Cheryl is a frequent repeat guest that initially crafted her trips to Londolozi as a part of a six-day photographically orientated trip led by Londolozi alumni ranger Ryan Hilton. It is clear that this stimulated a love for African wildlife and is key in her returning at least once a year.
“The trips with Ryan were designed to achieve the perfect blend of shots you know you want and add creative and maybe lesser-known vantage points to fine-tune the level of expertise. My desire was to not only capture memories but to develop the “photographer’s eye” at an accelerated pace through hands-on participation with a skilful and experienced photographer.”
“Every year I try to build on my personal portfolio with a diverse body of work. By pre-visualizing, composing, exposing, and conceptualizing a wildlife photo one hopes to capture an image that that depicts motion and emotion under varying lighting conditions.”
“Wild dogs are not commonly seen, as well as cheetahs in the bush. On the first evening game drive, we found a pack of wild dogs and on the following morning game drive we came upon a female cheetah and her sub-adult perched on an abandoned termite mound. Photography perfection!”
“Our week was filled with excellent sightings of leopards, leopard cubs, lions, elephants, zebras, jackals, hyenas, specific bird species, cheetahs and wild dogs. With each wildlife contact, the goal was to avoid getting just another “stock” photo. Instead, my goals included getting an eye-level perspective point of view, capturing wildlife “actions” or interactions even if the animal was not in action, and confirming that with each image the animal’s eye was in crisp focus while maintaining ideal composition. A good photo to me was an image that communicates something that words cannot.”
“Africa is the big show, and Londolozi is the ultimate nature and wildlife photo expedition.”
Enjoy this selection of images by Cheryl…
The rarely-seen Ntsumi Female leopard settled comfortably on a termite mound as a hyena lingered by. In 18 years of being a Ranger at Londolozi, our ranger Alfred Mathebula had never seen this leopard in the bush. It was an unforgettable moment for him and the guests.
This female was born in the Sabi Sabi camps and became territorial in central Shaws, after inheriting a piece of her mother's territory.
As a photographer, the “money shot” can be to photograph a three-month-old leopard cub exploring mostly hidden deep in the grasses. While remarkable in colour, it’s even more ethereal as a black-and-white photograph.
A pack of dogs suddenly awake at the site of an impala herd wandering nearby. This wild dog needed a good post-nap stretch before the hunt begins.
The Three Rivers Young Male wanders off to explore climbing trees and pauses for a pose in the morning light.
Somewhat skittish after becoming independent, he is an impressive young male with a rich golden coat.
One of the must-have photos for a photographer’s portfolio is the “look back” of a Cheetah moving through the grasses. Always aware of their surroundings for potential predators, waiting for this photo moment requires patience and perseverance.
As the African Fish Eagle pauses for a brief moment to scan for feeding opportunities, a photographer must act quickly to seize the opportunity in challenging lighting conditions.
As the celebrated Mashaba Female rests on a log, it is not lost that her relaxed nature gives us an opportunity to look at her many battle scars of survival.
The Mashaba female is currently Londolozi’s best-known leopard. Her relaxed nature means she is comfortable around the vehicles.
One of the most famous leopards in the world is the Mashaba female. Here she is looking for her cubs from a higher perspective. At 14 years old, she is nearly her time making moment with her invaluable.
This 1:1 close-up of Zebras intertwined gives the viewer an intimate perspective of how a zebra “hug” is actually restful while equally giving both animals a 360-degree of their surrounding.
On our first morning game drive, we approached an old termite mound to find a sceptical, yet fearless cheetah directly staring into our camera’s eye.
While there are plenty of opportunities to see and photograph elephants, this close-up of elephants intertwining becomes living art.
In the early morning light, the Avoca Male Lion stops to gaze into the territory that he protects on a daily basis.
A leopard cub glancing up toward the higher branches of a tree, plotting which is the best route up.
Cheetah sitting up sunset. While this cheetah is enjoying the warmth of the setting sun, there is always an instinct to gain elevation to scan for any threats.
The gorgeous Ximungwe Young Male before he became known as the Ntomi Male.
A single cub of the Ximungwe Female's second litter. Initially rather skittish but is very relaxed now. Birth mark in his left eye.
One of the most difficult animals to photograph is the Jackal, as it’s constantly on the move. All jackals are opportunistic omnivores and predators of small to medium-sized animals as well as proficient scavengers.
One animal in the bush that loves being a model for a profile photo is the magnificent zebra. If you wait long enough for their skittish nature to subside, you can catch this nonchalant pose.
The Nhlanguleni Female leopard has private playtime with her three-month-old cub. No other Safari vehicle was present, so this special intimate moment was shared only with our vehicle.
Initially skittish she spent a lot of time in the Sand River, now relaxed she makes up the majority of leopard viewing west of camp.
The regal and impressive side profile of one of the Northern Avoca Males.
These photographs are awesome. I am not even trying to pick a favourite as they all are so beautiful.
Thank you for you interesting back story and whilst I don’t have the opportunity to visit every year, I make the most of each day when I am there. Like you, I try to plan ahead for what I’m looking for in a wildlife encounter: visualizing the end result while looking for the best composition available, be ready for exposure changes, and look for a story.
Your photos are fantastic and I appreciate your setting information. I assume you were using a 100-400mm lens for many of your images, so you achieved good closeups.
A Complication of exquisite photos captured! Thank you for sharing! Especially loved the Leopard cub looking up and the elephants interacting.
Fantastic photos. I love the light in these pictures and, of course, the “actors” all my favorites.
Simply charming and unique! Leopards are the most expressive African animals, you get never enough of their pictures, I was delighted by all. I realised for the first time how old the Mashaba female really looks, this saddened me a bit. I was hoping she may have a last litter. Simply magnificent. Also cheetah, zebras are so beautiful, elephants and the Avoca male is magnificent. A rare picture of a jackal and the only bird is imposing. Did you ever see servals or caracal? Or otters. I guess that they are not easy to be detected among so many large predators. Bravo
Great collection, Cheryl. And how wonderful to be able to make an annual trip to develop your craft.
My favorite of your photos is the profile of the Northern Avoco Male. I like the way the dry grass mimics the hair of his mane.
Cheryl Grace’s photos are the reason a safari is the ultimate trip. To experience the sightings and capture them so beautifully is remarkable. Thanks Sean and Cheryl for sharing.
Ryan is an exceptional teacher & photographer. I have been fortunate to have ny skills enhanced over multiple visits with different rangers. My latest images are so much better than my earlier ones.
Sounds like we’ve followed the same trajectory beginning with JV and Nick Kleer thru Kyle Gordon and Prof .. great images!
Fantastic foto’s and they are all beautifully positioned. Variety of animals makes it so special. What lens did you use on your camera.
Stunning photos. Every one! So jealous and appreciative she shared!
Lovely photos! I couldn’t pick a favorite 🤩
Superb photographs
Cheryl, Thanks so much for sharing your fabulous images! We were excited to hear that our friend Ryan “the lion” Hilton helped you plan your trip. He’s an amazing photographer! We especially liked your shot of the cub looking up at the tree and added it to our favorites! We can’t wait to get back to Londolozi!
This collection of photos is breathtaking – I was blown away at every one of them. It’s difficult to pick favourites they are all so incredible. However, I was truly struck by the poignancy of the two solo pictures of the leopard cub – those photos truly captured the vulnerability, and yet the hope that these little creatures embody.
I found the lighting in the photo of the Avoca Male surveying territory and the zebra in the shrubs absolutely out of this world. These photos truly inspired an emotional response, and I thank Cheryl so much for sharing the results of her passion and perseverence! Amazing!
Wonderful photos! And Londolozi is the perfect place to learn photography and refine and practice as often as possible!
Cheryl is not only a frequent guest, from her viewpoints, it looks like she would be happiest living right in and among the animals1 (Well, not in, exactly, because then she wouldn’t be living!😉