, as well as newcomers and disruption to what was once a 27-strong pride.

Members of the old Cheli Pride are scattered around the Mara North Conservancy, and we encountered these lions on numerous occasions and in various places.

What occurred to me during this trip is that some of the now adult Cheli Pride lions we saw may have been cubs we saw during the last trip.  We have no way of knowing, but it is pleasant to think that we may have seen some of the exact same lions four years later, some of which may have themselves become parents to a new generation of cubs.

Here is one of the handsome males we encountered.

Handsome

One of the more memorable lion encounters we experienced was the mating of a large male lion, called Lenkume, from the nearby Angama Pride, with a female from the Cheli Pride.

This was a truly special sighting, as it was the first, and so far, only, time we have seen lions mating in the wild.

Firstly, here is Lenkume:

Lenkume

I did shoot video of these lions mating, but have produced any videos yet from the extensive footage I shot.  That is a project still on my to-do list.

I did publish a straight-from-iPhone, close view of the Angama and Cheli mating session on Instagram.

It can be viewed at the following link:

https://www.instagram.com/p/ByXKk5NAos2

Yes, we were that close!  To top it off, we got to share the experience with famous zoologist and wildlife photographer Jonathan Scott of Big Cat Diary fame, who put the Maasai Mara region on the map.

On our second day, we headed south to the lush area near Offbeat Mara Camp, from the resident Offbeat Pride takes its name.  We first met this pride early into the trip, but our most special time with these lions occurred on day five.

In the wee hours of the morning, the Offbeat Pride had taken down a Cape buffalo, and in the company of a large and impressive pride male, were devouring their meal.

Table Manners

This was the third time we had witnessed lions devouring their meal.  During the first trip, we experienced two such sightings.  The first was the Cheli Pride devouring a zebra kill; and the second was the Double Crossing Pride consuming a deceased elephant.

Seeing lions on a kill is always a special experience.  We have yet to actually witness a kill taking place by lions, but there is always hope for next time.

During this sighting, our Dream Team, knowing lions well, hastily departed the kill site, as the large male was seeking water.

We had the unique and exclusive experience of watching the large male drinking from a stream and climbing the bank right in front of us.

Here he is in all his glory, climbing the bank and heading straight towards us:

Thirst Quenched

During day four, which we spent mostly in the Maasai Mara National Reserve south of the Mara North Conservancy, we experienced two special sightings.

The first was the famous Marsh Pride, which is a long-established, dominant pride of lions which was featured extensively by Jonathan Scott and Simon King over the years in Big Cat Diary.

This was the first time we had seen the Marsh Pride with our own eyes, and it was almost like meeting a celebrity.  These lions are very famous in Kenya, and we were seeing them in close proximity.

Unfortunately, the conditions were not at all ideal for photography, as the lions were under thick cover of bushes and down in a stream, so it was an eyes-only experience.

There were plenty of cubs.  I did shoot numerous images, but typical for wildlife photography, far more images are shot than published.  I do have my own memories and images of the Marsh Pride, but unfortunately the images are not of a suitable standard for publication.

Later in the day, we encountered a pair of mating lions.

These lions are members of the Double Crossing Pride, which we had first met in the Maasai Mara National Reserve on 9th June, 2015.

Unfortunately on this occasion, we did not witness them mating, but we did capture some images as they rested under the shade of a large tree.

Busy Boy at Rest

By the end of day five, we had seen two familiar prides (Cheli and Double Crossing) and three prides which were new to us: Angama, Marsh and Offbeat.

We had many lion sightings, spread across five prides, on every single day of this trip.

Mario had been keeping count of the number of individual lions we saw, but somewhere after about 40, he lost count.  Forty-something is about as accurate as we can be at this stage.  It was a treat all the same.

What About the Leopards?

Keen readers may have observed that two of the three largest species of African big cats had been seen in abundance, but so far, one is missing: the leopard.

There is not much to report.  We did not see a single leopard during this trip.  This was the first time Mario had not seen one during a visit to the Maasai Mara, and he has been travelling to the region for many years.

We knew that leopards are notoriously elusive, but they proved it to us this this time.  On both of our previous visits to Africa, we had seen numerous leopards; but that was not to be the case during this trip.

Francis did his absolute best to find one.  There had certainly been evidence of the presence of leopards in the region, but finding one proved impossible.  We went looking for them often, and spent a lot of time searching, but to no avail.

These big cats just did not want to be found.  While it was frustrating and disappointing, from discussions we had back at camp, nobody else was seeing any leopards either.

That is the nature of wildlife in Africa: the experience is always on their terms, not ours.  This time, we were not to be graced by the presence of a leopard.

Something is in the Water: Fighting and Mating

During this trip, there must have been something in the water, as we had numerous sightings of animals either fighting or mating.

As described earlier, we witnessed Angama Pride male Lenkume mating with a Cheli Pride female; but it did not end there.

On our second day, one randy wildebeest was desperately trying to herd ‘his’ females and mate with them.

Here he is, flying the ‘flag’:

Gimme Some Action

A few days later in the Maasai Mara National Reserve, we saw another revved migratory wildebeest trying to mate with the females.  I shot a few video sequences of this spectacle.

The jackals were getting into it, and even the pigs were going for it.

Bacon Factory

Other warthogs were not so much in the mood for mating, but for fighting.

Disagreement

Also in the Maasai Mara National Reserve, we spotted a pair of topi fighting for dominance, so naturally I had to capture an image.

Topi Tussle

During our first trip, we had the enormous pleasure of seeing leopards mating; but this time, we saw other species of wildlife mating, including the impressive spectacle of lions mating.

This time, we also had the pleasure of witnessing a few animals fighting.

Where Were the Elephants?

There were elephants around, but not very many.

We counted on three sightings of elephants on this occasion, and two of those sightings were of the same unique elephant bulls.

We did have a very pleasant encounter, as this giant strolled right up to our vehicle.

Mighty Elephant Bull

There is nothing quite like having a six-tonne animal right outside your vehicle!

Other than these two sightings, we only spotted elephants on one other occasion, but they were in the distance, and we were heading elsewhere.

Very Dry Conditions

One thing we noticed during this trip was that the grass was much shorter and drier, and that there was far less water, with the Mara River being noticeably shallow.

The wet season had officially ended, but by all accounts, it was quite a dry wet season, and we could see evidence of that.  Even in the image of the elephant above, the grass is very brown and dry.

Without being too political, it must be conceded that our climate is changing.  Africa is becoming hotter, and the mighty Victoria Falls has reduced to something of a trickle.  The plains of the Mara were very visibly short and dry, and while there was plenty of wildlife around, there had to have been an impact.

We visited the Mara River on a number of occasions, and the water level was dangerously low.  The height of the banks, and the potential height of the water could be seen; but the water was not there.

Four years earlier, the Mara was more lush and more green.

Dawn Landscapes: Craptacular Skies

The term ‘craptacular’ is the only appropriate invented adjective to describe the terrible skies we had at dawn during this trip.

Every morning, our plan was to shoot landscape images at dawn, but on most days, the sun was obscured by clouds, and the clouds were not photogenic.

Our best landscape images were captured during the afternoon, during which time we were treated to moody skies and an intense golden hour on day five.  We shot away from the sun, towards a brooding sky.

Golden Acacia

What amazing light!

Another stand-out landscape image was this silhouette of an acacia tree I shot during a sundowner on day four.

Sundowner

During our first trip, we were treated to far more rewarding skies; but this time, we still managed to capture some pleasing landscape images.

Beginning of the Great Migration

Something very unique about this trip was the early onset of the Great Migration.  On the day we spent in the Maasai Mara National Reserve, we got to witness the beginning of this amazing event.

As we discovered, many migratory wildebeest had already crossed the Sand River, which meanders across the border of Tanzania and Kenya.

The wildebeest were already around the Talek River further to the north, where were had seen them.  These early migrants would soon enough be joined by hundreds of thousands more as the season continued on.

While we did not see the spectacle of a river crossing, we did witness the beginning of the Great Migration, which in this part of the African continent had arrived earlier than usual.

Conclusion

We had been on two amazing trips to Kenya over a period of four years.  There were many experiences, many encounters, many familiar sights, sounds and smells, a re-visit to old friends, and the making of new friends.

They had been two similar trips, but two vastly different trips.

This article has highlighted the unique differences, as well as some similarities, we had observed during this most recent trip, in comparison to our first trip.

In the African wilderness, every day is different. Every game drive is different.  Every encounter and experience is different.  That is what makes it so amazing and exciting.

Maasai Mara 2019: Day 6 of 7

It was now our sixth day in the Maasai Mara during our epic trip in June of 2019, and the safari was drawing near to a close.

So far, in five days, we had not seen a single leopard.  Would today be the day?

As always, the plan was to start the day with some landscape photography at dawn, but true to form, the sky was terrible, so we abandoned the notion, initially making our way south of camp.

Within minutes, we encountered some of the lions from the Cheli Pride.  We did not stop to capture any images, heading further south-east, where we spotted a secretarybird in the distance.  This was the first time we had seen one, but the low light and distance made it a viewing experience only.

Soon enough, we changed direction, and made our way north into the northern region of the Mara North Conservancy.

A little while later, we encountered some banded mongooses out in the open, so we stopped to capture some quick images as these small creatures scurried about, occasionally stopping on a mound.

During this sighting, we also spotted a herd of impala in the distance, so I captured images of these.  I did not capture anything special, and even though many an impala can be found in the Maasai Mara, I still like to photograph these animals.  While they do not have the appeal and excitement of one of the big cats, they are still important players in the African story.

We headed further west, and encounter more banded mongooses, where we again captured images as they scurried around a dead tree branch.

A short time later, a little further south-west, not far north of the C13 road running through the conservancy, we encountered the same elephant bull that we had seen on our first day.

Second Encounter with a Big Tusker

We did not see many elephants at all during this trip, so spending some time with this impressive elephant bull in the warm morning light was a pleasure worth indulging.

I captured plenty of images, and some decent video footage, as he grazed on the open plain.

Even though the Maasai Mara is a very big place, it is still possible, and in my experience not uncommon, to encounter a specific animal on more than one occasion.  In the case of this seriously impressive six-tonne elephant, while we were not specifically looking for him, he was on this occasion not very far south of where we had first encountered him five days earlier.

We then headed a little west, where Mario spotted some strolling giraffes in the distance.  As we were in very open plains in the warmth of the morning sun, Mario wanted to capture images of the giraffes as they walked past us in the distance.

While we had seen a few giraffes during this trip, we had not really made any decent attempts to photograph them, so this opportunity was worth pursuing.

Francis stopped the vehicle, and we all disembarked, carefully making our way along the side of the vehicle so that we could position ourselves low on the ground.

I had a makeshift ‘tripod’, consisting of a foldable stool we use at breakfast, lunch and sundowners, plus a couple of sandbags on the top, on which to rest my lens.

Mario actually captured a photo of us shooting as the giraffes made their way across the plain.

Our presence did not go unnoticed, however, with the giraffes stopping and looking right at us, as can be seen in this image I captured:

This is Africa

This is Africa.  An image of a giraffe wandering across the open plains with acacia trees in the background is one of those iconic ‘only in Africa‘ images.

Getting a low angle of a subject or scene can sometimes make a dramatic difference.  Even though for most of the time we are only a few feet higher inside the 4WD and shooting with long lenses, sometimes even a slight decrease in altitude can make an image stronger, especially when the subject happens to be the tallest animal in not only Africa, but the entire world.

After we had finished photographing the giraffes and stretching the legs, we headed north towards the Mara River, where something special awaited us 25 minutes later.

My guess is that Francis already knew what was happening, but we, not unusually, did not.

It quickly became apparent what was awaiting us when we encountered two honeymooning lions.

This lush area, close to the Mara River, was a haven of activity for us during the trip, and it is deep within the territory of the Cheli Pride.  Not far from this area, but further north-east and closer to the river, is where we had encountered the River Pride four years earlier.

Our arrival on the scene was met by a male and female lion resting photogenically on top of a mound in the open.

Mating lions spend around four days in each other’s company, well away from the rest of the pride.  While there can be fierce and frequent bouts of mating, there is also a lot of not much, as the lions tend to laze around.

Being in the company of mating lions, which had happened for us twice on this trip, is always special, and there are massive photographic opportunities.

This magnificent male lion is Lenkume of the Angama Pride, born in February, 2013.

Lenkume

Lenkume had been mating with one of the females from the Cheli Pride.

I captured plenty of images of Lenkume, as well as the Cheli Pride female, as they rested in the morning sun.

Cheli and Angama

Five minutes before I captured this image of the Cheli Pride female, the two big cats began mating right in front of us.  I did not capture any still images of this spectacular sighting, as I was recording video footage instead.

As the brief mating session concluded, there was a deep growl from the female before Lenkume dismounted.

This was yet another first-time experience for us.  We had never seen lions in the act of mating. During our first trip to the Maasai Mara four years earlier in 2015, we were treated to a rare and special encounter of leopards mating.  Just seeing a leopard is special enough, but to encounter not only one of these elusive and solitary big cats, but two together, takes it to another level; and to see them mating elevates the experience into the stratosphere.

Now we had seen lions mating, and it was awesome.

The day was starting to become one of surprises, and a few minutes later, another 4WD arrived on the scene.  In it was none other than zoologist and wildlife photographer Jonathan Scott of Big Cat Diary fame, who put the Maasai Mara region on the map, and brought the lives of the Mara‘s big cats into the homes of millions of people.

As a big fan of Big Cat Diary, Jonathan Scott is very familiar to us, and leading up to this trip, we had watched it again.

He had arrived at the right time, as a few minutes later, Lenkume and his companion became active, and wandered a short distance from the mound, where they mated again.  While I did capture images, they were further away, in harsh light, and facing away from us, so it did not make for compelling photography.

After this most recent mating session, the two lions moved a short distance north, and parked themselves under the shade of a tree for some rest.

Francis followed them, and Jonathan Scott‘s vehicle also moved to where the lions were resting.

We had a good position and some shade.  Now, it was a waiting game.  We simply sat there, quietly talking and wondering what Jonathan Scott and his companions were doing.  Was it work, or was it pleasure?

We more or less had the lions to ourselves, and a great opportunity to witness them mating again.

Alas, it did not happen.  They were done for the time being.  We must have stayed there for at least 30 or 40 minutes before eventually deciding we would start to make our way back to camp.  Usually we eat breakfast out in the field, but on this morning we had decided to have a cooked breakfast in the comfort of camp.

As we began two depart, we pulled up alongside Jonathan‘s vehicle and began to talk about the morning and our trip in general. Jonathan asked us where we were from, and when I told him, he related how he and wife Angie Scott had worked with fellow countryman Abraham Joffe on the Canon production Tales by Light, which we had also seen.

After chatting for ten or fifteen minutes, we departed the scene.  We never found out what Jonathan was doing, but he did have another photographer with him (not Angie) and some Canon super-telephoto lenses, so he may have been working.

What a morning it had been.  Spending time with a large-tusked elephant bull we had previously encountered, seeing  the mating of lions from two different prides, and meeting Jonathan Scott, all made for an adventure-filled morning.

Back at camp, it was time for some bacon, eggs, toast, coffee and some down time.

The afternoon and evening was going to be very exciting.

When on safari, time flies.  Before we knew it, we were heading back into the plains to see what the afternoon, sunset and early evening would bring.

A lot.

Given the exciting encounter we had experienced with the mating of Angama male Lenkume and a Cheli Pride lioness, we headed back to the same area where we had encountered them before breakfast.

The mating couple was still in the area, and we found Lenkume resting near a bush just south-east of where we had left them earlier.

We spotted the female heading north before veering north-east.  Suddenly, Lenkume began to follow her, and he picked up the pace, trotting in her general direction.

We figured that the female had cubs.  She headed to a thicket to seek cover.  We were increasingly becoming concerned, as this was a mating couple, and if the female had cubs, a male lion from another pride would unhesitatingly kill the cubs.  And now, the lioness was leading Lenkume straight towards them!

There were two other possibilities: the female either did not have cubs, or any cubs which were hidden away were sired by Lenkume.

It was a tense time.  We were following Lenkume, and made our way to where the female was likely to be.  She was in a very thick bush, making it difficult to see her.

Francis circled the cluster of bushes, looking for any signs of the lions.  After dwelling in the area for a little while, we decided to leave, and headed further north-east, towards Mara North Airstrip.

Mario had spotted an eagle flying around, so we decided to try and capture some images of the eagle in flight.  For me, it was an unsuccessful attempt.

After Mario was finished, we headed north towards a sharp bend in the Mara River, at which we had stopped for breakfast on our second day.

Sitting on a mound next to a croton bush was a lone female cheetah.

She is called Kisaru, and she is a daughter of Amani.

She was also heavily pregnant!

What a sighting.  It had already been established that the cheetah was a big part of this trip, but this latest sighting elevated the experience.

This was our first encounter with Kisaru, and we had her all to ourselves.  Inexplicably, there were no other vehicles around.  Usually when there is a sighting of a cheetah , other vehicles, both from our camp and other camps in Mara North Conservancy, quickly arrive at the scene.

We were blessed with an abundance of photographic opportunities, and I was able to capture my signature style of frame-filling portraits of Kisaru.

Portrait of Kisaru

In this image, I was able to capture the beauty of Kisaru as she stood from her resting place to look at something in the distance which had attracted her attention.

Kisaru spent 40 minutes resting on the mound from the time at which I captured my first image, to the time at which she rose, stretched and headed a short distance into the open, where she found another mound and presented even better photographic opportunities.

She spent a further 10 minutes resting on the second mound, surveying her territory.  It was 5:31pm, and the light was decreasing.

When Kisaru stood to survey her territory, I was able to capture another pleasing image of her.

Kisaru on the Lookout

A cheetah is never really at rest, particularly when pregnant and alone.  Cheetahs are constantly looking and listening, and scanning their surroundings for threats or potential meals, and with eyesight able to see up to two kilometres, they are well equipped.

A minute after I captured that last image, Kisaru decided that she was moving on, so she stood and stretched before heading north-west, closer to the Mara River.

Evening Stretch

I had been shooting these images at ISO 4,000, so the light was quite low.

Naturally, we were not ready to call it a day, so we followed Kisaru as she continued on her journey.

During the two stops so far, I captured some decent video footage of Kisaru as she groomed and surveyed.  At one point, she was two or three metres from us, and walked right behind our 4WD.

Cheetahs can cover a lot of distance in a short time, even though they are not walking particularly quickly.  The distance between Kisaru and us had increased, and she was north-west of us.

With the sun edging towards the horizon, Mario wanted to capture some silhouette images of Kisaru.  This meant we needed to be positioned low, close to the ground.  In order to do that, we needed to climb out of the vehicle.

Normally when a predator is nearby, one does not exit the vehicle!  We had 46 metres of distance from Kisaru, so we decided to very carefully exit the vehicle and position ourselves for an image.

While Kisaru was undoubtedly aware of our presence, we carefully crept alongside the vehicle, never standing out and making our shapes visible.  We had to effectively blend in with the vehicle and avoid alarming the cheetah.

Here is one of the images I captured:

Year of the Cheetah

In order for a silhouette image to be effective, the subject needs to be distinctly separated from the background, and recognisable in shape.

There is no denying that this is an African cheetah!

I captured another image of Kisaru looking to the left of the frame.

Kisaru in Silhouette

After we had finished capturing our silhouette images, we carefully boarded the 4WD and again followed Kisaru.

We found her out in the open, and captured a few more images as she sat on a mound, surveying her territory.

Kisaru Surveying

Soon the light would be too low, and we would head back to camp.

I captured my final image of the day at 6:20pm, by which time the sun had set, and the darkness was increasing.

On our way south-east to camp, we saw some unfamiliar vehicles heading in the direction from which we had come.  The show was over, and with the light rapidly falling, there would not be much of a chance for those people to see much.  Hopefully they saw something, but at any rate, we had spent most of our final afternoon/evening game drive in the company of an amazing and very photogenic cheetah, and we had her all to ourselves.

Thursday, 6th June, 2019 had been a big day in the Mara, consisting of first-time sightings of banded mongooses and a secretarybird; quality time spent with an impressive elephant bull, who was one of only a few elephants we had seen; photography of an iconic giraffe on the plains; an unforgettable experience with mating lions; meeting the esteemed Jonathan Scott (who in person is exactly the same as he is on television), some tense moments as we feared for the fate of any cubs belonging to the Cheli Pride female; and the majority of our final afternoon/evening game drive spent with new-to-us and heavily pregnant cheetah Kisaru.

We still had not seen a leopard, but we had one more game drive to follow on what would be our final day in Kenya for this trip.

Stay tuned for our adventures on day seven.

Since returning, we learned that Kisaru had a litter of six cubs!  We hope they are doing well.