The Week in Pictures is a wonderful way to showcase the diversity of wildlife experienced at Londolozi, and the best thing about it, is that no two weeks are ever the same. In fact, no two days are ever the same here, and every game drive is a new opportunity to see and experience something totally different.
The past seven days have undoubtedly made up one of the most memorable weeks of my guiding career thus far. The sightings not only of individual animal species, but of interactions between species, is something that will forever be etched in my mind.
I hope you enjoy the images as much as my guests and I enjoyed these wonderful moments together.
Enjoy this Week in Pictures…
We waited in anticipation as a breeding herd of elephants approached a watering hole at great speed. These animals can drink as much as 120 liters in one day. 1/800 at f6.3 ISO 1600
The scar-nosed Majingilane male has been seen on his own for quite some time now. A few mornings ago was no different. We watched as he roared while patrolling and scent marking through his territory. 1/800 at f6.3, ISO 1600
Giraffes can be challenging to photograph given their sheer size, and because of the tricky habitat they are normally found in. However, close-up shots can reveal incredible detail, like the long hairs on their lips, that may otherwise be missed. 1/3200 at f6.0 ISO 500
A multitude of vultures perch in a series of dead trees, waiting for the pride of lions below to move off from their buffalo kills. The gloomy grey skies made for an appropriate black and white conversion. 1/2000 at f6.0 ISO 500
The king of the skies. A martial eagle flies off from its day-time perching spot after being mobbed relentlessly by a pair of fork-tailed drongos. 1/8000 at f6.3 ISO 1000
The dark-maned Majingilane male photographed at the end of a yawn. Darkness is certainly no reason to pack your camera away. Having an understanding of a few basic in-camera settings could result in you capturing an entirely unique set of images that you never thought you were capable of capturing. The ins and outs of night photography is something we will be featuring in the next few weeks on the Londolozi blog. 1/160 at f2.8 ISO 3200
A Tsalala Breakaway male yawns before getting up and beginning to hunt. This was taken on manual mode, a mode that often terrifies amateur photographers. I’d encourage you to take a look at the camera settings written below though, which help to give you the ball park range of settings used to capture action at night. 1/200 at f2.8 ISO 3200
One of the most incredible moments I have ever witnessed out in the bush! This Majingilane male came running towards us at full speed, trailing an Ntsevu lioness who had stolen a common duiker kill from a leopard moments before. 1/8000 at f5.6 ISO 1800
The remaining Nkoveni cub moves through an open area, being led by its mother to the relative safety of a thicket nearby. 1/6400 at f5.6 ISO 3200
Londolozi's most viewed leopard and prolific mother. This gorgeous female has raised multiple cubs to independence.
The Mhangeni Pride managed to bring down two separate buffalo overnight. We managed to view them the following morning, feeding on what little was left of each carcass. 1/1000 at f6.3 ISO 500
Hunting buffalo is thirsty work. One of the pride females wanders over to a watering hole nearby to quench her thirst. 1/640 at f6.3 ISO 720
It was wonderful to see the Ndzandzeni female again, putting more pressure on her injured back leg. She has been seen on a kill this past week and we’re hoping that it means she’ll be able to make a full recovery. 1/1250 at f5.6 ISO 500
Royal descendant of Mother Leopard lineage. Remarkable single cub success story who overcame injury to continue the royal bloodline.
A Mhangeni pride sub-adult rests on top of a termite mound providing me and my guests with this wonderful eye-level photographic opportunity. 1/640 at f6.0 ISO 6400
Similar to the giraffe, an elephant can be a difficult subject to photograph due to its size. Zooming in and getting close is one way though to reveal amazing textures and detail. 1/3200 at f6.2 ISO 3200
With World Rhino Day having happened this past week, my guests and I aimed to capture an iconic rhino shot with the rising sun in the background. 1/3200 at f5.0 ISO 1600
Arguably one of the most photogenic animals in the bush, the zebra makes for an easy subject to photograph, often lending themselves for great black and white conversions due to their already beautiful contrasts. 1/1000 at f6.3 ISO 1600
The Tailless female cautiously crosses the main channel of the Sand River at sunset on a beautiful afternoon spent with the Tsalala Breakaway Pride. In a few months, this channel will hopefully be flowing strongly as the rainy season approaches. 1/1250 at f5.6 ISO 1600
Perhaps the most memorable of all morning game drives this last week was this one spent following a pack of wild dogs as they sprinted through Londolozi. They are the rarest predator we find in southern Africa and are always incredibly exciting to track. 1/3200 at f6.0 ISO 1600
Stunning pics this week Alister. Lovely to see the tailless Tsalala female. The Magingilane are realy starting to show their age. Great to see them back on Londolozi.
Hi Marinda thank you for commenting. The Majingilane are indeed showing their age, but still doing well to hold such a large territory.
All great photos but especially the one of the male lion at full speed – you have really caught the moment and the look in his eyes says it all……………!
Thank you Gillian. I don’t think I will ever forget that look in his eyes as he ran towards us at full speed.
Thanks Alistait for your magnificent pictures, they are stunning and many thanks for sharing the camera settings, this is super helpful for me amateur photographer! I have a few questions for you: one about the picture featuring the Mhangeni Pride with the buffalo(s): it looks very strange on my screen with stripes that almost like there is a problem with the picture. The other question is about the settings of your camera: I noticed that on many pictures you allow the ISOs to climb (3200) but speed was also very high (typically 1/3200) without any apparent need from the action to shoot so fast: is this deliberate or wouldn’t it have been safer for the picture quality to use lower speed in order to lower the ISOs?
Hi Sylvain thank you for your response. With regards to your first question, I’m not sure as to why you are seeing lines across the image, they certainly shouldn’t be there. With regards to the second question, quite often I am shooting with ISO-Auto, so I am allowing the camera to choose an appropriate ISO level based on the light available in a particular scenario. If the light is fading, the camera chooses higher ISO values, which in turn would result in faster shutter speeds even in situations where a fast shutter speed may not be required. In a situation where a subject is stationary, I will regain control of the ISO myself, choosing a value that is as low as possible, but as high as necessary, and I’ll keep monitoring how it affects my shutter speed. If you’d like me to answer any more questions you might have, please feel free to email me at asti@iafrica.com I’d be happy to answer any others you might have.
oops apologies for the spelling mistake in your name Alister
Beautiful photos Alistair. I especially like the close-up of the elephant trunk. You’ve managed to capture life in the bush in a creative and sensitive manner. Thank you!
Hi Denise. Thank you for those kind words. It means a lot to me. What I love most about photography is exactly that.. being able to capture moments.
Fabulous shot of the Majingilane running toward you! Quick thinking, fast camera actionon your part! Dark-maned one? Whomever he is, he still looks magnificent!
Hi Mary. It was the Scar-nosed Majingilane. It took some quick thinking, but thankfully my guests and I were prepared for the shot, anticipating that it was going to happen.
Wow I never get tired of seeing the Tailless Lioness & the Scar nosed Majingi! Your photos are stunning as always, thank you for sharing 🙂 Have a great weekend
Hi Wendy. Thank you for following my photography so closely. I appreciate your kind words. Have a wonderful weekend as well.
Theses are wonderful photos, both the color and black/white for detail. The lone rhino at sunrise was beautiful but also reminds us of how vulnerable they are. Can you help me understand the number system (Nkoveni 2:2 female and the Ndzanzeni 4:3 female)? Thank you.
Hi Lucie, much like our human fingerprints, all leopards have unique facial markings above the whisker line on either side of the face. The numbers represented in the ratios (2:2) refers to the numbers of spots on either side of the face, two on the right and two on the left. It’s a way in which we identify the territorial leopards here at Londolozi
always look forward to “this week in pictures” Is the Tailless’ cubs still alive? If so, how old are they now?
well done Alistair! loved the photos!
This has got to be one of the best Week in Pictures I’ve ever seen! The two potraits of the Majingilane males are increbile (love the eyes of the scar-nosed one) and so was the wild dog one!! The light on the martial eagle in flight was perfect and the Tailess Female crossing the river was so serene. I really can’t pick a favourite! Really looking forward to the blog on night photogarphy!
Great photos. Especially the one of the Majingilane male running toward you.