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WILDLIFE BLOG
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 [...]
Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas!
I have been writing this blog for nearly 10 years. It has given me a chance to offer a view into the world where I live, share my perspectives and promote what I do. It has also introduced me to a large following of fellow nature-lovers. I get to know some of you when you email for further information about a particular topic, or to ask about where and how to book a safari. And regularly [...]
Life in the Bush: Conservation Fund 2019
Every year, I deposit a portion of the company's earnings into my Conservation Fund. In 2019, I decided on USD 5.00 per bed-night which raised a total of nearly USD 2,000.00 to be donated to conservation initiatives in Zambia. This is small-scale funding compared to some of the grants that large NGOs give and receive, but it's crucial that all businesses that operate in -- and benefit from -- the Natural world repay that benefit in [...]
Guest Report: Don Marianos | Robin Pope Safaris, Shenton Safaris & Bushcamp Co | Sep & Oct 2019
Don Marianos has travelled to Luangwa with me 3 times in the last 3 years. It's been such a pleasure to get to know him and Kathy and also to watch his development as a photographer. The images he is sharing here, from our 2019 trip, are yet another large step up from his shots in 2018 which were already a dramatic improvement on 2017's. It's so rewarding to see guests develop their skills build their [...]
Photo Safari Report: Recce Trip to Nyika Plateau | Nov 2019
I recently travelled to Malawi's beautiful Nyika Plateau, far in the north of that long thin country. It is a long journey from Mfuwe, requiring a long day's driving to Mzuzu, an overnight in Mzuzu and then a bumpy 5 hour drive up onto the plateau. However, as you climb on the second day's travel, you leave the villages behind, the vegetation starts to change and the air cools. Chelinda, the camp at the centre of [...]
Guest Report: Allan Semmler | Nsefu Camp & Tena Tena | 20-28 Sept 2019
A return visit to Luangwa with me for Allan & Rae gave Allan a chance to put his photo training into practice. As you'll see, we had wonderful sightings and I think you'll agree he did a great job at converting them to superb images. Thanks to them for coming back to Luangwa with me and we are starting to work on a plan for 2021! Watch this space.
Guest Report: Nick Gill | Exclusive Luangwa | 6 – 13 July 2019
I had taken Nick Gill on safari with his wife in 2017 and I was very pleased when they wanted to come back again in 2019! This time, they brought their adult sons who quickly became engrossed in photography too! It was a lot of fun to see the whole family with cameras in hand enjoying great sightings. As before, Nick sent me a selection of his favourite images from July's trip.
EDWARD SELFE
I organise & run photographic safaris in the finest wildlife areas on Earth.
