ELEPHANT DOOMSDAY

September is a dry month in Amboseli National Park in Kenya. The grass on the plains have disappeared and the elephants have to travel far between the acacia forests on the outskirts of the park and the wetlands in the middle of the reserve. Many breeding herds travel across the open plains daily. The dry conditions during this time of the year creates a spectacle of small whirlwinds that the locals call "dust devils". They usually first appear from 11am onwards when temperatures start to soar. I wanted to capture these dust devils with a significant scene in the foreground, something typical to Amboseli. I tried a number of times but either the dust devils were not strong enough, getting lost in the background, or there were no animals to be seen to anchor the image in the foreground. A few days passed without any success. Then, finally, I got lucky when a breeding herd of elephants returned to the acacia forests after visiting the wetlands, with a series of dust devils as a backdrop.

Elephant doomsday

Amboseli National Park, Kenya

Canon 5D Mark II | Canon 70-200mmf/2.8 | 1/640 sec at f/8, ISO 100

WHITE BUFFALOES

The north of Kenya is wild country. Most of the popular tourism only extends as far north as Samburu National Park. From there the roads get tough, the land gets dry and you might run into some friendly or not-so-friendly tribes. These tribes still live very traditionally, off the land, and have to defend their land and culture from other hostile neighboring tribes.

I recently guided a photographic safari to the north of Kenya where we wanted to photograph this land from a different perspective. From a helicopter we were not only safe but we also got the required unique angle and a great appreciation of how the habitat changes from mountains to savanna bushveld and beautiful rivers. Much of that land also forms part of the Great Rift Valley and from the air it is a fascinating landscape with lakes, craters and streams of solidified lava from as little as ten thousand years ago. It is like seeing geological formation in action.

One morning after photographing the colorful pools of the Magado crater we headed north past the town of Archers Post. This town is known as the border between civilization and the wild country. We wanted to fly along the Usao Nyiro river which is a beautiful shallow river lined with palm trees and lots of birds. Just before we reached the river we saw a herd of buffalo moving towards the river through some thick green vegetation. Most of the buffaloes were almost white, probably from a recent mud bath in the patches of white mud, from sodium carbonate, that were visible in the area. This created a nice contrast to the green vegetation and a perfect opportunity to showcase this unique environment. Party cloudy skies, mountains, river, striking green vegetation with a herd of white buffaloes all contributed towards the scene. The execution was simple, I took out the wide angle lens and after making a few turns in the helicopter over the herd I got the shot.

White buffaloes

Northern Kenya

Canon 1D Mark IV | Canon 16-35mmf/2.8 | 1/400 sec at f/8, ISO 400

STALKING LEOPARD

Like most people, leopards are my favorite animal. Not only do they have the most beautiful coat, but they move graciously and have a magical secrecy about them. They are one of the iconic animals of Africa. I followed a male leopard in the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya while he was on the move and looking for a meal. The Masai Mara is known for its great open plains which is not your most typical habitat for leopards. This leopard had some difficulty moving from one cluster of bushes to the next without giving his position away to a grazing herd of impala. At some stage he was walking down a large grass covered hill, lying down, then stalking, and moving forward slowly again. We positioned our vehicle at the bottom of the hill and were lucky to capture this stalking posture at eye level, as he was moving down.

Stalking leopard

Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

Canon 1D Mark IV | Canon 600mmf/4 | 1/1600 sec at f/5, ISO 800

ELEPHANTS ON FIRE

The last light in Amboseli National Park created a dramatic sunset and perfect backdrop to a herd of elephants returning home after the day's foraging in the marshlands. It is hard not to enjoy every minute spent in this jewel of the African parks. It is a great place to enjoy watching the African elephant as they are scattered all over the plains at the foot of the iconic Mount Kilimanjaro. This evening will be remembered however for my frantic search of a decent photo in anticipation of an approaching dramatic sunset. I was driving along a road that the elephants usually cross on their way home from the plains. I could see a gap in the clouds on the horizon where the last rays of sunlight would peep through and I knew it would be spectacular. I was missing a foreground subject however. Every few meters there were elephant paths crossing the road but there were no elephants in sight. The sun started to light up the clouds in a beautiful red color when my luck turned and I saw a herd of elephants approaching the road a few hundred meters ahead of me. They were in a hurry and I made it just in time to get my photograph of them with the sunset backdrop.

Elephants on fire

Amboseli National Park, Kenya

Canon 5D Mark II | 70-200mmf/2.8 | 1/200 sec at f/5.6, ISO 400

GECKO IN THE DUNES

The fog belt that stretches across the red dunes of the Namibian coastline hides many secrets. This 5 km wide strip off the coast has its own unique climate with morning and evening fog and hosts some unusual creatures: Sidewinders (Peringuey's Adder), FitzSimon's Burrowing Skink, Namaqua Chameleon, Swift Sand-diving Lizard and the Web-footed Gecko (Palmato Gecko) to name but a few. In April 2011 I set out on a photographic mission, to experience and photograph the wonders of the Namibian desert. After discovering the landscape spectacles of the Namibrand and Sossusvlei dunes, I ended up at the town of Swakopmund looking for the little critters I've heard so much about before.

Gecko in the dunes

Swakopmund, Namibia

Canon 1Ds Mark III | Sigma 15mm | 1/80 sec at f/11, ISO 800

With the help of a local guide we spent 4 days driving along the dunes and finding everything from scorpions, sidewinders, gecko's, chameleons and beetles. One of my photographic objectives was to capture the essence of the web-footed gecko. I was inspired by photographs of this little critter I've seen from Heinrich van den Berg. The geckos name originates from the web between their toes and is now known as the "palmato gecko". I still prefer "web-footed gecko". They are nocturnal with a beautiful light pink and blue translucent skin. Sunlight would kill them instantly so in the daytime they hide in the sand, about two feet under the surface. Early in the morning you still find them out on the dunes hunting for prey when there is fog. This usually only clears by 9am in the summer months. When they encounter any threat, like humans, their only defense is to run away.


I had a specific shot in mind. One where the gecko has a striking curved posture but where it also shows the environment they occur in. This required ultra wide angle portrait shots. I was faced with two problems: The fist is that the web-footed gecko is surprisingly small, only about 4cm long. This meant that if I wanted the gecko to appear large in my frame using an ultra wide lens, I had to get extremely close to it. All of my ultra wide lenses, the Canon 16-35mmf/2.8, Canon 10-22mmf/3.5 and the Nikon 14-24mmf/2.8 have a minimum focus distance that is too far, at around 25 millimeters. If I had the gecko in focus at the minimum focus distance it would result in it being too small in the frame. The solution was borrowing the Sigma 15mm fish-eye lens from a friend, with a minimum focus distance of a mere 15 millimeters. That is such a great lens and a pity it is not made anymore. Finding one second hand is almost impossible.


The second problem I was faced with was that I had to find a gecko specimen willing to be photographed at such a short distance, in the right location for the perfect backdrop, and with the perfectly curved posture. The answer to this was, of course, four days of trekking geckos across the dunes, multiple shots, multiple angles and cleaning a lot of sand grains off my equipment until I got the perfect shot that I had envisaged. There are many things I believe can be improved about this photograph, and I believe it's important never to feel too complacent about your results, but the four days of fun trying to capture the perfect frame was the prize for me.


This image won the April leg of a major South African wildlife photographic competition.

STEENBOK

Steenbok is one of my favorite antelopes. They are usually solitary, very alert and always offers one a nice photo opportunity when you drive past them. They would turn around and look at you with those beautiful big ears pointed right back at you. Usually you only have a few seconds to get the shot before they would disappear into the distance after realizing what you are. I was looking to photograph a steenbok in a complimenting natural environment. In the Okavango Delta in Botswana I found my moment when I saw a Steenbok in the beautiful golden light standing in the tall grass. I loved how he was camouflaged in the golden grass, complimenting his color. I had to be quick, grabbing a few photographs before he did disappear into the long grass.

Steenbok

Okavango Delta, Botswana

Canon 1D Mark IV | 600mmf/4 | 1/1250 sec at f/4, ISO 400

BAT-EARED FOX PUPS

I was fortune to have found a bat-eared fox den right next to the road in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park one Summer. There were five pups in the den but they were of course very skittish and afraid of vehicles. I would return day after day to look for them, and realized that the only time I would get to see them were early morning and late afternoon, and only when it was very cloudy and dark – not the ideal conditions for photography. One cloudy afternoon I waited next to the den and hoped that my fortunes would change. Three of the pups were sitting outside, right at the entrance to the den, but the sun was behind thick clouds again. With nothing better to do I reached for my lens and took a few photos. My effort got rewarded when the sun suddenly appeared through the only hole in the clouds, providing stunning afternoon light for a brief moment.

Bat-eared fox pups

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa

Canon 5D Mark II | 600mmf/4 | 1/800 sec at f/8, ISO 800

This photo was featured in an online blog about me by the South African National Parks

PROMISE OF RAIN

A rainbow promises rain to a barren landscape where waves of tawny grass splashes onto the granite of the Nubib Mountains. This is a place where its beauty and breathtaking splendor is matched only by its sense of tranquility. This is the Namibrand.

Promise of rain

Namibrand, Namibia

Canon 5D Mark II | 16-35mmf/2.8 | 2.5sec at f/11, ISO 100

INTO THE STORM

The Kalahari desert can be a tough place to live in, especially in the dry season. Food and water is scares and the animals have to tolerate daytime temperates in excess of 40 degrees celsius. Wildebeest often hang around the waterholes from 9:30 in the mornings forcing their way in between the other wildebeest to get a few sips of this precious liquid. During September month the animals also have to endure the sweeping winds and combined with the dry conditions this creates bowls of dust. These are so thick and frequent that an entire herd of wildebeest can disappear in a matter of seconds. This wildebeest was falling behind as he was following his herd back from their drinking stint. A sudden burst of dust made his herd vanish before his eyes completely. This had bewildered him and he tried to catch up, heading into the dust storm.

Into the storm

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa

Canon 1D Mark II N | 600mmf/4 | 1/2000sec at f/8, ISO 400

This photograph was chosen as part of National Geographic's Daily Dozen by the editor on 23 March 2012.

NABUYATOM CRATER

Lake Turkana, appropriately nicknamed 'The Jade Sea', is the world's largest alkaline lake. The emerald green water has captivated explorers throughout the last few centuries. The lake stretches from the north of Kenya deep into Ethiopia. It is wild country up there and very difficult to get to via land. You might just encounter some hostile tribes that still roam free in that part of the world. From the air there is not much wildlife to see, but flying in the Great Rift Valley and up to the southern shores of the lake is truly fascinating - it's like seeing geology in action! On the southern shore of the lake is of course the iconic Nabuyatom Crater, and somewhere down there, maybe at the bottom of the lake, is a Lee Filter Holder and Circular Polarizer for anyone who dares to find it!

Nabuyatom Crater

Lake Turkana, Kenya

Canon 1D Mark IV | 16-35mmf/2.8 | 1/250sec at f/8, ISO 640

MALACHITE EXIT

Everyone will agree that Malachite Kingfisher is one of the most strikingly colorful birds in Southern Africa. I remember how I desperately wanted to have a decent photograph of this little bird a few years ago. I searched long and hard before I found my first one, on the causeway at Marievale Bird Sanctuary. It was very skittish and there were no chance of photographing it, but I was extremely excited just to have seen it! After many travels I started seeing them more often, in the Kruger National Park, Rietvlei Dam Nature Reserve and again at Marievale Bird Sanctuary. Unfortunately I only managed to get some average portrait shots until eventually I started seeing them more often at Marievale. I went there regularly in the mornings, met and shared countless flasks of coffee with new photography friends. It proved to be the best place to photograph these beautiful little birds!

Malachite exit

Marievale Bird Sanctuary, South Africa

Canon 1D Mark II N | 600mmf/4 | 1/4000sec at f/8, ISO 800

MORNING FOOD

Kudu is perhaps one the most elegant antelope in Africa. They are leaf eaters and despite its thorns, the acacia tree with its soft small green leaves is a favorite. I found this female kudu enjoying the leaves of an acacia that had been washed clean by the morning's rain. The dark bushes behind her provided the perfect backdrop to accentuate the expression on the kudu's face and the freshness of the leaves.

Morning food

Mashatu Game Reserve, Botswana

Canon 1D Mark III | 600mmf/4 + 1.4tc | 1/250sec at f/8, ISO 1250

FRESH

Water means life, and this is especially true in the dry regions of Southern Africa. The Etosha National Park in Namibia is often associated with dry arid landscapes. During two months of good summer rainfall however, the landscape is transformed into a green paradise. A herd of springbok were grazing on the open plains close to Gemsbokvlakte waterhole when the setting sun illuminated the drizzling clouds on the horizon in a beautiful orange colour.

Fresh

Etosha National Park, Namibia

Canon 1D Mark III | EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM | 1/160sec at f/5.6, ISO 400

This photo won Earth Shots Photo of the Day Contest

BEFORE THE STORM

Having visited the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya on numerous occasions, the plan for this photographic safari was to capture unique and unusual images of elephants. Famous for big skies and open rolling landscapes, the Masai Mara lends itself to spectacular sightings of nature in its wildest form. We were lucky to find a herd of breeding elephants walking across the plains with an approaching thunderstorm as the perfect backdrop to capture a mesmerizing moment in time.

Elephant mother and calf

Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

Canon 1D Mark III | EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM | 1/400sec at f/11, ISO 640

RICHTERSVELD NIGHT SKY

The Richtersveld is an arid and very remote area in Southern Africa, hundreds of kilometers away from any big town. It's a magical place where the stars on a moonless night are so bright that they cast a shadow underneath you. Advances in digital cameras enables us to capture the stars very clearly. The bright milky way and iconic quiver tree of this region made a great composition to capture the unique spirit of this place.

Richtersveld night sky

Richtersveld Transfrontier Park, South Africa

Nikon D3 | 14-24mmf/2.8 | 25 sec at f/2.8, ISO 3200

This photograph was chosen as a highly commended image in the prestigious Nature's Best photography competition 2011 and also won the creative category of South African National Park's Captured Experiences competition 2011.

FIGHTING SKIMMERS

African skimmers were common in Southern Africa, but their numbers have dropped significantly in the last few decades. This is mainly due to the fact that they are very sensitive to human disturbance, especially close to the sandbanks in the rivers on which they breed. I've made the 3200km roundtrip from Pretoria to Northern Botswana a number of times in the last few years to photograph these elegant birds. My vision have always been to capture special behavior, especially defending territory or fighting over a mate. In the afternoon skimmers mostly become active only when the sun is about to set and the light is low. My favorite shot from all these trips was taken one afternoon when one skimmer was defending its territory from another. The sun had just dropped below the horizon and there was little light to work with. I used flash to add a bit of light.

Skimmer agression

Okavango Delta, Botswana

Canon 1D Mark III | 600mmf/4 | 1/100 sec at f/11, ISO 100

This photograph won the Earthshots.org photo of the day contest on 19 September 2011.

DESERT SPRINTERS

The springbok is commonly known as one of the fastest antelope in Africa. It was a cloudy morning in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in South Africa when a pride of lions casually walked across a dry riverbed. I could see that they had recently eaten and were probably not interested in hunting for food at that stage. They did however spook a group of springbok that were grazing in that riverbed. The springbok did not take any chances and ran away to maintain a safe distance from the lions. I wanted to capture the running springbok with a sense of movement to accentuate this characteristic of the species.

Desert sprinters

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa

Canon 5D Mark II | 600mmf/4 + 1.4tc | 1/20 sec at f/36, ISO 250

This photograph won the Earthshots.org photo of the day contest on 28 August 2011.

LENS CLEANER

Namibia is a very special and unique place for photographing the wonders of the natural world. One of these wonders are the life found in the coastal dune belt between the towns of Walvisbay and Swakopmund. Life had evolved a little differently there compared to the species found in the rest of the dunes and deserts in Namibia. At these costal dunes, the warm desert air meets the cold air of the Atlantic ocean, creating a dense layer of mist almost every morning until about 9 AM. This layer of mist only stretches about 5 kilometers inland and creates a very unique environment. Here, in the apparently barren landscape you can find hidden life in the form of Sidewinders (Peringuey's Adder), FitzSimon's Burrowing Skink, Namaqua Chameleon, Swift Sand-diving Lizard and the Web-footed Gecko (Palmato Gecko).

Web-footed Gecko

Swakopmund, Namibia

Canon 1D Mark IV | Sigma 150mm Macro | 1/50 sec at f/16, ISO 400

This photograph was featured as one of Life's top 100 photos of 2011 and also won the Earthshots.org photo of the day contest on 28 June 2011.

NEGOTIATING THE MARA RIVER

Crossing the Mara river is the most dangerous time for the 1.5 million wildebeest that migrate over the grass plains of East Africa. Not only is the river full of big hungry crocodiles but it is also deep and fast flowing. Many wildebeest die from drowning or swallowing water. During a large river crossing some sort of frenzy starts where the wildebeest get bewildered, often jumping straight into the water from high cliffs, sometimes even on top of each other. I tried to capture the mood and different approach each one has to enter the water.

Jumping wildebeest

Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

Nikon D3s | 200-400mmf/4 | 1/640 sec at f/8, ISO 800

This photo is part of portfolio of mine on the Masai Mara in Kenya featured in a leading South African outdoor magazine Weg/Go!

FROZEN

With fast moving subjects like birds in flight, you need fast shutter speeds of around 1/2000 of a second to capture the subject sharp and freeze the moment. I do this either with manual settings or on aperture priority. I pick my aperture value according to the depth of field that I require and then adjust my ISO value until it renders the desired shutter speed. I used this train of thought when photographing this red-billed teal. I followed the bird through my viewfinder as it was coming in to land, and as it dropped below the horizon I started pressing the shutter. Afterwards I was pleasantly surprised to see that I had captured a frame at the exactly moment where he had touched down onto the water, right before any ripples were visible in the water.

Frozen

Marievale Bird Sanctuary, South Africa

Canon 1D Mark III | 600mmf/4 + 1.4tc | 1/2500sec at f/8, ISO 800

This photograph was one of six I was fortunate enough to get placed as highly commended in the 2009 Fuji Getaway Wildlife Awards.