This week was yet another good week of leopard sightings. Included were kills, mating, cubs and many “regular” sightings of Londolozi’s most well known inhabitants. I also included some more camera settings which I will try and make a weekly addition for those who are interested. As always, enjoy!
We had hoped the Vomba Female may have been pregnant as a result of some previous mating. However, she was seen mating for some time this week with the Marthly Male in and around the Sand River.(Shutter 1/60sec; F2.8; ISO 800; Underexpose 2/3. Despite not being dark quite yet, we used a spotlight in this and the next two shots to add some light. Settings the same for the next two photos)
The source of much of the wear and tear on a female leopard's ears, the Marthly Male bites down on the Vomba Female's neck and ear at the peak of mating.
A blur of spots due to the low light and slow shutter speed, the Marthly Male swipes at the Vomba Female, pushing her face into the ground as he finishes mating. This is most likely a pre-emptive strike, hoping to avoid the blow that usually comes from her at this stage
The Vomba Female leaps across a small channel in the Sand River, in pursuit of the Marthly Male.(Shutter 1/1250sec; F4.5; ISO 500; underexpose 1/3. Good light and a low aperture ensured a fast enough shutter speed to capture the movement)
Marthly Male, instantly recognisable by his torn right ear and brushcut "mane", strides confidently down a game path whilst being mobbed by a swarm of flies. He was seen well south of his normal territory this week, about 3-4km south of the Sand River. After mating with the Vomba Female, he also found time to steal the last of the impala kill made by the Tutlwa Female, featured below.(Shutter 1/250sec; F2.8; ISO 800; underexpose 2/3. Had to use the full range of the lens and drop my aperture to F2.8 in order to get a reasonably sharp image of a moving subject.)
Vomba Female rests on a small island in the Sand River in between bouts of mating. Looking back over her shoulder, she is keeping a keen eye on her mate, the Marthly Male.(Shutter 1/500sec; F2.8; ISO 500; underexpose 1/3)
Technically not a great photo, but finally proof that the Tutlwa female does in fact have a cub! This was my first view and it is still very nervous of vehicles. Rangers have tracked and found the female with two cubs, but at this sighting we only saw one. At this stage we are not sure if the second was just too scared of the vehicle to show itself, or if it has perhaps been killed. This was one of the only times when mom had brought them to kill in an area that we could access with a vehicle. (Shutter 1/400; F3.2; ISO 320; underexpose 2/3)
The Tutlwa Female stares intently into the distance, assessing the danger posed by the fast approaching pack of wild dog. (Shutter 1/640; F4; ISO 320; underexpose 1/3. Also used spot metering)
It's not a leopard, I know! An almost exact replica of the previous shot, except instead of a leopard, wild dogs. Three of the pups and one adult sniff the spot where the Tutlwa female was sitting just moments before. After she had climbed a tree to safety, they soon lost interest and moved off. Fortunately they didn't find her cub(s). (Shutter 1/400; F4; ISO 320; underexpose 1/3. Notice how the shutter speed has decreased for exactly the same photo, just seconds later. This is due to having the camera set on spot metering. With the much darker wild dogs being used to meter light instead of the lighter coloured leopard, the camera has compensated and slowed the shutter to allow more light in.)
After being chased up the ebony tree by the pack, the Tutlwa Female decided she may as well feed on her impala kill. (Shutter 1/400sec; F3.5; ISO 320; overexpose 1/3. Here I overexposed instead of under. This is due to the bright background. If not adjusted for the leopard would have come out almost black.)
The Nyaleti 4:3 Young Male Leopard
The 4:3 Nyaleti Young Male has continued his nomadic existence, being seen in and around camp, south of the Sand River. Here he cautiously circles the entrance to a warthog burrow. His caution is well founded, as it is not uncommon for a warthog to come charging out at a leopard, tusks-first, from their burrow. (Shutter 1/640; F5.6; ISO 200; underexpose 1/3)
The Nyaleti 3:3 Young Female Leopard
The Nyaleti Young Female peers out intently from behind a Magic Guarri bush in the last of the afternoon light. (Shutter 1/400sec; F3.2; ISO500; underexpose 1/3)
The Nyaleti 2:3 Young Male Leopard
The third member of the young Nyaleti trio, the 2:3 Young Male, was also seen this week. He had killed a young nyala and hoisted it up this milkberry tree. As gruesome a sight as it is for us, for the leopard that is a great tasting meal that will sustain him for the next few days. (Shutter 1/640sec; F5.6; ISO 320; underexpose 2/3)
Would be nice to see the variety of animals in the area, rather than just as ‘whats for lunch’!
Hi Claire, you might enjoy our Week in Pictures segment to the blog. You will see a broader variety of animals in the area as opposed to strictly leopards which we put via this post. – http://blog.londolozi.com/category/friday-photography/
Should have added, I love the daily blog, and also the standard of photos, the techie bit, is also very helpful!
Great shots Doyle!
The good news is that the Tutlwa female with both her cubs was found by ranger Melvin Sambo last night to the South of the Sand River, in Londolozi’s western sector. Both cubs apparently looked fit and healthy, although one of the cubs was slightly more nervous of the vehicle than the other, which was probably the reason only one was sighted at her kill in the above series of photos…
what software do you use to post-process/remove noise? what camera do you use (mostly)
debby
Hi Debby,
An easy trick for reducing noise in photoshop is to do the following once you have opened up your image:
Filter
Noise / Reduce Noise
Set strength to around 6 or 7, preserve details to around 50% (depending on your image), reduce color noise around 60% (once again depending on image) and sharpen details to around 30%.
This should give you a basic filter which limits noise on your pictures and gives them a cleaner look and feel. The ratios are all relative and so if you find the above settings really aren’t working, just adjust them accordingly until you find something that works for you.
Let me know how it goes!
Rich
Hi Debbie
I use a Nikon D80 camera and a 80-200mm lens, also Nikon. For procesing, I use Adobe Photoshop CS3. Hope that helps!
We’ll be arriving at Londolozi in 4 weeks. If the photographs posted the past few weeks are indicative of what we might view, it will be amazing. We’re excited to have the opportunity to view these magnificent creatures. We hope to view many others.
Fantastic to hear Ron! As with all safaris, each day is a new mystery and you never know what sightings you will experience. I can assure you, however, that you are visiting at a fantastic time of the year and the game viewing has been brilliant over the last few weeks. Looking forward to sharing your excitement with you and having you in this special place. Thanks for your comments. Rich
Hi Richard
really enjoy my daily visit to the bush although makes me very envious. Reading your camera settings am i correct in assuming you are largely shooting aperture priority and allowing your camera to set shutter speed. Also i find it very interesting you are maximum zoom 200mm. i always figured to get the quality of shots you produce a much longer focal length would be required maybe up to 400mm
Hi Warren
You are 100% correct in that I am shooting on aperture priority. In the end it’s down to personal preference, but it is the one I was first taught and find most useful. It allows you to set aperture, ISO and exposure compensation-taking this into account the camera then automatically sets shutter speed.
On the zoom, we are fortunate enough to be able to view the animals at Londolozi from a relatively close distance, thanks to many years of moving around the animals in a sensitive way, which has allowed them to become relaxed in the presence of vehicles. I chose the 200mm lens mainly due to the ability to have a 2.8 aperture. Many of the animals are active mostly during the cooler hours of the day, which often results in low light conditions. This is where the 2.8 aperture really helps. Anything with a larger focal length and 2.8 aperture is usually very large and heavy, very very expensive and will be a prime lens (i.e it is at a fixed focal length with no ability to zoom in or out.) If you are interested in photographing birds at all though, then in most situations a 200mm will not be sufficient.
I read something exactly similar written by nikhil nagle. Ex citigroup MD… Would it have been the same sighting Sanjana ? His photos were really great too.. Guess u must have learnt from him on this trip.. He sent his travelogue separately to a lot of us on email.. Maybe that should be put up here as well