In light of Christmas Day tomorrow, we have centred this Week in Pictures around everything to do with amazing light. Light is everything in photography and is able to transform a scene depending on which angle you view it from and how you use the light to bring about the creative side of photography.
We focus our attention on all that light can do this week and the results are spectacular. Sunsets, sunrises, silhouettes all play a part in the many sightings of rhino, giraffes, elephants, crocodiles, impala, birdlife, and of course lions and leopards.
We wish you a very Merry Christmas Eve and have a magnificent Christmas Day tomorrow.
Enjoy this Festive Week in Pictures…
This photograph was taken mid-afternoon with a beam of light breaking through the trees highlighting its face. Through a bit of editing, it could transform the image completely.
Licking his lips the Ximungwe Young Male glances up towards his mother in th branches of a nearby tree. The light illuminating a glint in his eye.
Little Bee-eaters always catch the eye and can keep birders entertained for ages along the river banks as they duck and dive, hunting insects on the wing.
Humans are fascinated by the setting sun, even though it will likely rise and set again tomorrow. I think this stems from the beauty, hope and calm that sunsets bring.
A hyena crosses the dry Manyelethi River Bed as the sun sets, casting a golden hue across the scene.
This image of the Ximungwe Female has been used before, but because it is such a fitting image we have put it back in for this week’s display of amazing light.
Silhouetted against a dramatic cloudy sunset, a large giraffe bull has a very different appearance as to the image below where the lighting is completely different.
With the sun having set, the colours in the sky changed from orange, gold and yellow to purples, blues, and pinks.
Backlit by the sun as this large bull grazes on the new grass growth. The new inflorescences shining bright gold around his feet.
A Ntsevu Breakaway Male has his face lit up by the early morning light.
A bird associated with the buzz of summer, their distinctive call echoes throughout the reserve at the moment. A Woodland Kingfisher keeps a beady eye out for any potential prey.
Eye to eye at sunset with one of Africa’s apex predators; the Nile Crocodile.
Peacefully resting under a marula tree on an open crest. It was while we were stopped here that we heard the distant calls of male lions emanating from the hills beyond.
The bright colouration of a Lilac-breasted Roller is really brought out by the dark green tones of summer.
Clouds roll across the distant horizon as the last few beams of light break through silhouetting a yawning lioness.
A cluster of Plumbago flowers with a shallow depth of field allows for a handful to be in focus while the rest fade into the dark shadows in the background.
Glancing over her right shoulder towards us in the vehicle, the Tsalala Female has been doing particularly well by herself.
As a large elephant bull walks past the vehicle, an opportunity to capture an image of its textured skin presented itself. The creases and wrinkles in the skin add such detail.
best wishes to all of you and looking forward to more great pictures
Guido, dina
Thank you so much, Dina. Seasons Greetings to you too.
I have loved all your posts this year but especially ‘The Week in Pictures’. I grew up in East Africa and miss it but your posts bring it all back to me daily. Wonderful. I wish you all a very Happy Christmas and all the best in 2022.
Thank you so much, Sue. I am so glad that these posts bring you so much joy, they are such fun to compile. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We also wish you the very best in 2022.
Sean and team, Thanks for a spectacular set of images! The focus on “light” is just perfect for the holiday! Merry Christmas to all – wish we were there to celebrate with you!
Thank you so much, Michael and Terri. Merry Christmas to you too. Hopefully you will be able to be with us to celebrate soon.
Wonderful images full of spiritual light to celebrate nature’s nativity! This is a Christmas gift and we appreciate it a lot. Merry Christmas to you all!
Thank you so much, Francesca. Merry Christmas to you too. May 2022 be full of many blessings for you.
Hi Sean, this week’s foto with the light affects are absolutely stunning. Each and every foto is unique and displays the light beautiful. The three birds are so colorful. Loved the foto of the rhino with the light shining at his feet. Merry Christmas to you Sean, and all at Londolozi.
Thank you so much, Valmai. Merry Christmas to you too Valmai. Habe an amazing time and all the best for 2022.
Cheers to you all and the magnificent creatures you’re surrounded by for a bountiful 2022!
Thank you so much, Anita. May 2022 be filled with many blessings for you too.
Lighting and composition are the most important elements in photography and you’ve assembled some beautiful examples of the natural light that nature brings. At Christmas time , lights are a predominant theme, decorating trees, houses, shops… but the light in the wilderness/bush is by far the most special. Thank you and your team for gifting us with the most special images each day, lit by only the special glow of Africa. Cheers!!
Thank you, Denise. Lighting is everything in photography. I am glad that this showcase of how lighting can change things worked out.
Hello Sean, Fantastic pictures! The Ximungwe Young Male and the Nile Crocodile I liked very much. Thank you for sharing.
Wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! All the best for 2022!
Thank you so much, Ann. Merry Christmas to you too and a Happy New Year.
Brilliant photos!
Thanks for all the photos you have shared all year round
Thank you so much, Christa. And thank you for following everything so closely. We look forward to sharing more this year.
Sean some absolutely amazing pics in this lot. Although I am not a croc fan, the pic was excellent. Absolutely could not pick a fvourite. I have to say that you have the most fantastic sunsets over there. My favourites are sunrise and sunset. Thank you for sharing with us. All the very best to you all at Londolozi.
Thank you, Leonie. There were some great pics in this TWIP, and I do agree our sunrises and sunsets are spectacular. All the best to you too for 2022.
Dear Sean, Again a superb selection of photographs and I would like to wish you and your lovely Wife and son a superb new Year and many bush blessings in Londolozi. One question: How often do you have sightings of Yellow-Billed Kites. We are worried that they have declined in numbers. We certainly do not see them here between Pretoria and Brits anymore. Best wishes Elme
Thank you so much for your blessings Elme. I hope the festive season has been amazing for you and your loved ones.
As far as I am aware their numbers have been fairly constant around here. I will do some digging and ask around and see if anyone else has noticed their numbers dropping. That is rather sad that you are no longer seeing them around Pretoria and Brits.
They are migrants that should return between July and August. I will let you know if I find out anything. Best wishes.
Stunning mixture of photos with the accent on light Sean !!! Have to say the first Rhino shot takes the prize. Quite magnificent 💗💗. Though now far behind us I take this opportunity to wish you all a belated Merry Christmas and for the now…A peaceful, healthy new year to come, filled with much love, light and laughter 🙏🏻💞
Thank you so much, Cally.A very Merry Christmas to you to and Happy New Year. May it be filled with many many blessings.