As I have done for several years, I’ve taken a look back at my season and tried to single out some of the best moments. Since my safaris are as much wildlife experiences as photographic ones, the following images represent the best memories, encounters and experiences with fantastic groups of guests, rather than necessarily the best images! I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed reliving them!
I remember this day like it was yesterday; I was in the bush with my family and we found the whole Manzi pack running along the road away from us. It was late afternoon and hunting seemed likely! We followed and almost immediately, the pack split and set off in hot pursuit of an impala herd! After feeding the adults began socialising and I caught this lovely shot of wild dogs at play against the lush greenery of a February evening.
We had been watching a pair of Pel’s fishing owls every Sunday when I took my family in the National Park during the rains. When I ran my first safari of the year in April, I was thrilled to find the chick on creeper near their nesting site. It was the culmination of several months of observations and it was great to see the chick doing so well.
Peter and Steve spent 10 nights with me in South Luangwa in April and May to see the park at the start of the dry season. We had a lot of fun, and shared some wonderful encounters, such as this one when a whole pride of lions approached us through the long grass and passed by our vehicle.
My guests and I worked hard for this image; while watching a group of giraffes, we continually repositioned ourselves so that we were ready when one of the adults came to greet this young calf. When choosing our position, we had to consider the angle of the light, the angle of the giraffe’s head, where the adults might come from and, of course, the background. It all came together in this one moment when the female bent down and washed the youngster’s ears.
I travelled with Steve – a many times repeat guest of mine – to Mana Pools in May to recce John’s Camp and plan for future safaris. It was great fun to spend time in such a beautiful area and I’m excited to be leading trips there in 2019 and 2020.
If rare equals special, this is probably one of the most memorable sightings from my whole time in the South Luangwa. Black mambas are not particularly rare but they are rarely sighted and to enjoy a great view such as this was outstanding. It didn’t wait long before heading back into a hole in the tree for refuge.
This was simply a great moment. I had been talking with my guests – who were on a long safari with me – about looking for shapes and patterns and framing in the bush, rather than looking for animals per se. That same morning, we spotted this impala standing under a beautiful frame, with a tunnel of trees disappearing behind. It was the perfect chance to implement what we had been talking about – a common subject, framed by Luangwa’s trees, to create something very special.
I was led to this terrible scene by the excited calls of distant spotted hyaenas. Suspecting that they were bating lions and trying to steal their kill, I was astonished to find 4 hyaenas apparently trying to kill a fifth hyaena in a muddy wallow. The victim was screaming and bellowing – as might be expected – while the others bit and chewed on its ears, neck and face. We watched for a while and soon the mayhem abated and the injured individual was able to escape. What caused such aggression is not entirely clear, but I suspect that a hyaena from a different clan had become separated and was severely punished.
Spending time with guests in Nature has been the overarching highlight of this year. Particularly, I love stopping for “sundowners” at dusk when we have exhausted the light on whatever sighting we had been enjoying that afternoon. The chance to chat in an informal way (rather than in the confines of a safari vehicle) allows me to get to know my guests, rather than all the talk surrounding wildlife and cameras!
This was perhaps the most spectacular event of the year. We watched as a leopard stalked along the bottom of a gully in the Nsefu Sector, wondering if and where she would launch her attack. When the ambush came, it was devastatingly fast and accurate, flattening this female impala in seconds. As she dragged the carcass back to the gully for protection from scavengers, she came right towards us, giving us an incredible view. It’s never pleasant to watch the demise of any animal, but to see the natural course of events pitting a supreme predator against an incredibly agile prey is something that I will never forget.
Chindeni Camp, run by the Bush Camp Company, commands perhaps the best view in the valley. Waking each morning to this view of Chindeni lagoon with the Chindeni hills behind was just one of many highlights of my time at this camp in 2018.
One group of guests this year were very keen to perfect the technique of panning blur. We tried daily with a variety of subjects and achieved some great shots. But my favourite of all was the panning blur shot we created at tea break one morning….thanks to Kelvin Zulu from the Bushcamp Company for nailing the shot!
These little cubs were born into the Chamilandu Pride in early May 2018. It was great to watch them playing together and seeing the male showing his dominance even at such an early age. He was more adventurous, boisterous and ventured further from mum often getting close to us and observing our movements in our vehicle.
This very special sundowners came towards the end of an epic safari that I led in July. Not only was it the longest (at that time) that I had ever led, but it was blessed with wonderful encounters.
I have seen saddle-billed stork adults and chicks at the Nsefu Salt Pans on many occasions, but this was the first time I had seen interaction between the two. On this occasion, the chicks begged their father for food – he kept them waiting! – but eventually he regurgitated 7 fish in quick succession and the youngsters fed hungrily. It was an unusual and special moment to observe.
So often, we prioritise getting close to our subjects, seeking frame-filling images of the iconic species. But some creatures are so easily identified, they can take up just 1% of the frame and still exert their presence over the whole image.
When we found that a lion pride had killed a giraffe, I knew that there would be some wonderful photographic opportunities available. After choosing the best position at the carcass, it seemed that this might not be the case as most of the lions had fed (and were sleeping) and those that were still eating were doing so in awkward positions. However, with a bit of patience, we waited hoping that the situation would change. Certainly it did, as some of the sleeping lions moved off, allowing us to move our position so that we could capture incredible close-up such as this youngster’s claws gripping the patterned fur of the giraffe. Patience pays.
Elephants have a tough time in the dry season, often having to travel long distances between feeding and watering areas. So, when elephants are happy, as these calves clearly were when they played together in the shallows of the river, it is truly a joy to watch.
Near Lion Camp, there is a wonderful elephant river crossing point that is used several times each day by large groups of these bush giants. On this particular day, the presence of a vehicle on the far side held up several herds until the vehicle left. At that point, more than 60 elephants emerged from the bush and rushed down the bank to the water’s edge.
John, a repeat guest on his 3rd trip with me, making the best of the mass elephant crossing event!
Peering down at us from the top of the bank of the crocodile river, this youngster is beginning to show the mane that will define him as a male. As he dropped one paw over the edge of the bank, we knew that was the moment and cameras clicked furiously!
Following lion calls in the early morning, we eventually found this incredible scene. The Nsefu pride had killed a young buffalo in the early morning and the males had claimed the kill for themselves. The females were nearby and licking their paws, suggesting they had managed to feed before the males took over. However, the cubs were clearly still hungry; they crept closer, inch by inch, trying to steal scraps from the males. They were incredibly cautious, knowing that the wrath of the males would be enough to kill one of them. When the males growled their disapproval, the cubs fled, only to return moments later!
After a busy day of feeding on an impala carcass in the bottom of a large bush, this leopard and her cub emerged from the thickets and started to play together! They rolled around, climbed over each other, scratched, chased and ambushed. Trying to keep the action in the frame was tricky but the results were wonderful!
This panorama image, stitched together from 8 individual shots, always makes me smile. It was taken during a fantastic safari that I ran in September and will always remind me of the wonderful stork colony area where we spent a lot of time on that trip.
Leopards are something that we are very lucky to see regularly on safari in the Luangwa; in fact, this area is known to some as the Valley of the Leopard. However, rarely does a leopard consider the needs of photographers so perfectly as this one, choosing such a picturesque location to rest in the heat of the day!
Photographing elephants drinking from the river on my Legendary Luangwa safari in September 2018. This was a great group: photographer couple, Raj & Fiona, plus the 3 Doctors, of whom two were called Thomas! Lots of confusion on names but so much fun was had!
We found the Nsefu pride early one morning, resting in the shade of some bushes. No sooner had we arrived, the cubs began to play, rolling around in the sand, ambushing each other and chasing the youngsters around. We watched for nearly 45 minutes until they finally grew tired and settled down with the adults. It was the most extended and intense bout of play that I’ve ever watched with lions, and we all came out of it exhausted from continuous photography but with huge smiles on our faces!
Olimba the leopard killed an impala in the gulley at the Stork Colony. She had a long drag to get it to any tree, but on this occasion, she chose a tree almost 600m from the site of her ambush. We tracked her at a respectful distance, photographing her initially, and then simply marvelling at her strength and stamina as she manoeuvred the heavy antelope ever closer to her target tree! Here we are watching (and hoping!) that the arrival of dusk will not bring out the hyaenas!
Late in the dry season, we took a trip to the Nsefu salt pans where I hoped we would find a large herd of buffalo, some lions, dogs and perhaps wildebeest. The lions and dogs were absent but we were rewarded with a herd of buffalo numbering more than 800! As the herd arrived, a fight broke out between two bulls which generated dust, grunting and plenty of drama. I had to move the vehicle quickly as I was worried they were going to ram into us! Quite an encounter!
At the last glow of sunset, I saw a chance to get down below a large bull elephant who was feeding from a tree. Choosing a slow shutter speed that would allow in some of the light from the sunset glow, we waited until he reached for a branch. The camera registered the stunning pinks and blues of the twilight.
I don’t usually take facial portraits, but the sight of this male approaching me, with a battle wound on his eye, caught my attention one morning on safari. He and his 3 brothers have been battling with the existing males and prides in the northern sector of the park and we wait with interest to see how things will settle over the rainy season.
On my final safari of the season, I enjoyed a lovely morning with these hippos along the Luangwa River. As the sun rose, the river became a gold bath and the light surrounding these huge mammals was absolutely magic. I was very glad that this was my “final view” of the Luangwa before wrapping up my tours for the season.
After the safari season finished, I continued to spend time in the National Park, taking photos for myself, recording the arrival of the first migratory birds and watching as the fresh grass growth began to show on the gaunt ribcages of the mega-mammals. On this particular afternoon, a family of elephants shared their feeding space with a large bull hippo. With a fortunate wind direction, and a low perspective, I was able to enjoy quite an unusual close up of these two species.
Just in front of our house, there is a large floodplain which fills with water each year. But this year, it filled much earlier at a time when the elephants were still crossing that floodplain to access mango trees in the forests and in the local villages. This led to repeated channel crossings which we could watch from the front verandah of our house. I’ll never forget these young bulls taking the chance to play while splashing through the deep, muddy water.
Perhaps its fitting that the year which started with a great sighting of the Manzi Pack feeding on an impala, should end with a sighting of the same pack, but this time of the pups that they reared this season. These two youngsters were goofing around in the long grass, chewing each other’s ears and chasing their siblings. While there has been a large dispersal of adults from this pack – a normal event by which new packs are formed – the park remains large enough to thrive, and we hope they do so. It is a great time for Luangwa’s dogs!
Thank you so much for following along with my blogs, posts, images and stories this year. I know some of you, and I am learning that there are many who follow but only make contact much later…if there is ever anything I can do to assist with cameras, safari plans or wildlife photography, you can always get in touch. Wishing you, your families and friends a very Happy New Year!
