Tag: Photography

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2019-11-25: Monochrome Monday

We saw this leopard and her cub on an afternoon game drive from Chitwa Chitwa.  As is sometimes the case while out and about, a sighting is occupied, and vehicles need to take turns to give people an opportunity for viewing.  Our turn was late in the afternoon, nearing dark, and it was a very challenging area to get into, surrounded by fallen trees and a gulley.

When we arrive, it was just the mother leopard, relaxing on the ground, paws over the edge of the bank.  Our guide knew her cub would be nearby, even though none of the other vehicles had seen it.  Sure enough, we waited quietly, watching this beautiful, lounging leopard, and out popped the cub from a deep within the bushes.  It spent only a few minutes with Mom, when the sound of an approaching vehicle spooked it, and it headed back to its hiding place.

So if you are out on safari and are stuck in a bit of a queue for a sighting, don’t despair, it could turn out much better than you expected 🙂

Have a great week!

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2019-11-11: Monochrome Monday

The waterbuck image caught my eye today while I was editing, and I thought a selection of antelope would be a good feature for the day.

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This nyala was grazing peacefully behind my room, so quietly that I didn’t notice him until he was quite close to the edge of the deck.  I was sitting out enjoying the early afternoon with a book and a cup of tea.
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I can’t see a photo of a male kudu anymore without hearing the voice of my guide Harley saying “So majestic!”
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This waterbuck was the boss of the dam, and was busy keeping all the females and youngsters in check while I was watching him.
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An impala ram in his prime, taking a break from guarding his harem to take a quick drink at the dam.

 

 

 

 

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2019-11-10: Amongst the herd

Sometimes on safari, the vehicle is stopped to watch a small group of elephants, and quite suddenly, you find yourself in the middle of a rather large herd, with elephants to all sides of the vehicle as they make their way through the bush.  I feel incredibly blessed as this has happened to me numerous times while out on game drives.  For some people, the situation can feel a bit intimidating, but I always trust that my guide is reading the situation correctly, and has an exit strategy prepared in case things get dicey.

Thankfully, we’ve never had to use one of those, and instead can enjoy elephants as far as the eye can see.

I hope you enjoy my selections for today, and wishing you a wonderful week ahead.

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Part of a breeding herd of elephants that were moving back into the bushes after being down at the river for a drink.  All of the dust in the air had been kicked up by others elephants passing by.  We had thick bush to both sides, so we just sat and waited until this group moved off the road before carrying on our way.  Tinga Lodge, May 2019.
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This is the closest I have ever seen to the cute drawings of baby elephants hanging on to Mom’s tail.  This was just a fortunate flick of Mom’s tail and the baby moving its trunk at the right time.  These two were part of a massive herd that we spent time with at Kings Camp in the Timbavati.
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A few more elephants from the large herd at Kings Camp.  We saw this group a couple times during our stay, but because the ground is fairly flat with short, bushy trees, there was no way to really capture the scope of the herd.  Groups of a half dozen or so was all I could accomplish.  There were so many little babies in this group, it was heartwarming to see such a baby boom.
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The fading late afternoon light wasn’t great for photography, but sitting with this herd while on a game drive from Chitwa Chitwa was a lot of fun.  We had a couple of safari newbies on our vehicle, and their reaction to how close the elephants came to us while grazing was great.  Lots of gasps and excited whispers from the back of the vehicle!
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Another situation where there were elephants in all directions, but only opportunities to capture a few individuals at a time.  But this adorable baby!  Just look at that face!
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2019-11-04: Monochrome Monday

While staying at Lion Sands River Lodge, we set out on our afternoon game drive and came across a small bachelor group of elephants.  These four broke off into pairs, play fighting as the day grew dim, while a couple of other bulls grazed nearby.  It’s so cool watching the interaction of these animals.

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Happy Monday everyone!

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2019-11-03: Baby Elephants

My focus for the month is on elephant images, and I decided to start off with some of the adorable babies that I saw on my last safari.

I’ve had the great fortune to spend time amongst the shy ones, the boisterous ones, the playful ones and the ones too focused on food to even give the vehicle a passing glance.  I adore them all.  I hope that the individual character of each animal shines through these images below.

Wishing everyone a fantastic week ahead!

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This little elephant was having a blast playing with this branch.  Waving his trunk while holding it, smacking itself on the sides with the branch, and at one point, tossing it in the air and having it land on its head, wearing it like a leafy crown.
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When you’re hungry, you’re hungry.  Even if that means creating a bit of a traffic jam for the herd behind you.
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This little elephant seems to be very proud of the stick that it is holding.
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Another elephant calf with a stick.  Fetch anyone???
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This was the first group of elephants I saw on my trip.  Being around these beautiful animals makes me incredibly happy.  The elephant baby boom we witnessed at all the properties we stayed at was just amazing.  There were babies everywhere, and so many of them, in large herds.

 

 

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