Another week in the Londolozi wilderness has come and gone, and as we continue through the heart of winter, the reserve seems to offer up some of the finest conditions for photography. The mornings are crisp, the vegetation continues to thin, and the soft winter sunlight creates a quality of light that is hard to beat. There is something about the gentle warmth of the early morning and late afternoon sun that seems to bring a little more depth and character to every subject in front of the lens.
This week, we focused particularly on the leopards, with a bit of a mission to find images that would lend themselves well to black and white. Their naturally patterned coats, expressive faces and the often dramatic environments they move through make them such rewarding subjects for this style of photography. Removing colour can sometimes strip an image back to its most important elements, allowing texture, light and expression to take centre stage.
Of course, as is always the case out here, the leopards weren’t the only subjects willing to play along. There was a little bit of variety scattered throughout the week, with plenty of other photographic opportunities along the way.
Here are a few of my favourite moments from another week spent behind the lens in the Londolozi wilderness.
Let me know in the comments which ones you like the most!
Enjoy This Week In Pictures…
A lovely sighting of a trio of Klipspringer pose atop a large boulder on the western side of Ximpalapala koppie – both adults stand on either side of their youngster.
The Makomsava Female pauses briefly during a territorial patrol during the deepening evening twilight.
The only surviving cub of the Nanga female, currently territorial northern Marthly. Currently denning north of boundary
A lioness from the Kambula pride glances back to see how far the rest of the pride was behind her.
The Nkoveni Female watches a lone impala ram moving through the bush willow thickets ahead. Assessing the chances of her next meal.
Londolozi's most viewed leopard and prolific mother. This gorgeous female has raised multiple cubs to independence.
The Makatini Female cheetah glances in the direction she had heard a distant hyena calling. We watched her successfully stalk and catch an impala right outside of camp.
An unexpected encounter with this Pearl-spotted Owlet perching atop a dead Marula stump in the perfect morning light.
The dark-maned Gijima male sits up after hearing another lion roaring many kilometres away.
The Ximungwe Female keeps a low profile on top of a small termite mound. Blending in so well, making her almost impossible to see from a distance.
Having been viewed by vehicles from an early age, this leopard is supremely relaxed around Land Rovers.
A tiny Rhino calf crosses the dirt track in front of us, her mother in tow.
The Xinkhova Female gives a big stretch after a long nap on the comfy trunk of a fallen Jackalberry tree. Once again, patience rewarded us!
Born 2021, daughter of Nkoveni. Young dynamo actively claiming territory near camps, showing promise as next generation's dominant female.
My personal favourite from this week. One of the Nkoveni Female’s newest cubs peeks out as from their den.
The Nkoveni Female glances over to her left during a territorial patrol in the most gorgeous morning light.
A big yawn from the Xinkhova Female. I enjoyed how the soft dappled light was lighting up only her face and chest, placing a lot more emphasis on the main subject matter.
A herd of elephant walk across a large open area towards a series of mud wallows.
Sometimes it’s simply the small details that do it for me.
When I got my first camera many years ago, long before I dreamt of photographing leopards, hiking out into beautiful places to capture scenes like this was how I spent a lot of time behind the lens.
What an incredibly rewarding way to spend the last moments of the day with this beautiful female leopard after a tough search. The Makomsava Female.
One of the Gijima Males walks across an open, short grassy area in some dreamy lighting conditions one morning.
One of Nkoveni female’s cubs gets quite inquisitive and comes to get a better look at us. This one is a lot more confident than the other one in the photo above.
A morning coffee stop along a steep bank of the Sand River provided some excellent opportunities to photograph a colony of White-fronted Bee-eaters.
The beautiful Tinxiya Female sits on her haunches, listening to the sounds around her.
A confident and curious young leopard, that is nearing independence after a remarkable start to life alongside her resilient mother.
This was our first view of one of the Nkoveni Female’s cubs at their newly discovered den.
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on The Week in Pictures #770