The dynasty of Londolozi’s big cats has been chronicled over the past 31 years by the many guides and trackers, past and present, who have worked here. People come from far and wide to view these beautiful animals and most to photograph them too. I have taken some time to look at some of the images that have been taken over the years and tried to work out why some are better than others and the below five helpful tips is what I came up with! Please feel free to let me know if you would add to the tips and whether you found them helpful.
1. Get eye contact
This has definitely been mentioned before on the blog, but eye-level shots can dramatically enhance the impact of a photograph. They say that the eyes are the window to your soul and things rings true when looking into the eyes if big cats.
It is not always easy to get the animal to look directly at you so try and photograph them on a termite mound or in a tree so that the eye level shot can be achieved easily. If you understand the animals behaviour, this can help in achieving this shot which brings me to my next point…
A lovely frame of the Mashaba young female leopard staring back at us through the Jackalberry branches. The light in her eye has been captured so beautifully and has been done because she is staring directly into the camera. – Photographed by James Tyrrell
Scar nose Majingilane in Black and White with great eye contact! – Photographed by Mike Sutherland
2. Understand their habits and be patient
Many wildlife shots are based on capturing a fleeting moment, one that you might never have the opportunity of seeing or capturing again. It therefore, pays to be able to predict you subject’s behaviour to a degree and to understand their behavioural patterns. For example, knowing that if a leopard has a kill there is a big chance that they will find a tree to climb so be ready for it or a pride of lions might start waking up in the late afternoon so be patient and wait for the ‘golden moment’ of cubs playing or males roaring. There is only one way to get to know wildlife…spend time with them. Don’t just hang around for a few minutes and seek out the next subject if the one you are observing or photographing isn’t delivering the goods. Sit with them. Watch them. Wait.
A great example of understanding their behaviour, here Mike waited a little longer to get this shot, knowing that the Vomba young male cub would go into a stalk pose when coming up to the vehicle. – Photographed by Mike Sutherland.
Dark Maned Majingilane Male Vocalising which is not something that is photographed often so to be able to predict the males behaviour and wait for the perfect moment is brilliant and has paid off with this shot – Rich Laburn
Powerful back legs and a muscular backbone enable her to leap – Adam Bannister
3. Don’t forget the tail
A cats tail it can tell a lot about the mood of the animal and can make for some impressive and creative shots. When hunting they tend to keep their tails down in order to not bring attention to themselves and when the prey see them, you often find the tail be swung into the air as if to say ‘ I know you’ve seen me and I don’t care’. Cutting off a tail is as irritating as cutting off a limb or ear and can often destroy a great image.
In this picture of the Marthly male and Tutlwa female Mike could’ve very easily cut off the tail of the female and that would’ve destroyed this wonderful moment.
A great example of when a leopard keeps its tail down while hunting.
The tail of the Vomba female leopard in all its glory.
4. Get on their level
This takes me back to the first point of getting an eye contact shot but is slightly different and the animal does not necessarily have to be looking at you. A shot taken at eye level whether it be from the ground (not advised with big cats) or from below them when they are on a raised platform are much more powerful images. Take a look at these two photographs of the same leopard, the Nyelethi 4:3 young male, one taken at eye-level and one taken from above as he approaches the vehicle (the photos were from different sightings). The eye-level shot is far more effective in drawing you into the photo as the leopard is staring directly at you.
The Nyelethi 4:3 young male lay on a termite mound close to the vehicle. Shooting at eye-level makes you feel far more connected to the animals if they are staring right back at you out of the photo.
Also the Nyelethi 4:3 young male, but a different sighting. Shooting down from the vehicle, although often necessary, does create that feeling of separation from nature. A way to combat this is to photograph the animal while it is still further away from the vehicle, and then crop the image slightly to fill the frame.
This is a great low angle shot taken of the Golden Maned Majingilane, showing the power by photographing from below. – Photographed by Mike Sutherland
5. Photograph the story
Another thing to remember when photographing wildlife is the old question of zooming in or out. Animals have personalities, and you want to show that which is often done better in a zoomed in picture. But you don’t want to be working really tight with long lenses all the time. You need to show their environment too—habitat says a lot. Back off and use wide-angle lenses to give viewers a sense of where the animals live. Take pictures that tell the story even if the animal is not the subject such as the example below of a track in the sand. Zoom out when telling a story and try to get all subjects in frame that add to that.
Sometimes great pictures arrive without the animal even needing to be there. Fresh leopard tracks in the mud, late afternoon sunlight to generate crisper, longer shadows and a shallow depth of field to set the viewers eye on one particular focal point. f4.5, ISO 400, AWB – Photographed by Rich Laburn
An ambitious cub from the Mhangeni pride debates the wisdom of taking on a large male warthog.
Sparta Pride – This photograph taken by Mike Sutherland ticks a lot of the boxes. You have the low angle therefore capturing the eye contact with the female. Mike was incredibly patient in getting this shot as when he arrived at the sighting the lions where all sleeping with no interation and he know that as it cooled down the cubs would start getting playful. Positioning is very important in a sighting to get the best photographs. this sighting didn’t go as well as planned initially, however when these lions settled metres from our vehicle, it allowed an opportunity to get some creative photographs.
Written by Kate Neill
Your photographs are awesome….
Such beautiful photos! When we were with you in 2012 (just after the big storm) I fell in love with Londolozi and left a little bit of my heart behind. I have followed your blogs ever since and now I am delighted and excited to say that we are returning to you in September and this time we will be staying for 5 nights. I know I’m going to be wishing the year away – can’t wait!
Great tips, Kate. Not only is Londolozi a nature lover’s paradise, but the photographic opportunities are endless. The Mashaba youngster is special to us since we saw her when she was a little baby & follow her through the blogs. Can’t wait to see her in September.
Kate, what a wonderful blog so helpful in getting those special shots we all hope for. Thank you!
Wonderful photographs- as a single traveller, I have often found that the passenger seat next to the driver can offer the best shots-simply because it is the lowest seat and that way the eyes are at the level of the camera
Wonderful story & pictures Kate, thank you.
Excellent photos !!!Story very interesting.THanks for sharing Kate