Over the past week I have been fortunate enough to guide a family where we could sit in sightings for extended periods of time, discussing each others photographs and what each of us wanted from every shot we snapped. It provided everyone with plenty of amusement when we didn’t quite get anything close to the image we had envisaged. Nonetheless, some great images were captured and more importantly, a heap of great memories were created.
“Photography for me is not looking, it’s feeling. If you can’t feel what you’re looking at, then you’re never going to get others to feel anything when they look at your pictures.” Don McCullin
Everyone had the same goal in mind, ‘something different‘. Sounds easy? Well…This proved to be quite the task as we challenged ourselves for certain compositions, lighting and animals in search of that unique shot. But what we soon discovered was that the ‘something different’ we were seeking was not in the subject we had been aiming for but rather the feeling we created as a group from our shared photographic experience. Even photographing something from the same angle with the same lens, each shot is unique as every image means something different to you as the photographer and people you share that image with. To enjoy photography is to enjoy the memory of taking that image and the memory it makes. Heres to the memories of my final week 0f 2019 and the beginning of TWIP’s 2020.
Enjoy this Week in Pictures…
A juvenile bateleur stares at our lenses from above. Juvenile birds of prey are usually quite relaxed, allowing you to get up close and capture different angles.
After spending the majority of the day resting, the Inyathini male had conserved the energy needed to patrol his territory, roaring into the stillness of the night.
Amongst the thickets this Kudu bull peeks through to have a closer look at a nearby hyena passing by.
A lion cub feeds on the remains of a young buffalo calf. Feeding amongst a pride is always an aggressive process, as evidenced by the sharp claws hooked into his head from another pride member.
Splash of mud. The contrast of mud against the blank skies provided a comparison to a splash of paint on a blank canvas. However, this was provided by the simplicity of an elephant enjoying a mud bath.
Dust and dawn provided the perfect setting to capture this wildebeest staring into the distance.
A Hippo bull makes his presence known. This is to advertise his territory and intimidate any intruders.
The Inyathini male, being seen far west of his original territory. This male has been through an interesting few months as the Senegal Bush and Mawelawela males seem to be pushing him out. Nonetheless, he still looks impressive as he goes on a patrol.
Another leopard who originated in the Kruger National Park, he has established a large territory in the south eastern areas of Londolozi.
Zebras spend a fair amount of time resting in the day, especially in the hot temperatures we have been experiencing lately. An afternoon siesta means one animal remains alert, keeping a watchful eye out for predators.
A white-backed vulture shows its impressive 2.2 meter wingspan as it descended on a day-old hippo carcass.
The Ximungwe young male stares intensely as he waits for his turn to feed, while his mother finishes feeding on an impala ram. They spent the majority of the day up in the branches of a Marula tree while two hyenas lay waiting for scraps at the base.
Up close with a female ostrich as she gives an eye-level stare into the lens, providing us with great entertainment.
The Ximungwe young male leopard stares at a blacksmith lapwing going crazy on the water’s edges, disturbing the peace as he tries to quench his thirst.
This giant plated lizard takes the opportunity to grab a meal of the alates (winged termites) rising from the ground. Giant plated lizards are fairly unique as they are among the few lizards that are omnivores and not strictly carnivores.
Textures; a closer look at a young bull elephant’s ear on a hot summer’s day where the mud it had used to cool its body had now dried.
Full-bellied, this young leopard rests in the late afternoon on a Marula branch.
The Tsalala female’s cub goes for drink between the reeds. Watching the journey of the Tsalala female raising her cub on her own has been quite extraordinary.
A lappet-faced vulture, not a common sighting at Londolozi, is perched on a dead branch awaiting the thermals to facilitate low-energy flying.
A first for me; seeing wilddogs playing around in a pan. As the adults slowly woke up, the pups decided to get playing, eventually resulting in the entire pack cooling off and providing an unbelievable sighting.
A Birmingham male pulls back his top lip in order to send hormones onto the Jacobson’s organ situated on the roof of his mouth in order to detect reproductive status in a female. This facial expression is known as the flehman grimace.
Nice story and best wishes for 2020
Thank you
2020 off to a good start! Wild dog pups having fun!!!
Thanks Vin
Wonderful pictures, interesting blog. You’ve made a great point that it’s not the equipment that makes the image, but the creativity and emotion of the person behind the lens. Shooting with abandon yields snapshots, when in fact it’s more important to take time and wait until the moment is right to push the shutter. Cheers for continuous great sightings.
Definitely agree, Thanks for the comment Denise
Some really fun images this week, Dean! Especially love the kudu, the Tsalala cub, Inyathini at night!
Thank you Mary
Beautiful pix. Some truly wonderful camera angles. Great art!
Thank you Michael
The close-up and personal head shot of the kudu bull was striking.
Thank you Doug
Dean, Thanks for a great group of images! We think you did a great job of trying to find something different. We are with you though on the idea of just sharing the images we each get from the same sightings. Lots of fun when we are “competing” for the best shot or angle. “Hey, get off my leopard!” has been heard many times on our safari vehicle!
Can imagine the tussle when mashaba is found. Thanks for the comment guys.
WOWZA! .. AMAZING!! What a week of pictures! Thank you for sharing them!
Thanks Dean Amazing week
So much fun. Thanks to the Ryan’s
Dean, I especially liked the elephant spraying the mud in the air, great shot!
Thanks Joan, Think it’s my favorite as well.
I like the lappet faced vulture. The fluffy feathers make it looks as though it’s wearing a fur coat.
Very true. Thanks Chelsea
Hi Dean, great selection of pictures as always! Was wondering if you could tell me where the Tsalala Lioness and her cub have been spending time in relation to the Ntsevu Pride? Thanks!
Hi Michael, thanks for the comment. She spends most of her time in and around the sand river. Nstevu are seen further south and central londolozi.
Wonderful photos as always. And it’s really great to be able to follow the animals’ development, like the lion cubs via your blogs.
However, I have been wondering for a long time now, why I don’t get the blogs anymore on my mail account though I have signed up for them at least 20 times?? Okay, I can get to your homepage every day any way, if I want to. And choose some to read. But sometimes I forget and it would be nice to get a daily mail from Londolozi.
Wonderful photos! We yearn to return to Londolozi!