“Gratitude opens the door to… the power, the wisdom, the creativity of the universe. You open the door through gratitude”- Deepak Chopra
As guides we are so lucky in that we spend a lot of our lives with people that are on their holidays; grateful to be away from the hustle and bustle of the city and grateful for their retreat in the heart of the bush. When I began editing my Week In Pictures this last week, it gave me a chance to reminisce over the amazing things I have seen recently and the people I have spent time with and it filled me with a deep sense of gratitude. I’m grateful for the first real rains, for leopards in beautiful light, for time spent with my favourites, the wild dog, for newborn rhinos, for precious moments spent with family and for all the small joys that come from a week spent in the bush. But as John. F. Kennedy says, “As we express our gratitude we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”
I hope you enjoy my Week in Pictures.
A wild dog pup approaches the vehicle inquisitively. Out of all the predators, these animals always seem to have the least inhibitions when it comes to approaching vehicles. 1/800 @7,1; ISO 800
Three white-backed vultures wrestle for limited space atop a Knobthorn tree. A cheetah had made a kill and the vultures were awaiting their turn to clean up the carcass. 1/2000 @f9: ISO 1000
A baby rhino rests against its mother as she takes a nap. You only realise how tiny a baby rhino is when you see that it is even smaller than it’s mother’s head. 1/400 @f5,6; ISO 1000
The Tatowa females descends a tree against the beautiful backdrop created by the recently set sun. 1/400 @f5; ISO 2500
A baby hyena clambers atop its mother who has just returned to the den. The females will typically be out hunting and scavenging in the evening, returning to suckle their young at day break. 1/400 @f5,6; ISO2500
One of the Matimba male lions lifts his nose into the wind to sniff the scents being carried on the evening air. 1/200 @f5; ISO 3200
The Inyatini male rests next to a pool in the Tugwaan drainage line. The area surrounding this drainage line is dense in vegetation and packed with game, making it ideal territory for a leopard. 1/400 @f5,6; ISO 1250
A wandering hyena is carried back to the den site by its mother. At this young age, they are still very vulnerable and she was carrying it to a safer position. 1/800@f6,3; ISO 1250
An elephant takes a bath as a pair of Egyptian Geese swim by. With the temperatures soaring at the moment, waterholes are being frequented by all manner of animals. 1/800 @f8; ISO 500
Three mature buffalo bulls rest together, unaware of the perfect symmetry they have created. 1/800 @f8; ISO 500
A storm cloud brews over Londolozi at dusk. The sunsets have been remarkably beautiful of late. 1/125 @f5; ISO 200
The Tamboti female snarls at a hyena that has just come too close for comfort. She was stashing an impala in the entanglement of this Gardenia tree, which is what had drawn the hyena into the area. 1/640 @f5,6; ISO 1250
Two buffalo bulls rest on the edge of a waterhole, providing me with the opportunity to capture this rather different angle of their reflection. 1/640 @f8; ISO640
The Mashaba female’s young cub launches herself up a Tamboti tree. This cub is growing up so fast and its been a joy to see her developments over the last few months. 1/500 @f5,6; ISO 1000.
A hyena rests in a waterhole as the temperatures rise. Hyenas and dogs tend to enjoy being in the water far more than the cats. 1/1000 @f9; ISO500
The Kashane male growls at the Ravenscourt young male and an unknown female leopard as they mate. This was a rather remarkable sighting, where father and son competed for mating rights with this particular female. 1/160 @f5,6; ISO 4000
Two giraffe feed close together as the sun rises over a crest on Londolozi. This provided us with an ideal opportunity for a silhouette shot and a perfect way to begin the day. 1/1000 @f6,3; ISO 1000
Written and photographed by Amy Attenborough, Londolozi Ranger
![Hamerkop Diving For Plattana [rcb] (26)](https://media.londolozi.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/10105855/Hamerkop-Diving-for-Plattana-RCB-26-280x178.jpg)
Stunning pics this week Amy. The 3 buffalo bulls are just awesome. A great shot.
Truly spectacular, Amy!
STUNNING photo’s Amy WELL DONE!!
Awesome photos Amy!
Fantastic shots. Hard to list favourites. If I had to pick it would be the hyena carrying her cub, the water buffalo with the horns all aligned and the storm clouds brewing. Thanks Amy.
Beautiful images Amy! I couldn’t pick a favourites…they’re all fantastic!
OMG, once again, the photos are amazing. The lions silhouette outline and the buffalo’s lined up were my fav this week. Always interesting how the camera sees things differently!!
These are outstanding photos and thank you for sharing them with us.
Spectacular pics Amy
Wonderful photos Amy. But to a achieve such a level
Of depth and emotion in words and pictures like these you have to have such an incredible level of love and passion for your work. Well done ☺