About the Author

James Tyrrell

Alumni

James had hardly touched a camera when he came to Londolozi, but his writing skills that complemented his Honours degree in Zoology meant that he was quickly snapped up by the Londolozi blog team. An environment rich in photographers helped him develop the ...

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4 Comments

on The Internal Conflict of Photography

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James,
I feel your challenge too. Our motto is “pixels are free”, but clearly the editing time is not! The conflict over preserving the moment or being in the moment is a constant challenge for me as you know. Thanks for the reminder!

Amaya Pryce
Guest

Frankly, I have also wondered if the emphasis on photography amongst the guides at Londolozi detracts from their attention to safety and/or awareness of guests. I have only been to Londolozi once, and our guides were not taking photos, so this question is not based on personal experience – merely a concern. What are your thoughts about that?

Very true. I often struggle with the urge to photograph what I see in front of me and I often worry that I’m detaching myself from the experience. But I have learnt to sometimes just watch

For me the primary experience of any wildlife trip is to be in the bosh and experience every moment. Over years I have become more aware of what might happen as we start to understand animal behaviour better, their is an expectation and for me it is to be ready for that special moment to photograph and capture the essence. I don’t want and need to take 5000 images on a trip. I want to experience and be selective, I am hunting the special sighting or perspective. I have often missed great moments being glued to the viewfinder, missing the build up to a special moment. This is were guides can play a big role and help clients understand, make them aware of what is a special moment. There are 1000’s of lion portraits on the net. Let lem take a record shot, but also guide them to experience and build to their special image.

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