There are certain iconic pictures that every guide at Londolozi would like to have the opportunity to take at some stage during their time here. Mating leopards, a cub carry, lions crossing the sand river, the list is long! If you spend a few years working here as a guide, odds are you will tick more off that list than not.
However, I was told fairly early on, “It’s wildlife. It doesn’t always do what you want. Make your peace with that now.” Not the most profound advice I’ve ever received, but probably one of the most useful, especially if you’re picking up a camera with high expectations of capturing something award-winning.
As much as we like to picture the perfect sequence playing out in front of us, most of the time it doesn’t. The lions lie down before they reach the river. The leopard chooses the thickest patch of bush. The bird takes off in exactly the wrong direction. Sometimes it works for you, sometimes it doesn’t.
For years, one image I’ve wanted to capture is a male lion shaking his mane in heavy rain — water droplets spraying outwards, frozen mid-air; I mean, is that really too much to ask?! The split second of explosive movement when he whips his head. It’s one of those shots that has slowly built itself up in my mind over time.
A blur of mane as one of the Majingilane prepares to rise.
A few weeks ago, the stars started to align, and I felt like the opportunity might just present itself. In the space of seven days, we received just under our annual rainfall total. The bush was saturated. What once was a road was now a river, and any hope of tracking disappeared. Simply finding animals in those conditions was a challenge in itself.
Lucky for us, the Msuthlu Pride (perhaps sensing our desperation) spent the week in and around our airstrip. While not the big male I dreamed of, it still seemed promising. We spent a fair amount of time with them, watching and waiting. Eventually, one of the sub-adults stood up and gave a shake. I managed a shot with droplets flying. It was a good photograph, and under normal circumstances, I would have been more than satisfied.
But it wasn’t the one I had imagined.
Shortly after, Ranger Brandon Mottram called in a Gjima Male not too far away. Needless to say, we raced over. When we arrived, we found him mating with a Kambula Female – an epic sighting on its own. A big male lion in pouring rain, mane flattened and dripping, focused entirely on one thing.
Still, in the back of my mind, I was waiting for something else. After mating, males often stand up and shake themselves off. In that sort of downpour, it had the potential to be exactly the moment I’d been hoping for. So we waited again.
Eventually, he stood, took a few slow steps forward, and then shook. His mane whipped from side to side, and water sprayed out in every direction, momentarily overpowering the falling rain. I came away with a shot I’m happy with. The droplets are there, the sense of movement is there, and it captures something of the conditions we were sitting in. But it’s still not quite the perfect version that has lived in my head for years.
And that’s wildlife photography. You can anticipate, prepare, and wait patiently, but you can’t control the final outcome. More often than not, things unfold slightly differently from how you’d hoped. Sometimes the difference is small, sometimes it’s enough to mean you’ve missed it entirely.
The rain will come again, and another male will shake his mane somewhere out there. When that happens, you’ll probably find me there, just as hopeful, just as soaked, and just as aware that it might not play out exactly as I’d planned.
A dream I never envisioned, but thanks for the thought…and then the follow thru!!!!
Well, it may be a picture you’re not entirely satisfied with, having another in mind, but it’s fantastic. First the subject- the Gjima male is absolutely spectacular. Then, the power with the mane shook the droplets and the light- all perfect. The photo of the Majingilane, who got it? What a lion as well… Mapogo and Majingilane genes are in many females, Kambula ans Nkuhuma too if I’m not wrong…. among the best in the area… I love the tree with the Three Rivers female fading in the rain. All the other pictures too…
As you know Keagan, it’s not just guides that head out on a drive carrying expectations of capturing that iconic or “perfect” shot – we, your guests, often have conjured up in our creative minds our own amazing shot. No matter the subject, there is always a special/unique image that can be made. So this year my wish list includes viewing Ximungwe’s cubs, and perhaps capturing that iconic “cubs at play” shot. Definitely high expectations!
Great photos, Keagan.
It is sometimes indeed quite difficult- as you said- to take the exact picture you would love to have.
However, sometimes one is so lucky and gets a great photo.
Hi Keagan, your images are stunning especially the male and female lion shaking their heads to get those drops of water flying around. Just being there in the moment is so special. Photography is not easy and the patience that goes into it to sit and wait for the right image is, is time consuming. But in the end it is worth every moment of waiting it out.
I completely understand this feeling of visualizing the perfect picture in your mind’s eye…I am convinced that with your determination, not only this moment will present itself to you, but also something even better that will be captured by you in your unique way!
great photography especially of the gijima male I certainly wouldnt want to be around him when he was angry