Weely High Five #11

Ansel Adams said “Sometimes I do get to places just when God’s ready to have someone click the shutter.”

The above quote is something that epitomises how I sometimes feel and how I suppose many wildlife photographers feel at certain points when they are out in the field. In Africa’s wild places you find yourself surrounded by beauty, violence and a sense of expectation. There is never a dull moment.

Life here tends to balance itself out and the gentle grazing of an antelope is in stark contrast to the unbarred aggression of a lion killing a wildebeest. Even death in the wild seems to have a tranquil quality to it as nature’s story keeps repeating itself.

The richness and diversity out there means there is always a new image to capture. A new story to tell. If you have ever been on Safari you will know the feeling. Africa gets into your blood and keeps on calling you back.

It is difficult to explain it to someone who has never experienced the thrill of Africa but it’s almost as if you are surrounded by images waiting to happen all the time!! Amazing!

So with that, here goes with this week’s High Five.

Image 1 – Buffalo Fight by Grant Marcus

I think the thing that I liked about this picture is the angle of the two buffalos and the fact that you can see the eye perfectly on the closest one. The eyes make an animal come alive in the image and I think this is what caught my eye on this on.

* * *

Image 2 – Buffalo Drinking by Grant Marcus

This image is definitely worth a look in a larger size. The repetition of the buffalo horns make it work. What would have made it even better is if the wind was not blowing and you could get the reflection of all the buffaloes bin the water as well. Nice use of repetition to create an interesting line in the image.

* * *

Image 3 – Full Frame Flora by Warren David Diack

Africa has lots of small things to offer as well and one way of showing that is to fill the frame. This is a great example and the splashes of colour and little white tips in the middle draw your view to the centre of the image. Nice, sharp macro and well captured. Can’t wait for summer so we can all get back to capturing the world we sometimes miss. Insects, flowers, etc.

* * *

Image 4 – Golden Wild Dog by Matt Jones

Great colors in this one. A very difficult image to try and meter for and sometimes one gets lucky with these ones. The dog looking back at you gives it a nice personal quality and the only thing I might have changed is to bump up the contrast a little bit – just to get a slightly more definite line around the edges but the images work very well as is.

* * *

Image 5 – Rock Fig Roots by Craig Muller

A very interesting image which keeps your attention while you try and figure out what it actually is. I still think there are so many beautiful images out in nature that we sometimes drive or walk by and this shows what can be done when you keep your eyes open. The two earthy colors also work well together. This is another of those images that can lead us on to the discussion, which I am sure I will cover at some stage, of Wildlife & Nature photography moving into the realm of Fine Art photography. Well spotted scene and great resulting image.

* * *

Image 6 – Peace Talks by Matt Jones


As mentioned previously Wildlife photography is not always about getting all the technical aspects perfectly correct, even though we strive for it all the time. The essence of what we do is to try and capture those ‘moments’ in nature that make us talk about it around the fire that evening or create an image that shows the true heart of nature. For me this is one of those. The image tells a story. Beautiful moment and my favourite this week!

* * *

Leave a comment and tell me which is your favourite!

If you would like to view more of the latest images or purchase any of this week’s High Five images you can visit the Photo-Africa Stock Library.

To end of this week I thought I would include some images that Gavin emailed me. I do not know who took these images or where it was taken but it made me smile as the email was called “Africa is not for sissies”

There you go. Not something we see every day!

It has been quite a busy few weeks and I am only know starting to work through all my raw images of the last few weeks. I will hopefully be adding some of my new work to the Stock site soon but I will keep on updating the blog with interesting images and stories as they come up.

With the tyre-eating lions in mind I am going to leave you with a quote from Brian Jackman :

“Everything in Africa bites, but the Safari bug is the worst of all".

As always I look forward to hearing from you!

Until next time!

Gerry

Five out of Five!

Just when you think it could not get any better you get an evening like this. Going to try and give the shortened version...

After having found almost all of the Big Five, Wild Dog and Black Rhino my very lucky guests and I headed out to find the one animal that still eluded us. Grant was still taking a few days off and decided to come along to take a few pictures. Looking back now... a very good decision!

The drive started off with us driving into breeding herd of more than 30 elephants. Great sighting as the grey ghosts of the bush walked towards us with the sun playing on the large grey canvas. The majority of them passed behind us as the disappeared quietly into the think treeline but a few of the young males decided to come and eat right in front of and on the side of our vehicle. Awesome sighting. (Probably going to say that quite a few times in this post.) Grant got a few images of the young guys dusting themselves and the guests, whom by now have seen a lot of ellies, enjoyed being with the youngsters and watching them up close.

As we moved on we were quite happy to just bumble our way along to the dam where we were hoping to find the large herd of buffalo. We then bumped into the three Sereti brothers. These males are around 4 years old and absolutely beautiful. The sun was still a little akward and sharp but this did not stop us from making the most of the chance to photograph these beautiful animals.

Even more happy to slowly make our way to the dam we bumbled along and stopped to watch the millions of Red-Billed Queleas as they continued with their late afternoon ballet in the sky. It is amazing how these little birds don’t bump into each other as they mimic a great cloud of smoke.

We sat for quite a while watching, not know what would happen next.As we approached Tlou dam we heard the Buffalo was busy leaving the water so we took a little link road that would hopefully take us right to where they were heading. Perfect timing as about 2 minutes later we found ourselves in the middle of a herd of buffalo about 100 strong. Photography was a little bit difficult as by now it was already pitch dark and we were using the spotlight to view the animals all around us. Being part of nature and getting so close is what it is all about. Having the animals look t you, accept you and carry on with their normal activities. Awesome!

So we decided to move towards the water where we bumped into 5 White Rhino as they all milled around the water. They were just as relaxed and again it felt like we are a part of their world rather than being observers.

Surely this was enough and it was now time to move on. What are the chances of finding the ever elusive leopard and get a glimpse of this beautiful cat.

Apparently our chances were quite good!

A few days ago a rather large male leopard killed a zebra right next to one of the roads. Since then people have been popping into the area every now and then with only the occasional sighting. What we found however blew our minds!

We edged towards the kill and there was one of the largest males I have ever seen feeding on his kill.

This was no ordinary leopard sighting as he was extremely relaxed and seemed to also accept us as a part of his world. We all sat in complete awe of the beautiful spectacle that was unfolding right in front of us. No photography was also quite tricky as we had to contend with the spotlight but we all made the most of it and both Grant and I will hopefully be uploading quite a few more of the images to the Stock Library soon. We also got a short video clip of the male feeding which I will hopefully load onto YouTube soon and link to this Blog.

A Big Five Drive. Brilliant! Just when you thought it could not get bet any better and the fact that all the animals made you feel a part of the African story is what made it really special.

I could have turned this into a marathon post, and will probably refer back to it again, but I need to get going for this mornings drive so for now will leave you with a great quote from Sir Ian Maccallum which is exactly what you feel like after a day like today!

““Welcome home to your wild origins. Learn whatever you can from our animals, our wild coastlines and landscapes and from those who have identified themselves with this continent. Africa can teach you a lot about who you are and your place in the world. But you must come soon, before it’s too late.”

Check back soon for this week’s High Five.

As always I look forward to hearing from you!

Gerry

Photo Safari #1

There really is nothing that quite like leaving the comforts of the lodge early in the morning to see what surprises waits around the corner as you wind your way along the dusty roads of Madikwe.

It has been great to be back in the bush. It has also been great to see and experience all the things that you recall only as memories after being away from the African action for a while and the best part of it - it's better than you remember!

As you may know Adele and I are now working at Tuningi Safari Lodge and we already feel at home. Even though it is still very cold in the bush we have had a very warm reception and we look forward to where this new adventure will lead us. (Think I need to write a book on all our travels one day...)

As we started slightly out of what should be the normal working cycles (normally it's work for 6 weeks get 2 weeks off) there has been three guides at the lodge. This meant that I could ride shotgun with Gavin and Grant and have the chance to take pics without having to worry about whether the female elephant is actually going to turn over our vehicle. We will be doing this until the 20th when Grant and Monique goes on leave at which point all the leave cycles and working rosters will be in place.

So as promised, here are a few of the images, in a kind of a photographic type of style, from my last few days back in Madikwe. It has lived up to everything we remembered and more!

The first morning I went out with Grant we found this Ground Squirrel's nest. There must have been about 6 of them caught between the overwhelming urge to get some of the early morning sun and hiding from potential prey. Nice sighting and shows the beauty of the 'smaller things' in the bush!

That afternoon we found this breeding herd of elephant at Tlou Dam which is one of the few water sources around at this time of year. As always we kept an eye out for the females with their youngsters and on this particular afternoon this habit was justified.

She was not 100% convinced about us and her repeated charges made us move about 30 meters in reverse. Must admit, I was impressed by the way Grant took pictures and reversed at the same time!! (Read Grant's Blog on this as well!)

She stopped a few meters from the front of our vehicle, gave us a good look and then went off after another vehicle - sorry Mike! :) Always a rush and I am quite happy with the way the images came out!

Great day out! Grant got to take a few days off so I went out this morning with some of the new guests at Tuningi. They have been unbelievably lucky!! After their first three drives, they have another 5 to go, they have seen all of the Big 5 except for Buffalo, Wild Dog and Black Rhino! Crazy stuff but brilliant for photography!

I decided to head South to try and relocate the two male lions Grant wrote about in his previous Blog. ON our way we found two Black Rhino about 200 meters off-road. It was one of the burnt areas so we could not go off to far but I still liked the combination of color with the gray giant in the middle of the scene.

As we made our way from the Rhino I heard on the radio that someone had audio of the Wild Dogs. Now you will recall that they are currently denning on the hills in the middle of the reserve so for us to find them when they 'descend from above' is quite something! We went into the area and found the whole pack, minus the brand new pups, in a dried up pan where they have just finished killing and eating an impala. We found ourselves surrounded by Wild Dogs with the youngsters (from last years litter) running around and playing with each other all over the place. Brilliant stuff!! I must have taken around 100 images, which I still have to check through and upload to the stock site, but here are a few of the ones that immediately caught my eye.

Was great to see the youngsters play with each other. They would jump up, like in the image above, and then just take off again and run like their lives depended on it.

In between all of the playing, the youngsters would pick up a leftover piece of the kill and run around with it. Almost exactly like your dog at home running away from you with a toy. Amazing to watch!

This looks quite aggressive but nit quite the case. The young dogs were playing and I was shooting at about 6 frames per second (one of the features I love most on my Nikon D300) and this was one of the resulting images. Great action capture! Can't wait to look through the rest of the images! (Amanda - you would have loved the 15 minutes we spent with the Wild Dogs!)

This afternoon I did not get to capture any images as we spent the entire time looking for the Thola Mateya lions. No luck, but on the way home we got a brief glimpse of Podile, a very relaxed female leopard in the South. Not long enough to get an image, but great moment none the less.

So there you go. A few highlights, in photographic safari style, of the last two days. Our idea is to upload a Blog like this at least once a week which will features highlights and images of the drive and walks we have done at Tuningi. If you enjoy this kind of thing, make sure to visit often or subscribe to receive the Blog via email as soon as it gets published. You might also want to check out the following three books that have been self-published by Gavin, Grant and myself.

A Photographic Safari - by Gavin Tonkinson

Madikwe's Animals Through My Lens - by Grant Marcus

Africa's Big 5: A Close Up View - by Gerry van der Walt

To find out more or order your own copy you can click on any of the above three images. I am also in the process of compiling a 'Best of Photo-Africa 2008' for release later this year so make sure to check back often!

As with all images on the Blog you can visit the Photo-Africa Stock Library to view more images or purchase the images for personal, commrecial or editorial use.

As always I look forward to hearing from you.

Until next time!

Gerry

Some Eventfull Days with the Elephants in Madikwe

Before I start with my elephant story I would just like to welcome Gerry and Adele at Tuningi (I know it is a bit late but hey...) especially from our manager Heidi and from your "Professional" field guide colleagues myself and Gavin, yes you read correctly I used "THAT" word !

Well back to the main story. Gerry joined me one afternoon on the drive not to learn the roads..............to take photos, what did you guys think Everything started of a bit quite,then we arrived at Tlou dam and saw a breeding herd in the distance, they were really in no hurry to come to the dam. We decided to leave the dam in pursuit of some other animals. But one could see those ellies were not acting normal so we decided to wait a while..............a while past and again decided to leave. Just as we got of the dam wall the ellies wanted to cross to the western side and off course we waited for them, you are not going to argue with an angry 3,5 ton female roadblock:) All the elephants stood on the eastern side of the road all in a big bundle with one male at the back busy scratching where it doesn't itch. So we thought it was the bull upsetting them like that. From no where one female came from the back and started chasing us so I put the cruiser in reverse and camera in the one hand, I just thought I had to get the shot, so while reversing my finger was clicking away, she chased us for about 20-30 m. and then stopped.




The whole herd turned around and crossed. Unfortunately for the Nkurru vehicle they got chased as well by the same female. That is one thing about female elephants when they get upset by the first vehicle the second vehicle they come across get it in double glory !

Today at the lodge we had almost all the ellies in Madikwe at the lodge even one big bull decided that the trees inside the camp were better looking then the ones outside and walked through the gate like he does it every day ! What a cheek ? We chased him out and believe me he wasn't happy with the humans at Tuningi !

Gavin and myself went down to little Tuningi's swimming pool to see the ellies drink from the pool, it was great fun. They did not even mind us being there on the deck and that close to them. It is really an amazing feeling to share the space with such a big animal. All the big females could reach the pool with their trunks, the little ones had a bit of a struggle. They normally come and drink at the pool in the winter, we don't really see them here in the summer because of all the water in the bush during the rainy season. Most of the big females had a drink first then came the subordinate females. We could see how the level of the pool dropped rapidly as they drank. In elephant society there is a matriarch leading them and she is in charge of all the decisions the herd has to make. She also leads them to water and as soon as she had enough she left and we could see how the others rushed their drink to follow her.

Luckily we have a fence around the lodge because the ellies have caused quite a bit of damage at one of our neighbouring lodges. Elephants have the ability to smell water under ground inside the pipes. They then start digging and pull the pipe out like it is a game. Well it is not so much fun for the managers at the lodge, but hey you got to love them.......!!

Till next time

Grant

New boyz in the hood !!

Till now the Batia brothers had the Southwestern territory all to themselves. A month or so back two other male lions moved down from the east looking for new territory and females to take over. There timing couldn't have been better because some of the Tshabala females are in oestrus. A while back I was driving in south and saw these two males in the prime of their lives they are called the Tsholo Mateya males one is light maned and the other one is dark maned.

Only one thing looked out of place with the whole scene, the one male's eye was almost removed with probably a claw from the contender.Then I realized that they definitely had a round with the Batias. From that day I never saw the Batias down in that area again. It will be sad to see the Batias been kicked out or killed, because they are still the legends of madikwe, but they had more then there innings and it is time for new blood to come in.

On the 3rd of July we left the lodge early around 6:00 am. Driving around thinking it was going to be a quite morning.....................All of a sudden the two Tsholo Mateya males walked down the road like two gladiators ready for the big fight. They were spraying almost every 15 m. next to the road. Every now and then they were giving full blow roars to let the Batias know they are coming. It was the first time they came up so far north. We were following them with great expectations thinking that we were going to see the fight of the century. To see the behaviour of male lions competing against other males are amazing they look so brave and strong, just the way they walk down the road with meaning to kill and destroy. When they were roaring the echoing through the valley was almost deafening.


All of a sudden with no warning the Batias replied with even more ground trembling roars the Tsholo Matyeas realized the game was on. To our surprise they froze for about 5 seconds, turned around and retreated to where they came from, ears back and almost crouched down they ran away like two scared kittens. The expression on their faces told the whole strory ! It was still amazing to see these magnificent apex predators operate when they are after something they want so badly !

Three days later I saw the Batias mating with the females ( previous blog on Batias mating ). Even at +- 15 years of age they still have it in them to chase the other males off with only a powerful roar. The Tsholo Matyeas might be in the prime of their lives, but The Batias have got live experience and much more battle experience. So nothing can be taken away from them. The Batias are still worthy advisories. I end with something that Derek Joubert said " I do not know how someone can put these magnificent animals in a sight of a gun and still sleep at night"

Till next time

Grant

( This morning myself, Gerry and Gavin tracked the big boys on foot, when we found them they were with the females looking really tired as if they are ready to go but they still look fine and alive as ever. They did not even give us a mock charge as they always do if I recall correctly they are normally some of the worse lions to walk. But I take my hat of to these magnificent cats. )

Weekly High Five #10

It is great to be back in the bush. It is about a month now since Adele and I were in Madikwe and I was amazed to see how dry it has become in that time.

Combine all the browns and dull greens with the black areas that have been burnt and you end up with quite a few ‘morbid’ looking areas. Fire is a natural and very important part of every ecosystem and I understand why it is vital to do block burning every couple of years but the first impression, after having last seen the bush very lush and green, is almost one of disappointment. If you think a bit further this feelings quickly changes. Apart from the fact that when the first rains come we are going to have many beautiful green areas attracting large amounts of grazers which in turn will draw the animals with nails and big teeth as well!

The burnt areas also now creates a whole different atmosphere which you can attempt to capture along with striking images of animals like zebra contrasting with the black background. Very different and a nice photographic challenge during the next few months until the rains come again to breathe fresh life into the African bushveld.

Another thing that struck me immediately is how the previously dense, thick bush has become very sparse and open. From a game viewing point of view this is great as your visual range into the bush has increased dramatically and for the next few months we will hopefully get a lot of great sightings which will lead to many chances to create images that show Africa at it’s best!

So on that note, here goes with this week’s High Five which includes images from lions to ducks and great captures of the African sky.

Image 1 – Sun Through Clouds by Craig Muller


This image shows that there is more to the African sky than mind-blowing sunsets. Keep your eyes open and shoot whatever creates an emotion and you will get images like this. This is quite an interesting image to meter for as you have to keep in mind that the silver lining is the focus and you don’t want to overexpose it so that it burns out completely. Beautiful image.

* * *

Image 2 – Lion Reflection by Mat Jones

Lions. Gotta love them. The lions, especially the female, are placed perfectly on the power points (Rule of Thirds) while the lines of the dam is made up out of a few combined diagonals that draws your view to her face in the water. Great scene and well composed.

* * *

Image 3 – Flying Shellduck by Grant Marcus

Awesome capture of the pair of ducks. Not something you can always plan for when composing bird images but the combination of one wing up and one wing down on the two birds creates a very nice balance to the image. The two ducks are placed in a way that creates a dynamic, diagonal line through the images which then compliments the movement towards the right of the frame. Grant hit this one on the head with sharpness as well. When you view the images at full size you can see all the detail including the water still on the head of the duck on the left. Very well captured bird image!

* * *

Image 4 – Grass Silhouette by Craig Muller

The silhouette shot is almost perfect. The sun is placed in the perfect position in the frame, the grass is crisp and sharp and even includes little bits of orange on the stem. It is interesting to play around with where you meter from in images like this. It is very easy to blow the image highlights by metering on an area which is too dark but in this image it was done perfectly. Initially I thought the blurred shapes on the right detracts from the scene but on second thought they are blurred sufficiently to balance the image out. This is a great image for a pc desktop or large print on canvas. Great image.

* * *

Image 5 – Lion Fight Abstract by Grant Marcus

The image shows two female lions having a go at each other and you can see the intensity through the combination of blurred motion. The colors, which adds to the drama, shows that it must have been early in the morning or late afternoon, a time that is normally difficult to capture sharp images. Lesson in here – never stop shooting. Bump up your ISO, pan along with the action and you can come up with images like this. Also never delete images while in the field. I spoke to Grant and he said he only liked the images when he viewed it on his pc back at the lodge. I am very glad he did not delete it from his camera. Awesome action capture and easily my personal favourite this week.

It is great to look back at all the previous High Five posts and see the different images being uploaded. Just goes to show how diverse nature is – beautiful! To view or purchase any of these, and other, images you can visit the Photo-Africa Stock Library.

On another note, and hopefully something that will be featured through images in the upcoming months, the Dwarsberg Pack of Wild Dog in Madikwe which is already 15 strongm has denned and we are now waiting for the first signs of the new pups. They have chosen their den site up on Tswene Tswene, the highest point in Madikwe which makes it inaccessible by vehicle. Like rock stars they come down from their home up on the hill to make an appearance as they go hunting and then just as quickly disappear back up to feed the pups. Sightings of Africa’s most endangered carnivore is always special but when you add a few brand new puppies to the mix and it just raises the ‘cute’ factor and you get to witness absolute magic. Watch this space for some of the first images of the new additions to Madikwe’s Wild Dog population!

As always I look forward to hearing your thoughts and which image you like most.

Until next time.

Gerry

Unbelievable!!

Finally unpacked and settled – damn!! Good feeling!

Not much news from our side just yet, but I felt I just had to upload this post on it’s own and not combine it with the Weekly High Five! Too special!

Let me start by saying that I did not capture the images in this post - not mine. Even though I wish I could have witnessed this event and got a few of my own. The following images were all taken by Hal Brindley (Thanks for allowing me to post it on this Blog!) and you can find a link to his own site towards the end of this Blog. Thanks to Riaan Kruger, also a contributing photographer on Photo-Africa, for sending me these images!

So here goes – as I received the images and text.

* * *

Picture exclusive: The incredible moment a leopard attacks a crocodile

These are the incredible pictures which show the first ever leopard attack on a crocodile.
Hal Brindley snapped the amazing moment a leopard snatched a crocodile at a South African game reserve on the only occasion this behaviour has ever been documented worldwide.

Clash of the Titans: The leopard attacks a crocodile in Kruger National Park

The American wildlife photographer was taking pictures of hippos from his car at a waterhole in Kruger National Park when a speeding shape came out of the bushes and headed for the water.

After an initial struggle, onlookers stared in disbelief as the leopard emerged dragging a thrashing crocodile up the bank.

With its' snout pointing upwards, the crocodile snapped and attempted to fight back as the predators flipped and tumbled in a dramatic battle. But the leopard, who had it caught by the throat, remained in control as the crocodile's legs clawed frantically at the cat's belly, its jaws snapping at air.

Predator vs. Predator: The wily cat slams full force into the crocodile



Tussle: The leopard begins dragging the crocodile away from the water

Despite being outweighed, the leopard was able to sit on top of the crocodile and suffocate it. The big cat eventually dragged its' prey into the grass and out of sight as park visitors are forbidden from leaving their cars.

There have been recorded cases of crocodiles killing leopards but never the otherway around as the meat a crocodile provides is not sufficient enough to justify the risk.

Defeat: The croc hangs lifeless and limp from the leopard's jaws

Brindley said: 'I asked many rangers in South Africa if they had ever heard of anything like this and they all said no.

'It just doesn't make sense. The meat you get out of a crocodile is just not worth the risk it takes a predator to acquire.

'The whole scene happened in the course of about 5 minutes. Then the leopard was gone. He added: 'I drove away, elated in disbelief. It may have been the most amazing thing I've ever seen.'



Victory: The leopard gains control and gets on top of it, suffocating it.

Dinner's ready: The big cat drags its prey off into the bush

* * *

So there you go. Truly an unbelievable sequence and a once in a lifetime sighting. Well done to Hal for capturing the event. To visit his website and see more of his images and wildlife films you can visit www.halbrindley.com

As field guides I think we always have a very small part deep inside us hoping that this morning we will also find something unique that goes against everything that we know, read or get told.

Something that challenges your knowledge, breaks all rules and makes you appreciate even more, if that is possible, the life we get to live and the things we get to see! This is the kind of scene that wildlife photographers in Africa will wait a lifetime to see and capture - I know I am! Amazing stuff!!

Make no mistake, even being a firsthand witness to a sighting of elephant at a waterhole is beauty in itself, but something like this... beauty supersized!!

Off to grab some dinner and then time to relax! Check back later this week for new images in this weeks High Five!

As always I look forward to hearing from you!

Gerry