WELCOME TO MY
WILDLIFE BLOG
Know your African Wildlife: Oxpeckers
There are two species of Oxpeckers; Luangwa is home to both the Red-billed and the Yellow-billed varieties. In Luangwa, as their name suggests, they can be found 'pecking' at bovine mammals such as buffalo. But they are also regularly found on giraffe, eland, zebra, warthog, impala, hippo and kudu where they glean parasites - such as ticks, fleas and lice - from their hides. These starling-relatives are highly adapted to their role: broad scissor-like bills facilitate [...]
Amazing Prizes to be Won….in aid of Conservation South Luangwa
We are fortunate to have Conservation South Luangwa - a Zambian NGO - working to protect the future of the Luangwa ecosystem. Their efforts are crucial in sustaining wildlife resources, preventing poaching, mitigating human-wildlife conflict and supporting the tourism activities which rely on the National Park. You can read about their activities in the latest CSL Newsletter - June 2017 which was recently published. In association with the Africa Hope Fund, they are holding a charity [...]
Wildlife: Hippos in the murky lagoons
As the dry season takes hold, and the hippos munch through all the vegetation in the lagoons, the bloom of weed below the surface gives the water a temporary green tinge. A large bull hippo eyes me up from the murky waters of a muddy lagoon in South Luangwa, Zambia.
Photo Safari Skills: Why do my photos come out too dark/light?
We've all experienced it: you look through your camera, compose a beautiful scene, snap the shutter....and are disappointed with the result that appears on the back of the camera! Of course, this can happen for a number of reasons, but I am going to look at one of the most common in this blog: the problem of under- or over-exposed images, images which are darker or lighter than you intended. It's actually remarkable that your camera [...]
Photoshoots: Charlotte & Kevin’s Wedding
For example......last week, I was invited to photograph the bush wedding of a British couple who have certainly found their own Sacred Coombe* in the Luangwa. It is always a pleasure to be part of a wedding and help celebrate such a happy day - and so it was with Charlotte & Kev. They have been visiting the Valley for several years and got engaged at one of the BushCamp Company's beautiful camps a few years [...]
Know your African Wildlife: Hippos
If you don't bump into monkeys around your camp, hippos may be the first wildlife you encounter on arrival in Luangwa. From your safari camp, you will likely have wide views of the river; and in Luangwa, wherever there is water, there will be hippos! Hippos are unmistakable; apart from rhinos, which are sadly no longer found in Luangwa, they do not resemble any other African mammal. They have large heads ending in a wide, blunt [...]
Photo Safari Skills: Panoramas
The idea of a panorama is to take multiple overlapping images of a scene and then stitch the edges together using software to generate one large photo of the whole scene. In the past, this used to be a very tricky technique which involved clever use of layers and transformations in Adobe Photoshop. The latest editions of Lightroom now contain this functionality within the program itself - more on this later. So, when might you want [...]
The Top 5 Wildlife Attractions of the South Luangwa National Park
As the sun breaks the dry-season horizon, its warm pink glow floods the grey dawn. Diurnal birds, emerging from night-time refuges, call to stake their territorial claim and advise would-be competitors that they’ve survived the night. Having scoured the dry land for forage, hippos return as late as they dare to the safety of the river, submerging to a chorus of honking calls. Elephants, which have been feeding beyond the park’s natural river boundary, return with [...]
Wildlife: Going back through the archives
It's often worth re-visiting old images. Not only is it a wonderful trip down memory lane, it often unearths some gems that you might have overlooked in the haste of processing through hundreds of images from a trip. I was recently scouring my libraries for a particular client request and I came across some beautiful images that I had not used for anything before. I hope you enjoy seeing them as much as I enjoyed finding [...]
Know your African Wildlife: Carmine Bee-eaters
Carmine bee-eaters are found right across Central, Eastern and Southern Africa. The Northern species extends from Senegal to Somalia and down through Kenya; the Southern species - which visit us in the Luangwa - are found from southern DRC across to western Tanzania and down to the the northern parts of South Africa. They are unmistakable! Apart from their Northern cousins - which have a green face - there is no other bird that resembles them. [...]
Are you ready for a Photo Tour?
During the enquiry and booking process, I talk to hundreds of guests about what's involved in a photo safari in the South Luangwa. One of the most common questions that comes up is whether the guests are "ready for a photo safari". The short answer is that if you love wildlife, enjoy taking photos and improving your photography and are looking for a safari adventure with like-minded people, then you're probably ready for a photo tour! [...]
What’s the best time to visit the Luangwa?!
I am regularly asked what is the best time of year to visit the Luangwa Valley. My answer is that there is actually something special to see at any time of the year in this National Park. However, each season has its special attractions, so I've put together a calendar that outlines the highlights. I've also given an indication of the weather conditions that you can expect during that period. The Cool Dry - April to [...]
EDWARD SELFE
I organise & run photographic safaris in the finest wildlife areas on Earth.
