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WILDLIFE BLOG
Skills: Making great silhouette photos
Silhouette images - in which the subject is defined mostly or entirely by its shape - convey huge visual impact if they are created successfully. Certain elements are important in creating this impact: the subject should be recognisable by its shape; the subject's shape should ideally be clear and "unbroken" by other elements in the image; the background against which the subject is shown should enhance the shot, ideally having its own value and interest. The [...]
Life in the Bush: the Annual Flood
I wish more people could visit the Luangwa Valley in February. There are many good reasons why you shouldn't; including, but not limited to, the fierce storms that lash the landscape and thrash the trees; the hot weather and proliferation of insects; the intermittent road access governed by the water levels; and the ever-present chance that your accommodation will be flooded overnight. But along with the unpredictability and the occasional discomfort comes a beautiful, impressive wildness [...]
Wildlife: Birds of Malawi
With a wide variety of habitats, ranging from floodplains and river courses to montane forest and high-altitude grassland, Malawi has a fantastic diversity of species in a relatively small area. I just returned from a 2-week trip, split between the lakeshore, the highlands of Nyika Plateau and the mid-altitude forests of Viphya Plateau. The diversity of bird species across these 2 habitats was incredible and I enjoyed searching for and photographing as many as I could [...]
Through the Lens: 2021 in Review
A second year of living with the covid-19 pandemic was dramatically better than the previous, but also far short of the rich, full year that we had all dreamed of during the depths of 2020's dark days. I hope that you are all well, your friends & family are healthy and you have found ways to cope with the frustrations of the last 12 months. Over the last 22 months, around the world, everyone has faced [...]
Photo Safari Report: Earth Ark Travel | South Luangwa | Dec 2021
2021, a second year of disruption and uncertainty for the travel industry, as for the whole world. Those who have been able to travel have met an industry ready to receive guests again, and desperately hoping to do so. The strain that 2 years of dramatically reduced income has stretched even those safari camps with the best protected contingency plans and rainy-day funds — who could have predicted what 2020 & 2021 have thrown at the [...]
Photo Safari Skills: African Skimmers
African Skimmers are charismatic tern-like birds which live along the permanent rivers of sub-Saharan Africa. They are most noted for their unusual feeding technique which involves flying just above the river's surface with the lower part of the bill dragging in the water. The bill is highly sensitive and, when it detects a nearby fish, the bill is snapped shut and the fish lifted out of the water. Skimmers' preferred feeding time is in the early [...]
Photo Safari Report: Wilson & Lehman | South Luangwa, Lower Zambezi & Kafue NPs | Aug & Sep 2021
It is a strange fact that over the last 2 safari seasons, I have run just two photo tours, but both of them have been long trips, with international guests, covering multiple areas of Zambia. My latest trip, with guests from North America, was my longest ever, spanning a full 26 nights in 7 different camps. The world is truly a strange place when some people are not able to travel freely as they wish and [...]
Wildlife: just arrived home….
I have just returned from a 4-week safari in the South Luangwa, Lower Zambezi and Kafue National Parks. With 2 guests, we visited 7 camps across 26 nights and enjoyed spectacular sightings on a daily basis. I feel so fortunate to have been able to run this trip at this time and my thanks are due to Tom and Kent who overcame the obstacles to come on safari with me. A full report is coming in [...]
Wildlife: A couple of trips to the Nsefu Sector
If you read back over my catalog of trip reports you will find that the Nsefu Sector features frequently! It is an area of the South Luangwa National Park that lies on the eastern bank of the Luangwa River, unlike the majority of the park which is on the western side. Along the full length of the Nsefu Sector, the river is bounded by National Park on both sides, making for one of Zambia's most prolific, [...]
Wildlife: African Broadbill
Just as the whistled alarm call of a puku antelope is impossible for a safari guide to ignore, there are some bird calls which are distinctive and immediately identifiable. Recently, I was watching for birds in an area of thick riverine forest when I heard the unmistakable call of an African Broadbill. This is a small insect-eating bird which lives throughout the forested areas of Southern Africa and is not particularly rare. But finding them is [...]
Photo Safari Report: Michael & Sue | Mutinondo, Kasanka, Bangweulu & S Luangwa | Jun & Jul 2021
I still can't quite believe that this trip happened! After so many months of uncertainty, changes of plans and rebooking of flights, I only allowed myself to believe it would go ahead when my guests, Michael & Sue, actually touched down in Lusaka! Sadly, my third guests, Debbie, was not able to travel from Australia to join the trip and we missed her presence on many occasions during the 2 weeks we were together. However we [...]
Tour Info: New Tours in August & Sept 2021
It's been a turbulent few months. While some nations have delivered impressive, world-record-beating vaccine programmes, others have experienced awful renewed waves of the COVID epidemic. My thoughts are regularly with the people of India and the horrifying individual struggles that many families are enduring there. The whole world underestimated the impact of this pandemic, including some of the best-informed policy and health experts. We all hoped that 2021 would be the year of recovery; so far, [...]
EDWARD SELFE
I organise & run photographic safaris in the finest wildlife areas on Earth.
