Recently I travelled to Londolozi where I experienced an amazing four days of safari. I arrived here expecting and wanting a photographic extravaganza; thousands of photos, the more the better, hoping that the sheer number would ultimately tell the story. How little did I know and how wrong I was. It was ranger Don Heyneke who ultimately changed this for me and in essence said to not just take a photo for the sake of it but rather make sure that the photo you take tells a story. That’s what makes the photo powerful, that’s what gets the message across. I look back at my photos everyday and in a proud way hope I have conveyed that. These are some of those images.
LIONS MATING:
Lions are always special but it was incredible to come across this mating pair on our very first day.
MONKEYS AT FOUNDERS:
On my deck at Founders Camp, a juvenile Vervet monkey found this ashtray fascinating. It spent ages trying to play with it and ultimately trying to bite into it. It all came to an end when he picked it up and it crashed back down onto the glass, scaring him out of his wits.
LEOPARDS, LIONS AND HYENAS:
I had never really seen sheer power and strength like this. Having just killed a kudu calf, this female leopard hoisted it up a tree with such ease and agility. She left it there overnight and we came back to see a whole drama unfold the next morning.
Having eaten most of the carcass, the leopard left in a hurry when two female lions arrived on the scene the next morning. One lioness climbed the tree and removed the remainder off the carcass to eat it on her own. The second lioness hung back until she noticed a female hyena glaring up at the tree, perhaps hoping for something to fall out. The second lioness began stalking the hyena but in the end it managed to make a lucky escape.
BIRDS:
While the large predators were feasting, the birds too were having an equally good time. Water levels are low so fishing is easy and photographing them was also so special.
A red-billed oxpecker sits a top a giraffes back.
A grey heron takes flight.
A yellow-billed stork catches its morning meal.
An African fish eagle takes off.
HERBIVORES:
Amidst all of this there was the majestic and colossal appearance of the big herbivores; some mud bathing and delightfully scratching on any roughened bark surface they could find.
It is also important to remember that none of this would have been possible without Lucky, Cry and Don and all the staff involved in our stay. To them, we are so grateful for the special memories.
Fantastic photographs. We love Londolozi and try to return every year. What camera and lenses did you use to capture these images?
Some cracking photos, for every good leopard photo on Londolozi there is about one good bird photo. I would be very proud of the African Fish Eagle photo. That is very special
Hi Mark, you really hit your target! The pics are amazing and yes, they tell a story! I am going to Londolozi myself in May and this really shows the abundance of wildlife waiting for me. Being a photographer as well, I am getting more and more excited. Do you have a homepage to have a closer look at your work?
Glorious tale of life in the bush at Londolozi. Curious as to the lens used. Must have been larger than 300mm? (My longest length.) All of the photos are incredible and clear.
These are fantastic photos! Thank you for sharing.
Awesome, great job Mark, beautiful photos, very well composed, lit, and post processed – just an amazing well executed photo blog!!
Great photos!!
Don, do not shave their beards.
Love these Nissy – thanks for sharing your talent!
Great photos Mark, thanks for sharing!
http://www.marknissenbaum.com
hi Judy and Jeff
the longest lens I have is a 300mm 2.8 and together with a 70-200mm 2.8 you can do a lot