Photography

Showcasing: The Mashaba 3:3 Female

February 20, 2012

Leopards are named according to the territories they hold and a young leopard takes on the name of its mother until they are independent and have established a territory of its own. The Vomba Young Female is the offspring of the Vomba Female and as such, until now, has kept her mothers name. She is [...]

The Week in Pictures # 31

February 17, 2012

As we settled back into bush life this week, we continued to enjoy tracking our feline friends, but also spent time with many of the smaller animals. Birds are abundant at this time of year, and the Marula fruits are attracting animals from elephants to insects. The rain continues to hold off, giving us hot [...]

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Three Years at Londolozi-Part 2 (2010)

February 16, 2012

During your first year as a guide, everything is exciting and new. As you get more experienced though, you begin to understand a lot more, particularly when it comes to behaviour and the interactions between the different species. This added understanding makes it exciting again in a whole new way. 2010 was a fascinating year, [...]

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The Week in Pictures # 30

February 10, 2012

This week brought sunshine and – for the most part – clear skies, giving the flood-ridden land a chance to dry out a bit. As we began to traverse more areas around Londolozi with decreasing risk of getting stuck in the mud, we found more and more of our old friends safe and sound. Admittedly, [...]

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The Week in Pictures: Summer Birds

February 3, 2012

This Week in Pictures focuses on birds and it courtesy of the photographic talent of Ranger James Hobson. In particular the images below take a look at some of the more colorful, migratory Summer birds that frequent Londolozi in the warmer months. Let me know which is your favorite image in the comments section below [...]

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How to Photograph Leopards 101

January 26, 2012

Despite the absence of our weekly regular, David Dampier (owing to his leave), I still wanted to put out an album of leopards this week. Browsing through a selection of my images I thought it would be useful to compare a variety of photographs, explaining why I took them in a particular way; the settings [...]

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The Week in Pictures # 29

January 20, 2012

This week started off beautifully with some fantastic sightings of the Sparta Pride and their new cubs, a pack of Wild Dogs crossing the Sand River and an unknown Female Leopard in the North. The Majingilane Males were seen interacting with the Sparta Pride cubs which bodes well for the future considering the dynamic which [...]

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The Week in Pictures # 28

January 13, 2012

Sometimes when guests ask, ‘When is the best time of the year to come to Londolozi?’, my response is that if you are a photographer, and interested in the big mammals, then winter is preferable. The dry weather provides clear skies, excellent light, and less dense vegetation to block the view. This week, however, I [...]

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The Leopards of Londolozi # 18

January 11, 2012

Love was in the air this week as the Camp Pan Male and Tamboti Female spent over five days together-hopefully creating a new set of cubs for a few months time. The Vomba Young Female was also prominent this week, spending a number of days feeding on a wildebeest calf that she managed to bring [...]

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The Week in Pictures #27

January 6, 2012

This week was abundant with leopard sightings, as David Dampier mentioned on Wednesday. There were many familiar faces, but perhaps what was most interesting for me was seeing some leopards new to the area. We are so fortunate at Londolozi to view leopards that are very relaxed with the game drive vehicles, and because of [...]

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Leopards Of Londolozi #17

January 4, 2012

The past seven days have produced some amazing sightings of leopard and I was fortunate enough to witness quite a number of them. From a photographic point of view, they were extremely co-operative, going about their business in some beautiful light and surroundings. Hopefully some of the photos below do some justice to another fabulous [...]

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The Best of the Londolozi Blog 2011

January 1, 2012

It’s New Years Day 2012 and here at Londolozi we wish you all a very prosperous and absolutely brilliant year ahead. 2011 was mind-blowing throughout Londolozi and much of it was reflected right here on the blog. Right from the beginning of the year we knew that the pride dynamics were going to be interesting [...]

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The Week in Pictures #26

December 30, 2011

This week, through the deluge of rain over Christmas and the hot, humid and termite-filled aftermath, the bush was full of diversity. We had some great highlights including some fantastic leopard sightings, but unfortunately also some lowlights with the most recent Tsalala Pride incident. My dear friend Shaun, who was a faithful follower and supporter [...]

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Leopards of Londolozi #16

December 28, 2011

This week saw a number of interesting happenings on the leopard front. The Tutlwa Female was seen hunting and killing an impala lamb and the Vomba Female keeps returning to the same inaccessible area in the Sand River, reinforcing our suspicions that she may have cubs. The sighting of the week, however had to go [...]

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On Safari with a Fisheye Lens

December 26, 2011

I must start off by wishing you all a Merry Christmas. I trust that you had a wonderful day and that you were surrounded by friends, family and loved ones. As a wildlife photography fanatic I am continually seeking new ways to shoot and portray images in nature. One quite exciting idea that I have [...]

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The Week in Pictures # 24

December 16, 2011

This week was action-packed, and I suppose if there was to be a general theme, it would be the circle of life. We continued to see babies and even witnessed the birth of a wildebeest (sorry no photos as we were walking at the time!). We saw animals mating as well as birds in full [...]

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The Week in Pictures # 23

December 9, 2011

Summer is now in full swing at Londolozi. As Adam mentioned on Wednesday, there are babies everywhere hiding amongst the thick green vegetation. The cascading call of the Woodlands kingfisher competes with the shrill Red-chested cuckoo’s song with the constant buzz of Christmas beetles during the day, and at night a chorus of frogs emanates [...]

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Jerry Hambana gets into photography!

December 2, 2011

The photography bug really has taken hold of everyone here at Londolozi. Here we feature something a little bit different from pictures taken by our talented guiding team. Instead we show off some of the work taken by our newest up and coming photographer…one of our most talented trackers Jerry Hambana…

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The Week in Pictures # 22

November 25, 2011

This week I have been (unfortunately) out of the bush, so have put together another installment of some of the bird shots I have taken over the past six weeks. People often ask when is the ‘best time’ to come to the bush, and if you have any interest in birds, that time is definitely [...]

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Behind the Scenes at Londolozi

November 23, 2011

Renowned photographer Ryan Graham recently spent some time with us at Londolozi capturing an assortment of images out on safari, throughout the lodges and behind the scenes. This blog post is dedicated to the staff of Londolozi whose lives are closely intertwined as a community and as a family living together out in the wilderness. The images below are a behind the scenes snapshot of what goes on when our cherished guests are out on drive or relaxing in the quiet of their rooms…

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On Safari at Londolozi

November 17, 2011

Renowned photographer Ryan Graham was recently at Londolozi taking pictures of everything from the rooms to the wildlife to the members of the Londolozi family. In this post, we showcase Ryan’s stunning images taken whilst out in the field…

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The Week in Pictures # 20

November 11, 2011

If you’ve ever been on a game drive with Freddy and me, you’ll know that our favourite thing to do is find an individual animal, or a group of animals, and stay with them watching their behaviour for as long as possible. The ability to do this relatively often is one of the very special things about Londolozi. In my opinion, that is what being out here is all about: you can go down a checklist of animals at a zoo just to ‘see’ them, but to actually be a part of a wild animal’s life, watching how it goes about surviving every day in its own environment, is incredibly unique to coming on a safari. This week I’ve highlighted a few leopard sightings where we did just this: stayed with the animals for almost the entire game drive, witnessing behaviours both distinctive of the individual as well as a few patterns. Enjoy this Week in Pictures…

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The Week in Pictures # 19

November 4, 2011

This week, the rains really came. We had several days where there was little break in precipitation, resulting in thickening green growth, vibrant colours, a rising river and many animals refreshed by both the water and nutritious vegetation. Most evenings carried the soft lulls of thunder the whole night through, with lions roaring intermittently and the frogs competing for their calls to be heard. As David Dampier mentioned in his post this week, rain brings a challenge to photography… but we luckily had some breaks where we were able to capture a few shots. Enjoy this Week in Pictures…

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The Lodges of Londolozi by Ryan Graham

October 31, 2011

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The Week in Pictures # 18

October 28, 2011

This week the weather became significantly warmer, with the occasional unpredicted thunderstorm. Spring seems in the air more than ever, and I think the most appropriate theme for this week was the emergence of small things: birds, creepy crawlies as well as new arrivals. We had chicks, pups, cubs and calves, all of which of course made us very happy! Enjoy this week in pictures…

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How to Photograph a Lightning Storm

October 25, 2011

Have you ever wanted to know how to capture stunning images of lightning? Contrary to what you may think, the process is relatively simple provided that you have the correct equipment, a promising location and, of course, a very big electric storm. I took the below set of images a few nights ago as the first electric storm of the summer rolled across the central regions of Londolozi, creating a spectacular contrast of lightning bolts and sheet lightning. I have included a short explanation beneath each image which all together should give you a fairly good indication of how to get these types of shots…

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The Week in Pictures # 17

October 21, 2011

Last week I promised leopards for this week, and did they ever deliver! As the weather gets more unpredictable, the days mixed with thunderstorms and summer sunshine, the bush is getting greener and the variety of creatures big and small grows. We had a few truly memorable cat sightings and a highlight for me was discovering some very small hyenas. Enjoy this Week in Pictures…

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The Week in Pictures # 16

October 14, 2011

Last week we had rain, and this week another crucial element of life in the bushveld – fire. Several controlled burns were conducted on Londolozi, which are essential to the nutrient cycle of the soil and making room for new, green growth. Fire is an important process which would naturally be created by lightning strikes. Post-fire, the burned areas brought us sightings with interesting colours as well as behaviours – the birds hunting on the exposed ground, and the herbivores feeding on the greenflush. I have purposefully left leopards out of this Week in Pictures (except for the Maxabene Young Male’s tail, below), mainly because David Dampier’s post earlier this week in Leopards of Londolozi contained such stunning images and the latest updates. More next week on leopards, but in the meantime, enjoy this Week in Pictures…

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The Week in Pictures #15

October 7, 2011

Last week it became warmer, and with this week came another sign of summer… rain! Water is life, so we welcomed the storm clouds with open arms. Game viewing can be fantastic in the rain – after all, the animals are still here – and in particular, predators will sometimes use the rain to mask [...]

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The Week in Pictures # 13

September 23, 2011

I haven’t been in the bush for the past week so what I’ve decided to do is put up a series of my best bird shots over the past six weeks. Sometimes with the excitement of the big cats, birds often get overlooked. They are, however, a major part of a Londolozi safari nonetheless. Updates on the usual suspects will continue from next, however enjoy this week in pictures…

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The Week in Pictures # 12

September 16, 2011

Spring has sprung and the bush is changing. The evenings are becoming balmy, the Jackalberry trees are shedding their leaves making room for new growth, the Knobthorns are in full flower, and the migratory bird species are returning. This week we observed this metamorphosis along with the resulting adaptive behaviours of the animals, and had one particularly emotional and intense sighting which embraced the circle of life in a different way…

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The Week in Pictures # 11

September 9, 2011

This week again I had the pleasure of spending time with several experienced and devoted photographers. Many had come to Londolozi in the hopes of photographing a leopard. Fortunately for us Mother Nature, as well as Freddy ‘Eagle Eyes’ Engobeni, did not disappoint. We were treated to a variety of sightings of the Maxabene Female, the Vomba Young Female, the Dudley Riverbank 5:5 Male, the Marthly Male, and the Vomba Female, to name only a few! Otherwise we took some time to enjoy the remaining winter colours and light, sharing photography tips and embracing the bushveld. Enjoy this week in pictures…

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Meet the Blog Team: Talley

August 30, 2011

Talley Smith may be relatively new to Londolozi but she certainly is no novice to the guiding world! Talley has been guiding in the Sabi Sands for 4 years and has a great understanding of the ingredients needed to make a sublime safari. She is without doubt one of the hardest working and dedicated people you will ever meet and wildlife and the photography thereof is her greatest passion…

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Photographing the Epic Majingilane Coalition

August 27, 2011

It’s not often that we as photographic guides are given the privilege of being able to set up in advance for the ‘perfect’ photograph. We are usually trying to predict the future and capture the moment in split seconds. On this particular day we used our knowledge of animal behaviour and this allowed us to [...]

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The Week in Pictures # 9

August 26, 2011

This past week I didn’t spend as much time on traditional safari but rather driving the specialised Photographic Vehicle, which meant that we were able to stay out in the bush all day, patiently spending large amounts of time with various animals. Our guests were particularly keen birders, and therefore in addition to tracking the usual suspects like the Sparta lions and various leopards, we had the privilege of being able to sit in great birding spots to enjoy the view and hone our bird photography skills – in my mind the most difficult animals to photograph. The three days we spent on the Photographic Vehicle came to its pinnacle on the final night when we discovered a new access to the den site of the younger Tsalala cubs. We spent a few breathtaking moments as these youngsters curiously approached us… see for yourself!

guest choice to stay out

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The Week in Pictures # 8

August 19, 2011

What a different, striking week at Londolozi. As you will see from the pictures below, it was not just the usual lion and leopard sightings but also the more scenic misty mornings and winter bird life. Coupled with that was an extraordinary sighting between wild dogs and elephants. The pack gave us a fantastic few sightings before disappearing into western Sabi Sands. Also of note were the males from the Southern pride who continue to survive despite the tough conditions between male lions. With a bit of luck we will continue to see more of these good looking young males. As always, enjoy this week in pictures…

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The Week in Pictures # 7

August 12, 2011

I always find it interesting to look back at what the bushveld presents to me on a weekly basis. On some occasions I will spend hours with just a single leopard, watching its movements, behaviour and delighting in the spectacle which it puts on for my guests and I. It is easy to forget about everything else until that animal melts into the bush and I have to find another to replace their presence. It seems as though the Dudley 5:5 Male was a regular feature of my weekly post, however this last week I have barely seen him. Instead my love affair with the Camp Pan Male has been rekindled as he has treated my guests and I to various spectacular sightings and interactions. I guess it is the unpredictable nature of the bush that makes guiding at Londolozi so exciting and our relationships with these animals so special. Although I have long since learnt never to be certain as to what a drive will present, I do know that it will always be special. Enjoy the pictures…

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The Week in Pictures # 6

July 22, 2011

Great Tuskers are always a special sighting. Magnificent and established, these old bulls are a proud testament to strength, wisdom and peace in the bushveld. This last week saw such a Tusker move through Londolozi, a unique sighting in addition to all the other interesting big cat movements going on. The Tsalala Pride seem at home at their new densite with exceptional viewing of the older cubs over the past few days. Of course, what would a week in pictures be without the magnificent Majingilane Coalition. Not only did we witness one of them mating with a female from the Sparta pride, but we also the whole coalition together early one evening. Take a look for yourself…

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The Week in Pictures # 5

July 15, 2011

The heart of winter has descended upon us, yet it seems as though spring is already here. With an assortment of cubs, pups and foals, one could be forgiven for thinking the season of renewal has already arrived. This past week delivered more fantastic game viewing of diverse wildlife such as wild dogs, the Tsalala lionesses, the Nyeleti Young Male and a stunning cheetah amongst other things. Take a look to see for yourself…

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The Week in Pictures # 4

July 8, 2011

The Week in pictures at Londolozi Game Reserve. A fascinating beginning to July with many sightings of elephant herds, the Sparta lionesses and the Dudley 5:5 Young Male and Vomba Female together, as well as a trip back to the one of the early members of the Londolozi family…

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The Week In Pictures # 3

July 1, 2011

The week in pictures at Londolozi Game Reserve from the 25th June to the 1st July. Some wonderful images from Talley, which include a new, unknown male leopard…

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The Week in Pictures # 2

June 24, 2011

The week in pictures at Londolozi Game Reserve from 18 to 24 June 2011…

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The Week in Pictures # 1

June 17, 2011

The last week in pictures at Londolozi Game Reserve including a video of the spectacular Lunar Eclipse…

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How to Shoot a Time-Lapse

June 10, 2011

Time-Lapse photography has become a very popular way of taking pictures and many photographers and filmmakers alike are using time-lapses as a wonderful means of adding texture, colour and feeling to their visual productions. Time-Lapse photography is in itself very simple and with these basic steps I provide below, you can create your own beautiful time-lapses in no time…

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Understanding the F-Stop

June 3, 2011

It took me a while to grasp the how F-Stops and Apertures on DLSR cameras worked and when the best time to use the different options were. In truth the explanation of F-Stops is relatively simple and understanding it will help you to make quick and easy decisions as to what settings to use when photography wildlife out in the field…

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Canon vs Nikon – Which is Better?

May 27, 2011

A while ago I tweeted a post which provided an infographic breakdown of which photographic brand is better: Canon or Nikon. Given that many photographers and guides often debate this subject, I thought it would be useful to take a look below and decide for yourself which you think is better…

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Improve Your Pictures with these Easy Photoshop Tips

May 13, 2011

Nothing can take a good picture and make it great like a little bit of photoshop. Understandably there do remain purists who refuse to use Photoshop, however in todays digital world, where the final image is what people look at, I believe the Photoshop can have a profound effect on your imagery and allow amateur photographers to produce truly beautiful pictures. Here is an easy 8 step process how…

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Great Wildlife Photography 101

March 25, 2011

Elsa Young is a renowned South African photographer who has captured beautiful images for a variety of publications and people. Elsa’s has taken stunning photographs of Londolozi for over four years now, the results of which can be seen on both our blog and website. On her most recent trip to Londolozi, Elsa captured a picture of a leopard which I wanted to break down, explaining why it is a great image as well as provide a couple of hints to for enhancement. With luck you will be able to take some of these thoughts and ideas to apply to your own images when out in the field…

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Motion Blur Wildlife Photography

February 4, 2011

Motion Blur is primarily about capturing a scene in which an object is frozen still, whilst everything around it is blurred in motion. From a wildlife perspective, you might have seen images, such as this one below, of animals frozen in mid stride or flight whilst the background behind them is heavily blurred. If you wish to try them out when you are next on safari, or at home then take into account these basic pieces of advice below…

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Creative Wildlife Photography 101

December 17, 2010

Once you have photographed all of the Big 5 to your hearts content, you will find that there are so many other images begging to be captured. I have seen many repeat guests to Londolozi who have a desire towards creating unique photographs across a diverse array of subject matter. So here are a few ideas to keep in mind for adding unique elements to your pictures…

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