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Safari Destinations with Edward Selfe Photo Safaris – South Luangwa

During these strange and unpredictable times, many of us are taking the chance of an enforced break to begin some of those tasks that are forever put off into the future. Some of them are recreational - such as taking up an instrument, learning a foreign language or trying a new sports activity - and some are work-related. I have several projects that I have wanted to do for some time and (amid the sadness of [...]

Wildlife: Hyaenas in all their glory….

A penny for the number of times that the word "unprecedented" has been used in recent weeks....! However, current global circumstances certainly justify that description; there is no blueprint, no prior experience to draw on (except for the recent experiences of other nations) and certainly no one to consult. This makes for very worrying times where Google doesn't have the answers and there is no way of buying a solution. I hope that you are all [...]

Photo Safari Skills: Go Through Your Archives

Zambia has reached double-digit cases of COVID-19. While the progression of the virus appears to be slow here, the testing and reporting capabilities are perhaps less developed than in Europe, so it is suspected that there are more going undetected. Of course, these undetected cases are the most dangerous as they drive the fastest spread. We are following and supporting the government's measures to control the virus, which currently include a ban on non-essential journeys and [...]

Wildlife: For the Love of Lions

These are totally unknown times. We are all trying to reconcile our responsibilities to each other as inhabitants of this planet with what we need personally and for our families. These two things may well coincide, but there are areas where the temptation to diverge is strong. We all have to remember that this will pass. And it will pass more quickly and with less disruption if we follow the guidelines that are being shared by [...]

Tour Info: Corona Virus Outbreak 2020

There will be few people on Earth who have avoided the impact of COVID-19 in some way; families, businesses, stock markets and governments have been affected by the disease as it has swept across the world. The speed with which is has infected nearly every country has been horrifying, and there is no clear end in sight. Travellers have been particularly hard hit. Responding to the spread of infection, governments have implemented regional or nationwide lock-downs [...]

Wildlife: Some wonderful elephant encounters

The world is currently full of concerns about corona virus, and rightly so. It is a threat to the stability of the world system, even though, at this stage, it is hard to know exactly what the implications will be. Everyone has their own risk profile so will decide how to respond; I feel lucky that I am in a low-risk age and health category, that I live in a place where there has been low [...]

Through the Lens: Dealing with differential light

At the start of the 2018 season, I was out in the bush with a photographer friend, enjoying the early season light and scouting the newly-drying roads to see which areas of the park were becoming accessible. Towards the end of the morning, we spotted antelopes with their heads up in the distance, so we headed there quickly hoping that they were "pointing" to a leopard or perhaps a skulking hyaena. It turned out that they [...]

Life in the Bush: a very special view of the past

With all the floods that have been troubling the Luangwa Valley, I have not been as active on my blog as I would have liked. Apologies for that. I had a chance to visit the National Park over the weekend, and I trialled my new Canon 200-400mm f4 +1.4 EXT lens, so I will be writing that up in the next week. I'll also be posting a blog that provides a summary of the different destinations [...]

Life in the Bush: the Luangwa River in flood

Every year, large un-dammed, free-flowing rivers rise and fall with seasonal rainfall levels. This is one of the Luangwa's greatest attributes; it is a natural river that provides the life to all that thrives in the South Luangwa, one of Africa's finest wildlife areas. During each rainy season that I have been here - now 11 in total - I have seen the incredible change in the river level (more than 6 meters vertical change even [...]

Photo Safari Skills: Image Cropping – the full story

The use of cropping in wildlife photography has often suffered bad press. How many times have you heard, "Oh, but he must have cropped that", or "That's heavily cropped!"...? Certainly there are times when a crop has been over-used, or used in the wrong situation, and the poor result is often immediately obvious. In this blog, we'll look at what a crop is, how to use it to your benefit and how to avoid the pitfalls. [...]

Guest Report: John Erik Ellingsen | Kafunta & Lion Camp | 4 – 14 August 2019

The sightings at this time of the year, alongside the wonderful light, make for wonderful photo opportunities! John Erik was a skilled photographer before arrival but it was really gratifying to see him reacting, composing, tweaking and critiquing more quickly and more naturally by the end of the tour. Please have a look through his photos and leave a comment at the bottom.

Through the Lens: 2019 in Review

Thank you so much to those of you who came on safari with me this year, some of you for the first time and some for the 3rd 4th or even 5th time! And also thanks to those of you who have followed along with my blogs, posts, images and stories. As 2019 comes to a close, I have done my annual review of the year. This was the 2019 season and I hope you enjoy [...]

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