Forest Lion

My whole life I have been fascinated by forests. A few years back myself and two friends trekked through the largest intact indigenous forests left in Kenya. We were camped high up in mountain forests close to the edge of the Great Rift Valley, and lying in my dome tent, I heard lions roar. It was a life changing moment for me as I began to ponder what Africa must have been like a hundred years ago? Did lions really roam forests?



For me, the picture of a big male lion standing in a tall dark forest, conjures up thoughts of an ultimate and wild Africa. These days, lions have been largely restricted to savannah parks and reserves and there are few places where lions can still be seen inside dense forests. Hence, when I took this photo, I was so excited that I began shaking and with a shutter speed of just 1/40th of a second, it was less than ideal. I managed a couple sharp enough shots though, and this image means a great deal to me as it represents an Africa of old; an Africa I long for and continue searching for…

(Technical Details: 35mm DSLR, 330mm focal length, ISO 100, F4 and 1/40th. Beanbag for support)

The end.

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African Sand Storm

The portion of the Great Rift Valley that bisects southern Kenya is known as the Gregorian Rift Valley and I was privileged enough to be based there for a period of time. This portion of Masai-land, is occupied by the Loodokilani clan of the Maasai tribe, whose attire is dominated by white beads, with less traditional red colouration than is worn by neighbouring clans. The Maasai are indeed indigenous conservationists who refuse to eat wild meat and who do not fence off watering points. They are also pastoralists who traditionally do not grow crops and all of these factors combined, means that one finds not only wildlife in their territory, but indeed a functioning ecosystem! In fact, two of Africa’s most famous parks, the Serengeti and the Masai Mara, lie in the heart of traditional Maasai territory!





The tribe used to occupy a vast territory stretching from north of Nairobi all the way to southern Tanzania and refreshingly, they have refused to adopt western ways but, as a byproduct of this, they have been cajoled by politicians and the likes, and been squeezed into a small territory along the Kenya Tanzania border, whereby they no longer enjoy a fully nomadic lifestyle. As a result, parts of Masai-land are heavily over-grazed and desertification is a very real concern.

The combined result of all the above is that now, spectacularly huge dust storms sweep the floor of the rift valley. The winds moving ahead of the rain, sweep up tonnes of dust, creating a scene that looks like Armageddon! I have numerous times stood on the wall of the rift valley and watched such a storm sweep past, chocking the rain clouds on its way, but on this particular day, I chose to drive onto the floor of the valley. Heading straight for the storm, I managed to frame this stallion that for some strange reason had not bolted with the rest of the heard? It was eerily quite as I squeezed my shutter button and it felt as if this stallion and I, were the last surviving creatures on the planet! When the storm hit, I could see no more than a metre in front of me, and I felt very much alone for the next hour. Sitting in my Land Cruiser, completely enveloped by the swirling orange dust, was one of the most surreal and peaceful experiences I have had as a wildlife photographer.

Technical Details: Nikon F100, 200mm lens, Fuji Provia 100F film (remember that stuff?)

Subject: Plains Zebra (Equus burchellii)


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Pelican Brief

On a recent assignment I encountered a seemingly insurmountable hurdle! Wildlife photographers are often thrown curve balls for the simple reason that we work outdoors! Very often the weather does not play the game and even if it does, unlike fashion and wedding photographers, we have no control over our subjects! Oh how I wish that I could explain to my lion that I need him to move into the sunlight and yawn for a picture! While I have no control over my subjects and their environment, it is this very same unpredictability and vulnerability that keeps me stimulated and challenged! Trying to capture and control that which is free and uncontrollable are exactly the elements what draw me to wildlife photography. I quite simply live for those split seconds whereby I am able to take random unpredictable chaos and place it within my rectangular viewfinder before flexing my index finger and immortalizing a moment in time. Ok, so I guess I am getting a bit carried away but suffice to say that wildlife photographers are as addicted to our fleeting elusive 'frames of perfection' as junkies are to crack cocaine and surfers are to big wave riding. I personally prefer the surfer analogy!

Not only are wildlife photographers at the mercy of the natural elements but we also all too often fall victim to equipment gremlins. Back in film days, things were relatively simple although a photographer could still shoot a winning frame only to realize that he had no film loaded in the back of his camera!  In this digital era there are even more potential factors that could go wrong, as the equipment is just so much more complex!

Getting back to my story, on the first afternoon of my assignment, I spotted a Black Rhino walking along the lake shore with flamingoes in the background. In my excitement at potentially having a 'BBC Winner' in grasp, I hastily swung my old 1985 Nissan Patrol around and completely forgot about my camera, lens and flash that were perched upon a beanbag on the window frame! I heard an almighty crash and this time it was not coming from the skittish rhino charging into the bush but rather from the barrel of my beloved lens, bending as it struck terra firma. The soft volcanic soil did little to cushion the blow and my little photographic world was every bit as shattered as my equipment! Sitting solo and depressed around the campfire later that night, I faced the painfully obvious yet gut-wrenching reality of having to possibly return back to the big smoke of Nairobi! Could my assignment really be over before it had begun?

Deciding that not even drinking cold Tuskers at my favourite pub in Karen could lift my spirits, I picked up my lens and very hesitantly focused on my Nissan’s number plate to assess the damage. The lens refused to focus, not even manually! I have spent a number of years in the bush whereby I have seen local bush mechanics resurrect all kinds of machinery. Be that as it may, I was reluctant to drop my precious lens off at the local ‘jua kali’ garage in town the next day! After spending the next couple hours praying and playing with the lens, I finally managed to get it to a point whereby it would focus. Just prior to shouting “Yurika” and jumping over my campfire like a Maasai warrior on speed, I learnt that my damaged lens only focused when racked out to 400mm and that I had lost all VR (vibration reduction) functionality!

The next few mornings saw me and my disabled equipment photographing pelicans coming in to land on the lakeshore. I was not convinced that my damaged lens was capturing sharp enough action shots and especially not with the help of VR. Deciding to throw all caution to the wind, I set a slow shutter speed, attached my flash and panned with a pelican as it came in to land, with a gull hot on its heals. The resultant blur was rendered sharp twice, once at the beginning and once at the end of my exposure, at the point when my flashes fired. There is just enough of a splash of detail and this image is perhaps one of my all time favourites. Had I had a perfectly functioning lens, I might not have experimented as I did and I might not have had the pleasure of adding this piece of art to my portfolio? The lesson learnt here is that wildlife photography is a free flowing art form and one that is largely out of our control.

My advice to fellow wildlife photographers is to simply role with the punches…

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Boomslang Attack

It was in South Africa's Thornybush Game Reserve, while out on a safari drive, that we spotted a Flap-neck Chameleon (Chameleo dilepis) crossing a clearing. These chameleons are the favourite food of one of Africa’s most deadly snakes, the Boomslang (Dispholidas typus). This species of snake contains a potent haematoxic venom which prevents its prey’s blood from clotting, making it a fatal bite to any size of prey! The boomslang depicted in this image, spotted its quarry from a tree and came slithering down in pursuit of the chameleon, whose main defense against these snakes is usually camouflage. Boomslang’s are usually very shy snakes keeping to the trees and avoiding contact with humans. This one however, was preoccupied in its single-minded pursuit and I knew that a unique photographic opportunity was close at hand.

Slipping out of the safari vehicle and lying on the ground, I increased the ISO of my camera to make sure that my shutter speed would be fast enough for the snake’s fatal strike. I then slide along the ground on my own belly until I reached about two meters in distance from my subjects. I lay with my finger poised, hoping to capture the decisive moment of attack. The snake was very calculated in its approach and the chameleon incapable of outrunning the serpentine, gave a series of loud hisses before receiving its final coup de grace. Haemotoxic venom is slow acting and the chameleon stumbled around in a daze for quite some time before finally dying. The boomslang then swallowed its quarry whole before slithering into a nearby tree where it blended in with the foliage.

   
The Snake approaches its prey from a distance smelling with its tongue.


The snake approaches even closer without striking; cold and calculated in its attack.


The brave chameleon tries to fight back and the snake waits patiently.


The snake makes a series of fatal strikes, lunging at the chameleon’s flank.


The boomslang waits patiently for its victim to succumb.

(Boomslangs are shy creatures but their bite requires a unique and rare antivenom, so please don’t try this at home. Also please remember that if you get too close to a snake after it has killed, it will regurgitate its food in order to make a quick escape. For this image I especially stood back after the chameleon had been captured.)

Nikon D3s, Nikkor 200-400mm lens at 350mm, F8 1/2000 and ISO640. Beanbag for support.

Photographed at 400mm lens and from the ground.

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What makes a good photograph good?

What makes a good photograph good?

In the beginning…

Wildlife photography has become an incredibly popular past time the world over. Back in the days of film (yes, that small canister-like thing we used to have to change every 37 frames), photography remained a more specialized hobby. With the advent of digital photography and especially DSLR’s, professional quality images are now in the grasp of everyone and as a result, almost everyone is photographing! The hundreds and thousands of budding wildlife photographers out there all want to know where to start and how to get ahead? It is at this very point that many of them get lost in a digital world of camera bodies and lenses to never return again! My belief is that when embarking on a new journey, it is always best to start at the beginning and to lay a foundation upon which one can build and grow. Photography is no different….

The word photograph has its origins in the Greek language and can be translated to mean ‘drawing with light’. According to wikianswers: the word ‘photo’ means ‘light’ and ‘graph’ means ‘writing’. A photograph is therefore ‘writing with light’! In case you are not seeing the connection here, light lies at the very root of photography. This might sound like I am stating the obvious but I have spent hours upon hours with photographers on safari talking at length about which camera and which lens are the best. On the other hand, I have spent very little time, unless in a formal lecture, talking about the different types of light and how they affect our images.

Food for Thought…

The other question to ask, is what makes a good photograph good? For many photographers, a good photograph is a photograph that is difficult to capture such as a bird in flight. The problem that we have here, is that such photographs run the risk of only being appreciated by other photographers who understand the difficulties involved. For me, the definition of good image stretches way beyond the technical difficulty of actually capturing the image:

 A striking photograph must cross the bridge from technical proficiency and into the realm of the emotional or better still, the spiritual! A good image is an image that evokes emotion and a response in its audience, regardless of whether they are photographers or not. Put slightly differently, a striking image should tell a story or convey a message of some sort.

To end, let me use a quote by Eryk Fitkau to drive my point home:

 “A photograph does not speak, it does not smell, it makes no sound, it does not move, it is a two dimensional piece of paper, but a good photograph can do at least one if not all of the above!”

More about the Photograph:

For this image, I purposefully chose to place my subject between myself and the rising sun, as apposed to the more traditional approach, of shooting with the sun from behind. The reason I did this, was to use the back lighting to create an ethereal feel in the image. I also wanted to portray the ‘king of the jungle’ seemingly staring at the rising sun, to use a single frame to ignite imagination and fascination.

Technical Details: DSLR camera 400mm lens, F5,6 at 1/320^th and ISO 800 with a beanbag.

Greg du Toit's 2010 Collection

As a photographer, the days seem to just roll into weeks and the weeks into months and the months into years! It seems to be an endless cycle of packing; airplane flights; border stamps; safari drives; downloading memory cards and unpacking! In January of this year, I called a truce and halted my beating about the bush! The intention was to catch up with not only my wife but my editing too, as I was back-logged some 8 months!

Going through my images from 2010, I have been reminded of what an amazing year it was! There were many highlights and thinking back the year started with an excellent trip to the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. The highlight in the Serengeti was watching a single cheetah take down a full-grown wildebeest while in the crater we saw a wildebeest calf being born. Visiting Mahale Mountains and photographing Chimpanzee was a special time for me. Mahale is such a wild place and not far from the very spot where Livingstone met Stanley and uttered those famous words ‘Dr Livingstone I presume’. The place still feels as wild as it must have then! Going straight from the chimps to London to attend the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards was almost as strange as going straight from the Masai Mara after working for the National Geographic Channel, to exhibiting in New York. A definite highlight was tracking down the famous B&H Photographic Store! Sitting behind a rock next to the Mara River and having wildebeest run past me, so close that I could smell them, was something I will never forget! Thinking back, there are far too many highlights to recount and since a picture speaks a thousand words, let me share with you some of my favourite images from 2010….




I was photographing a community of Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) in Tanzania’s spectacularly wild Mahale Mountains. Just when things were going well and the chimps were out in the open, they all decided that it was siesta time? The entire group lay down and prepared themselves for a siesta! Not sure what to do, I joined my subjects on the ground and as we gazed into each other’s eyes, I must admit that I too felt sleepy! Chimpanzees are listed as endangered and suffer from habitat loss, bush meat, pet trade and they also contract human diseases. For this reason, I photographed at a respectable distance and I wore a facemask for the entire shoot.

I awoke early in the morning to find Lake Nakuru in Kenya, covered in mist. Racing to the shore to get there before the sun rose, I came across this surreal scene. With Great White Pelicans (Pelecanus onocrotalus) in the foreground, the mist and escarpment had blended into a cold blue background. Trying to choose when to trip my shutter proved challenging? That was, until a pelican flew in from the back!

Mahale Mountains

I was traveling up the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania by dhow. Looking up at the Mahale Mountains, I became mesmerized by the contrasting yet complimentary colour combinations. ‘This is surely one of the wildest and most beautiful places I have been’, I thought as I tripped my shutter button.

Cheetah Catch

Nature is full of surprises! We were on the great plains of the Serengeti in Tanzania when we spotted this cheetah. I immediately scanned the plains for gazelles but alas there were none around. In the distance, there was however a herd of wildebeest but no calves among them? The wildebeest had seen the cheetah and yet carried on grazing as they must have thought, as did I, that a single cheetah would not try to takedown a full grown wildebeest? As it turns out, both the wildebeest and I were wrong! The cheetah, without warning, took off bounding across the plain and grabbed its prey. Tackling the problem head on, the brave cheetah took the proverbial ‘bull by the horns’ and claimed his prize.

(Shot from a vehicle, NikonD3s, Nikkor 200 - 400mm, F8 and 1/2000th, ISO 400, beanbag.)

Boomslang Attack

It was in South Africa’s Thornybush Game Reserve that we spotted a Flap-neck Chameleon crossing a clearing. Amazingly, a Boomslang (Dispholidas typus) spotted the chameleon from a tree and came slithering down in pursuit of the helpless victim, whose main defense against these snakes is camouflage. Boomslangs are one of Africa’s most toxic snakes and this particular individual succeeded in his mission, eventually swallowing the chameleon whole.

Dandelion Gold

I live in the countryside just outside the city of Pretoria in South Africa. In January each year, the grassland springs into life and wild flowers abound. This dandelion provided me with many hours of delightful photography. Finding the one frame that could communicate the beauty of this plant was difficult! Finally, by crouching low and opening my aperture, I created this image.

(Shot on foot on the highveld grassland of South Africa using a Nikkor 105mm macro lens.)

Lilac-breasted Roller

In the northern Serengeti National Park of Tanzania, I spotted this Lilac-breasted Roller (Corocia scaudata) trying to kill a grasshopper. Knowing that the bird was preoccupied, I lay on my belly and crept closer. These birds are in my opinion one of Africa’s most beautiful, and they are said to contain seven different feather colourations. My subject eventually swallowed the grasshopper whole before alighting.

(Photographed using a NikonD3s camera and a 200-400mm lens at F4.)

Mating Duo

These grasshoppers are, I believe in the family Pygromorphidae. Their bright colouration is a warning to would be predators that they are unpalatable. I found this mating pair deep inside a bush in South Africa’s Timbavati Game Reserve. I wanted to portray my subjects in their world so as unobtrusively as possible, I cleared a path into the bush for my macro lens. I then played with my aperture and selected a shallow depth of field to give the image an edge.

Morning Smile

Baboons are comical creatures! I love spending time with them as you always end up laughing! On this particular morning, I caught up with the troop just as they were waking from their night’s slumber and descending down the trees. Baboons are early to bed and late to rise! This young one paused momentarily and stared straight at me. As wildlife photographers, either having the wrong light or the wrong background so often stumps us! This time however, both were on my side!

Wrestling Bulls

It was late afternoon and I was again on safari in Kenya in my favourite old 4×4, a green 1976 Nissan Patrol. A breeding herd of elephants were swiftly on the move but these two young bulls had become preoccupied and engaged in a wrestling match. The yellow grass combined with the blue base of Mount Kilimanjaro and made for a lovely setting.

River Crossing

There is perhaps nothing as exciting as seeing a large wildebeest crossing! The problem is, that the sounds and smells of the scene get lost in translation? Here, in an attempt to illustrate the scale and grandeur of the event, I chose to use a wide-angle lens. Most of wildlife photography centers around isolating your message but here I decided to take a more holistic approach.

Swimming Gnus

Adopting the exact opposite strategy to my previous image, here I chose to zoom into the chaos and to offer my viewer a glimpse into the frenzied pandemonium of a river crossing. Photography is a gift through which we can communicate and I always think about my message carefully. 1,5 million wildebeest make crossings like this each and every year. Even more astounding, wildebeest born in Feb make this crossing a mere five months later!

Twilight Cub

We were following a pride of lion along a two-track road in Kenya’s Masai Mara. The light levels were ridiculously low and even my Nikon D3s was struggling to cope. This young cub paused ever so briefly and at just 1/8^th of second this image was the only sharp one! Good photographs can happen anytime and anywhere! The serendipity attached to my trade is something I find addictive.

A Zebra & Seven Oxpeckers

An African sunset is a wonderful spectacle. It is also a very photographed spectacle! To try and be a little different, I shot this landscape in portrait mode and even then I was not satisfied that the image was unique? Just as the light began fading, seven oxpeckers flew into the scene and landed on my subject. It was a delightful moment!

Black-maned King

The Masai Mara in Kenya is home to the most magnificent lions in all of Africa! These regal beasts are however, also always covered in thousands of tiny flies. I spend an incredible amount of time in the wilds of Africa and I have learnt and continue to learn much about life from the wilderness. Even kings are plagued by flies!

Trio of Elephants

Africa is a harsh continent but when the light fades, everything turns soft and magical. Here three elephant march past me as the last rays of the day caress Mount Kilimanjaro. The cattle egrets enjoy it when elephants are on the move as they disturb insects, which are quickly snapped up. One clever bird hitched a ride on the front elephant!

Zebra Woodland

As an artist, I am always looking for new ways to portray the wilderness that I love so much. Zebras are most often photographed on plains and here I was presented with a unique opportunity to capture a zebra in woodland-type environment. Before I even tripped my shutter, I knew that I would convert this image to black and white.

Cheetah Plain

For this scene, I decided to capture my subject in its environment. The great plains of East Africa are vast and freeing. It is such conditions that allow cheetah to thrive there! In this frame, I gave way to this feeling of freedom! As a photographer, I allow my feelings to often dictate both my camera settings and my composition.

Mara King

Lion are commonly known as the ‘kings of the jungle’ but their lives are quite far removed from this title. I have always said that I would not like to trade places with a male lion! The only relatively easy time of their entire lives, are the first two years, when they are under the care and protection of their mother, Thereafter, they get expelled from the pride and have to flee for their lives before fighting other males for a territory. They are then in their prime for just 2-3 years before being expelled again, to wonder as a nomad until their death. It was therefore, with great pleasure that I photographed this regal male in his prime! These are his heydays and boy is he a spectacular creature!

Elephant Mother and Calf

I chose this frame for the obvious reason of the raised front left legs. Notice the horns off to the right. Kenya is a dry country and for this young elephant fresh water is always a journey away. Thankfully, Elephant are not only wonderfully intelligent creatures that know where to find water; they are also excellent mothers. This calf will follow every step that his mother takes!

Zebra Foals at Play

A mist had covered the vast short grass plains of the Serengeti. These two young zebra foals had been playing and I waited for an intimate moment before tripping my shutter. Stills photography is all about the moment and the greatest challenge for a wildlife photographer comes in the form of recognizing such moments.

Exhaling Lioness

As a wildlife photographer, I spend 99% of my time waiting for something spectacular to happen. I spend the other 1% in frantic pandemonium trying to capitalize on the ‘something spectacular’! It was in South Africa’s lowveld and on a cold winters night that this female’s exhaling breathe became visible in my torch. It was a difficult low light scene and I am so grateful I managed to capture this image.

Warthog Kill

We rounded the bend and there before our eyes, a female lioness was bringing down a warthog! I took a number of frames but I chose this one in the end. The frame is by no means perfect but I like the way the cub in the middle has his claws extended as well! He is learning the art of killing!

Twilight Herd

Elephants are simply magical creatures! A herd can move so lightly and swiftly that they defy our human hearing. In the twilight, they become ghostlike. Lying on the ground and having this breeding herd whisper past me, was a definite highlight of my year!

Rhino Bums

White Rhino are such peaceful creatures. They are of such shy demeanor and just really want to be left alone. Ironically, man has done anything BUT leave them alone! With rhino poaching on a dramatic incline we cannot let these creatures disappear into extinction. I believe that we will not let this happen and the feeling in my home country of South Africa is that we will protect the rhino!

The End….

Authentic Africa

Authentic Africa is a collection of my personal all time favourite images. As a professional wildlife photographer, I spent nearly 1500 hours photographing in the field last year alone. As you can well imagine, in this digital day and age, photographers are producing more images than ever before. Just a few years ago, I would take 50 rolls of film into the bush and all 50 would last me a total of three months. Nowadays, I can fit the equivalent of 33 rolls of film into the back of my camera at once, and shoot all 33 in a matter of days! As an artist, this trend does concern me somewhat as I believe that shooting blindly without careful thought, can hinder a photographer’s progression.

My goal as a wildlife photographer has always been to develop a unique style and to build a collection of images bearing my own inimitable signature. This may sound like a simple task (especially given the wonders of digital technology), but after sorting through hundreds of images, I have come to the conclusion that really special ones remain as illusive as they have always been.

I invite you to grab a cup of coffee and take a journey with me as I share with you my all time favourite images…

Masai Enigma

I had been living in a remote corner of Maasai-land for over a year, when I decided to try and capture the grace and elegance of a Maasai moran (warrior). The scene took place on the dusty floor of the Great Rift Valley with me lying on the ground while three warriors leapt above me. I could only photograph in short bursts, as there were regular, spontaneous and hysterical bouts of laughter from both sides - but for different reasons. I was laughing at the ridiculous athleticism and the soaring heights of each jump. The warriors were laughing at the crazy mzungu (white person) rolling in the dust.

Nomads of Masai-land

In the months prior to this frame, this lioness and her cubs had stubbornly refused to drink in the daylight hours. I had patiently waited until dusk for them on numerous occasions and twice, upon walking back to camp, I met all eight on foot! I never carried a rifle as my arms were always full of camera gear, and both meetings were rather surreal. The cubs were always tentatively inquisitive, running forward with their ears pricked while mom kept a beady eye on my every movement! I like to think that through such experiences, I gain a greater understanding of my own niche in the ecosystem but some say my years of bush living have made me blasé.

Hippo Cauldron

It was a particularly cold winter’s morning in Tanzania’s Ruaha National Park. I leapt out of bed in the hope that the river would be steaming, and rushing along in my beat up old 4×4, I alighted at a familiar hippo pool and ran to the water’s edge. The hippos were further downstream than usual and the sun would soon be piercing the horizon; time was of the essence! I decided to load the saturated Kodak E100 VS emulsion of film before wading into the middle of the river, where I found a small sand bank on which to lie. An inquisitive hippo swam by and I took only three frames. Weary of lurking and inquisitive crocodiles, I made a hasty retreat to firm ground.

Lion Cub Sneeze

I was sitting patiently with a pride of lion in the predawn light, waiting for the sun to rise. Just then, one of the cubs sneezed and the resultant water vapour became visible through the beam of my torch. Both cubs stared with intrigue as the sneeze dispersed into the African darkness. Switching my flash off and using a slow shutter speed I was able to capture the precious moment. Natural subjects in the wild often present fascinating opportunities of serendipity. For me, as a wildlife photographer, the simple challenge is to experience as many of these moments as possible and to capture each skillfully on camera so that I might share the mystery and intrigue of creation with others.

Ruaha Wilderness

Reverting back to analogue film, I embarked on what I thought would be a simple frame to capture but one that surprisingly took months to achieve. I wanted to time the exposure in such a way, that the already set sun would wash the scene with a warm orange glow. Standing in the pitch dark, having lost my cable release in previous attempts; fumbling with elastic bands and pebbles; trying to paint with a torch whose batteries were running flat and second-guessing my timing, all soon became familiar irritations. Having to leave my camera in the wilderness, often times stumbling across breeding herds of elephant in black of the night, only added to my woes. Furthermore, the rains were on their way and clouds parading under the cover of darkness were ruining dozens of frames, causing me to miss the new moon period and having to wait another twenty-eight days before my next attempt! I felt like an artist who had lost control of his brushes! Finally, when I believed I had the frame, I then had to wait a further three months before being able to return to a city for development. Years later and in hindsight, the undertaking was pure pleasure.

Migration Crossing

I have followed the great migration in Kenya’s famed Masai Mara Game Reserve for eight consecutive years now. The pinnacle of the migration comes when the great herds cross the mighty Mara River in their primordial quest to reach the far-flung grazing grounds in the northern reaches of the ecosystem. A river crossing constitutes thousands of individuals leaping into the river and swimming through crocodile infested waters to the other side. It is also one of the most photographed natural events on the planet and I wanted to capture a unique image, an image that communicated the frenzied and tangible energy of a migration crossing. On this particular afternoon, the wildebeest herd had been plucking up the courage to cross the river for three hours! Finally one brave individual leapt into the water. I waited for the decisive moment when the wildebeest emerged from the water with a splash and the rest of the herd followed suit. Using a slow shutter speed, I tracked the first wildebeest through the water and an aperture of f8 allowed me to record the rest of the herd in the background.

Portrait of a King

At first, the dominant coalition of lion refused to accept my presence, either charging the vehicle or disappearing into the thick brush. A year later, they had begun to accept me into the pride, and allowed me to follow within a few meters. On this particular morning, this regal Simba paused briefly to watch the rising sun.The moment was brief but freezing such moments in time is what makes wildlife photography so rewarding.

African Waterhole

The zebra herds in the southern rift valley of Kenya were far too wild and shy to photograph from a vehicle, so I dug a hole in the ground and parked my vehicle out of sight. The herd approached tentatively, with the lead stallion to the front and left. These beasts roam the floor of the rift valley wild and free as all creatures in Africa once did.

Wild Dog Dawn

Wild dogs are the 2^nd most endangered carnivore in Africa (after the Ethiopian Wolf), and they are a true icon of wilderness. The pack is lead by an alpha male and female and they are on the move for 10 months of the year, covering vast tracks of the African bush. I wanted to capture the dog, not as an individual but as a family. The pack is after all a close-knit working unit that puts a lion pride to shame! I also wanted to capture the dogs on the move as that is how they live. A rising sun allowed me to shoot backlit and to capture in a single frame the awe and fascination that I have for these painted wolves of Africa.

King of the Mountains

The Drakensburg Mountain range separates South Africa from Lesotho and is appropriately called uKhahlamba in Zulu, which means the ‘Barrier of Spears’. The mountain range is home to huge birds of prey and draws photographers from afar, all seeking their own shot of a vulture in flight. I decided that I wanted to capture the smaller inhabitants of the uKhahlamba as well, and chose a chat as my personal giant. Using a remote trigger and a wide angle I waited three days for this shot.

Zebra in the Dust

The Zebra are wild and shy on the floor of Kenya’s rift valley. Approaching the water tentatively to within a few meters, they would then often turn and flee in paranoia, only to return minutes later. Ensconced in my blind with the blistering equatorial sun beating down and tsetse flies gorging on my flesh; sitting motionless became an extreme test of photographic passion. Ultimately, one brave zebra stuck his head through the dust for a sip of water. The rapid fire of my trusty old Nikon F100’s shutter had never sounded so sweet.

African Scops Owl

The call of this little owl is synonymous with the African night. Although vocal, the bird is no larger than your hand and its prey consists mainly of insects. The Scops Owl is a truly nocturnal predator and for this exposure I intentionally switched my flash off, and used a torch from the side to portray the silent hunter of the night.

Great Plains

There is nothing quite like an African thunderstorm! The sky darkens almost in an instant and cool refreshing winds gust across the plains. The mood fast becomes pensive and the light eerie. The beasts of the field fall silent, almost as if listening to the distant thunderous rumblings. If one stands on the great plains before such a storm, you can smell the rain and hear the gigantic raindrops pelting the African earth long before the storm arrives. On this particular afternoon, the storm looked especially fierce and while everyone headed back to our tented camp in Kenya’s Masai Mara Game Reserve, I drove purposely out and onto the great plains. Taking this image, I felt truly alive!

Dinosaur Eye

For many years now, I have been trying to capture a striking image of a White Rhinoceros. I find them to be delightfully prehistoric and yet, very difficult to photograph. Many times I have photographed a rhino and my resultant image has represented a large grey rock! One afternoon and almost out of pure frustration, I focused on the eye of the beast and zoomed out while I took the photograph. Back in camp and reviewing the result, I was indeed pleased as for me, the image communicates some of the mystery and intrigue of this wonderful creature. The radial blur alludes to the rhino being a living dinosaur that has traveled through time, into our new millennium.

Hippo Bubbles

Lying on the bank of the Great Ruaha River in southern Tanzania, and playing with the manual focus of my lens, an entire world of bubbles presented itself. Waiting patiently for a hippo to surface in my frame, I hoped a crocodile was not including me in a frame of its own.

Kalahari Squirrels

Frustrated in South Africa’s Kalahari Desert by the fact that there were only two roads to traverse, I decided to return to camp. There I joined two of the camp’s resident squirrels in their world and rolling around in the dirt for three hours, I suddenly felt alive again.

Circle of Life

Patience is a key ingredient to wildlife photography and a photographer is almost always rewarded for being patient in nature. On this particular day, I sat with a female Crab Spider until a bee landed on the flower. The spider then grabbed the bee and a tiny male ran onto her back. I had not seen him until just then! I recomposed the shot, but just as I was about to trip the shutter, two Jackal Flies then landed on the bee. These flies specialize on Crab Spider prey, feeding off the body juices spilt as she devours her meal. Before I knew it, I had four subjects and I was frantically fumbling for depth of field.

Golden Rhino Forest

For many years now, I have been trying to capture an image of the critically endangered Black Rhino (Dicerosbicornis), inside its forest habitat. These prehistoric beasts are not only globally threatened but are also of shy demeanor. I recently planned a photographic expedition, which I aptly title Operation Bicornis and my hopes were indeed high to start. On the first day however, my lens fell to the ground and I lost both the zoom and vibration reducing functionalities. To make matters worse, my prehistoric subject managed to successfully elude me for the entire trip! Feeling rather dejected, with my camp packed and on my way home in the early morning, I decided to take one last turn through the ancient fever tree forests. It was a magical scene; mist lingered in the predawn glow of the equatorial sun and the forests resembled something out of a children’s storybook. Just then, I spotted my photographic nemesis deep inside the forest interior and browsing on a fallen tree. I became so excited that I began shaking, a problem reticent of my younger years as a wildlife photographer. My shaking hands posed a slight problem as my VR (vibration reduction) was not working and the forest interior was so dark that my shutter speed sank to 1/50^th of a second. Snuggling my lens deep into my trusty old beanbag, I tripped my shutter in the hope that I had managed to capture the surreal atmosphere of the golden rhino forest.

Serengeti Dusk

For me, the feeling of freedom is no greater than on the vast grass plains of the Serengeti. On this particular afternoon, a storm approached at dusk and the diffused equatorial sun bathed the golden plains in a soft magical light. A lone Acacia tree and an elephant added a much-needed dimension of scale. The elephant sniffed the approaching rain; I tripped my shutter and found myself once again awed by Africa’s beauty.

Young Bulls at Play

Young Bulls at Play: Young elephant bulls often wrestle with one another. This behaviour, while fun, is also very important to prepare the young males for the more serious fights that they will one-day face when they have to ward off other bulls for mating rights. A photograph is a moment caught in time and to illustrate the movement and energy of this particular moment, I chose a slow shutter speed.

King of the Plains

There are few subjects as stately as a male lion. We had photographed this superb specimen up close and he was indeed impressive. Equally impressive however, were the vast grass plains that surrounded him on every side. Choosing to zoom out, I wanted to capture my subject in context. Just then, a breeze picked up from the east, blowing his mane slightly west and tripping my shutter, I knew that this was the image I had been after.

The End….