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WILDLIFE BLOG
Know your African Wildlife: Thornicroft’s Giraffe
Giraffes are a truly African mammal. While elephants', leopards' and even lions' ranges extend into Asia, these unique mammals are special to sub-Saharan Africa. These mammals are best known for their long legs and long necks, evolutionary modifications that give them access to forage beyond the reach of almost all other herbivores (only the largest elephants can reach higher). They're almost exclusively browsers, feeding on leaves and flowers which they gather with a long - almost [...]
Why choose Edward Selfe as your Guide?
Equally important as choosing your safari destination is choosing the guide who will lead your trip. I hold both of Luangwa's coveted guiding qualifications and have thousands of hours experience and knowledge of the Luangwa as a guide and photographer - I don't believe there is anyone better to lead your safari to Luangwa. 7 YEARS' GUIDING EXPERIENCE IN SOUTH LUANGWA I am the only photographic guide living year-round in the South Luangwa National Park. I [...]
Know your African Wildlife: Impalas
"Oh, they're just impala" is a phrase that we've all said - whether intentionally or accidentally - when the movement of ever-present impalas has drawn our eye. But on closer inspection, impalas reveal themselves to be beautiful, resourceful and abundant. And we should not mistake this abundance as a detractor; consider the volume of forage that the ecosystem must generate to accommodate the tens of thousands of impala that survive here. Impala are herd creatures, relying [...]
Photo Safari Skills: Panning/Movement Blur
In this post, I'm going to look at the technique of motion/panning blur. This is a principle which is simple in concept, but tricky to master in practice....but the best part is that it opens up a world of opportunities! The principle of motion blur images is intentionally to slow down your shutter (a long exposure) to capture the movement of your subject against the background. This can be achieved by reducing your ISO and/or closing [...]
Know your African Wildlife: Fish Eagles
The African Fish Eagle is known to all who have travelled to sub-Saharan Africa as a visible, vocal and charismatic bird. Visitors returning to Luangwa often smile in recognition as a nearby Fish Eagle screams its unmistakable territorial call. Large eagles often pair for life, or form a "long term pair bond" as it's know to wildlife scientists. Fish Eagles are no exception, and I have enjoyed watching the same pairs hold territories for many years [...]
Wildlife: A lonesome lioness
It's quite unusual to hear protracted calls from lion in the middle of the afternoon. But it had been raining heavily and we suspected that the - normally - sleeping lions had been roused by the downpour and were calling to find each other. These contact calls are usually less intense and shorter than the males' full territorial calls. We couldn't find the lions that we'd heard calling but we saw footprints heading across a flooded [...]
Through the Lens: Leopard Throttles Impala
While I am confident that all my guests will leave Luangwa having had an amazing time, there is always an element of nervousness on my part each time I start with someone new. I think it's only natural, and it keeps me on my toes! I had started safari steadily with Hermann that afternoon; after all it was our first drive and I find that entering the South Luangwa National park is an overload on the [...]
Wildlife: The Highlight of the Rainy Season
The early rainy season is a tricky time for photography, as there is endless intense greenery (which appears almost unnatural) and much of the game scatters away from the main river after the initial downpours. However, a few months on, and we find ourselves living in a paradise of lush grasses, flooded waterways and flowering plants. The early green growth, which is lurid and bright (perhaps a celebration after so many months of dry browns) [...]
Life in the Bush: A Visit to UK!
We made our annual migration to England in January to visit friend and family and enjoy the warm weather! Having dug out coats and thermal layers that we'd saved since last time, we enjoyed busy but happy month traveling the country. Here are a few of the highlights: Sukey made friends with the cows at the local farm - the single brown cow turned out to be the most friendly! On our final weekend, I had [...]
A View from the Luangwa – January 2018
The idea that people living alongside prime natural resources should derive some benefit from the conservation of those resources is not new. Norman Carr knew about it in the 1950s when he approached Senior Chief Nsefu in Zambia’s Luangwa Valley and asked him to set aside an area where he could run wildlife safaris. At the time, it was a novelty; the villagers wondered whether foreigners would really travel all the way to Zambia to look [...]
Photo Safari Skills: Black and White Photography
Since the arrival of digital cameras, photographers have avoided the decision of whether to load colour or black and white (B&W) film into his or her camera when setting out for a shoot. Digital cameras allow us to switch with ease between full colour and B&W image outputs. Futhermore, we even have the option to alter our decision after the fact, assuming that we are shooting in RAW and keep the original files straight from the [...]
EDWARD SELFE
I organise & run photographic safaris in the finest wildlife areas on Earth.
