When the season comes to a close each year, for me usually in early Nov, I step away from my cameras, my computer and enjoy time with my family for a while. In the fast-paced routine of the season, I select and edit images at such a rate that it is often only later, once I’ve taken some time away, that I can review the year objectively.
Of course, the headline stories and their associated images stick firmly in my memory, but there are also thousands of other encounters, many of which we worked hard to create, which have faded to the back of my mind. I therefore love the chance to create a year in review, as I work through all my images from that season and relive many of the events.
The following images are a mix; some are my best, and some of them are actually quite poor – either in terms of composition, quality, light or timing, but they all represent a particular moment which has stuck firmly in my mind. I hope you enjoy reading the captions that go with them. In some cases, I have added links to the original story on my blog.
We spent New Year in the upland grassland and montane forests of Nyika National Park in northern Malawi. It was a happy time mostly, but also one filled with worry; the Omicron variant had recently brought a new wave of COVID restrictions and it wasn’t clear the impact that this would have. Would it be very dangerous?; would it prevent more people seeing their family and friends?; would it derail yet another tourism season? Walking in the forests of Nyika, chasing sunbirds, red squirrels and specials, such as this white-starred robin, was a welcome respite.
Fortunately, Omicron turned out to be less dangerous than expected and, with restrictions in place, my guests were able to travel. My season started in some style, with a 12-night safari to Botswana’s Okavango Delta. Among many, many wonderful experiences was the chance to follow a large pack of wild dogs through the grassland as they pursued a young tsessebe. They caught it, of course, and fed hungrily. Much later, one of the male dogs paraded around with the skull in a macabre celebration.
The Delta’s private concessions are very exclusive, giving guests the chance to sit quietly on sightings and work different techniques. The sunsets, or more accurately, the post-sunset-glows in Botswana were more spectacular than I have seen anywhere, often persisting for 45 minutes after sunset. We were able to blend spotlight and sunset to create images such as this lioness emerging from the grass.
This image sticks firmly in my head. It’s a good reminder of what photo safari is all about; the subject is a beautiful bull elephant but no more remarkable than that; however, the surroundings, the light and the sky are the features of this scene which make the the image. It’s up to a photo guide to remind guests to put down the large lens and take in the bigger story.
Botswana’s wildlife certainly didn’t disappoint; the grassland areas of the Delta are beautiful and thick with game; perhaps none more so than in the Kwara concession on the north-east side of Moremi. We spent the morning with these 2, and their 3 coalition mates, as the light rose and they settled for the day.
The Duba concession, on the north-west side of the delta, was characterised by longer grass; we used this to good effect in creating images such as this spectacular light show at sunset one day.
The semi-aquatic lechwe of the Delta are one of the key attractions for me; I simply love their athleticism, grace and power as they move through the swampy areas. We waited a long time for this group (there were over 100) to cross in front of us, and it was this image, as they all rise, which tells best the story of their lifestyle.
Returning home, while out walking our dog, I was halted by a loud, threatening sound in the foliage ahead; I stopped to listen and was astonished to see that it came from a relatively small pompilid wasp. The little predator had stunned a large baboon spider and was keen to warn off anyone considering stealing it! Sadly the story isn’t a good one for the paralysed spider who will become a fresh food source for the wasp’s larvae when they hatch.
Back in the Luangwa, I started the first of many dry-season photo safaris out of camps right across the Valley. Through great conservation work, African wild dogs are now a regular and increasing sight in Zambia. While sitting with the Manzi pack one afternoon, they flushed a scrub hare, which must have been couched in the grass amongst them, and gave chase. The hare was captured, but not before he had evaded the predators across the sand.
Zambia’s predator populations are healthy in many of the big parks, and it’s easy to spend a disproportionate length of time with them on safaris; I made a deliberate effort to give balanced time to predators, plains game, landscapes and discussions about conservation and the health of the ecosystem this year, ensuring that guests get a broader picture of the wildlife estate in Zambia.
The Luangwa’s sunrises are spectacular and I always work hard to line up something each morning.
In June, I visited the Busanga plains in northern Kafue. It was the earliest I had travelled to that area and I was met with a magical experience. The remaining water from the Lufupa river, combined with the misty mornings from the cold air (down to 2 degrees celsius one morning) makes for a safari experience which is not easily replicated elsewhere.
Leaving camp in the dark, with the cold mist brushing across any exposed skin is very memorable; as sunrise comes, the extent of the plains, and their inhabitants becomes clear.
This year, I bought a new camera, my first upgrade since 2011. The Canon R5 is my first entry into mirrorless cameras and into large megapixel files. I have really enjoyed the range of subjects which are now within reach, and especially the smaller and more distant ones such as birds. I was able to capture this family of grey crowned cranes from a distance, avoiding their inevitable tendency to turn away from vehicles.
The sighting of the year, and perhaps of my whole time in Zambia. Following a leopard one morning, I realised where she was heading and took a shortcut road to reach her destination ahead of her. As I arrived at the floodplain, I could see a lone baboon sitting on the edge of the leopard’s favourite hunting gully. I knew that she would target that as an easy meal, so I positioned my vehicle, gave some brief advice to my guests and watched for her ambush.
What’s not to love about an elephant pile up?! This scene occurred on the first morning of a safari with a first-time-in-Africa guest….I won’t ever forget the expression on her face as these 3 played together in the pre-sunrise light.
Watching for special light, including looking far into the distance to notice opportunities for ‘animal-scapes’ is one of the most rewarding parts of helping guests take better photos.
Everyone loves a leopard sighting; and even more so if the leopard is active. On this occasion, we had 3 leopards, focused around their impala kill in the nearby tree. We knew that they would go up and down the tree during the course of the day, so we selected a good spot and waited. The choice of that spot was not arbitrary; the angle of the light, the likely ascent direction of the cat and the background were all in my head when selecting the spot. It all came together very nicely in this shot, with the leopard standing out starkly against the shadow of the tree on the ground behind.
There were many celebrations this year; birthdays, anniversaries and memorable dates. But there were also several people missing from my safaris who had booked and then had to cancel due to health reasons. This evening combined two of these; Happy Birthday to Chuck….and to Justin and Olle, we missed you very much indeed.
I sometimes run very small group trips, with just 1 or 2 guests. While I take extreme care with vehicle positioning always, when there are just 1 or 2 guests, it is possible to pinpoint the location exactly, such as when lining up these two giraffe heads.
Two lionesses were sitting atop a small rise in the Luangwa’s Nsefu Sector. After doing some portraits, I drew back and we parked down the bank so that we were eye level with the ground below them. Perhaps using our movement as a distraction, one of the lionesses rose and started to stalk a puku that was behind our vehicle about 300m away. Predators use all sorts of distractions to assist them with stalking prey, occasionally making use of sparring elephants, small dust storms or the arrival of a flock of birds to divert the attention of their prey. Being exactly positioned for low level shots, we were able to shoot these moments as she approached our vehicle, and it appears as if we are lying on the ground ahead of her.
Rarely, if ever, does light, background, subject, colour palette and composition work out so perfectly….
Using the Canon R5’s amazing eye-tracking autofocus, I was able to shoot a series of images of these wild dogs charging towards the camera at sunset. This is the best image of a series of nearly 50 perfectly sharp frames.
It’s sometimes the quiet moments which make the most unexpectedly beautiful images.
We followed this lioness from the early hours of the morning, watching as she tried to relocate the rest of her pride. She is often left behind as she lost her rear foot to a snare many years ago. Her story of survival is a sign that wildlife can and will thrive if we create the space for it to do so, just as the team at Musekese Conservation work to achieve in the Musekese-Lumbeya ecosystem in Kafue National Park.
Further north in the Kafue, in the renowned Busanga Plains, we were witness to a the dominance displays of two prime hippo bulls towards a youngster who was trying to find a small patch of watch to live out the remains of the dry season.
In a moment of extraordinary confidence, a small pride of Busanga lions approached our vehicle and settled underneath it, one resting her back on the wheel. Rather than reach for wide-angle lenses, I grabbed my longest lens, hoping to capture the kind of close ups that we rarely enjoy – note the canopy of the vehicle reflected in the lioness’s eye.
OK, I did take some wide-angle photos too. Note my guest John taking the prime spot in the passenger seat next to the guide.
The Luangwa’s wild dogs had a great denning season, including the Kapamba pack which reared 4 little ones, including this young male.
I ran a number of safaris in the Lower Zambezi National Park, enjoying the way that time in this park complements the Luangwa so perfectly. The wildlife is certainly impressive, but it is the setting that is perhaps most remarkable. Huge forests with little understory makes finding wildlife straightforward, and offers the chance to use the area as a massive photo studio; we took photographs of this leopard from all angles but including the sun in the background is perhaps the image that I like most.
One female leopard in the Lower Zambezi was bringing up to two female cubs this year. We enjoyed daily sightings of them in sightings that would rival the Luangwa’s “Valley of the Leopard” moniker.
Visiting Gonarezhou National Park in southern Zimbabwe was a new departure for me and my guests; while sitting at one of the famous camp sites at the base of the cliffs, a very confiding female Klaas’s cuckoo came and sat on a low branch nearby.
The red sandstone cliffs of Gonarezhou National Park are its defining feature, represented on their literature and in the logo of the Gonarezhou Conservation Trust which was set up to run the park alongside the National Parks authority for the benefit of the communities along its boundaries. We hoped to see elephants visiting the river below these cliffs and capture spectacular images of the way that the landscape dwarfs even these giants. I think wer were very fortunate.
A simple shot of a young leopard in a tree does not do justice to the remarkable morning that we spent with him, his mother, 2 lionesses, a large male lion, 7 hyaenas and the remains of an impala carcass.
Shenton Safaris last waterhole hide gave us some stunning close up encounters with elephants, buffalo and wildebeest, but it was this shot of guineafowl reflected in the golden water that reminds me best of the time I spent there with guests.
This situation – a pride of lions feeding with attendant hooded vultures – plays out regularly across Africa’s protected areas. This situation was made special by a convenient gully which allowed us to shoot at ground level with the subjects, and play with the soft sunrise light.
The elegant dance of the Southern carmine bee-eater while jousting for real-estate at nesting colonies along the Luangwa river bank.
The diversity of habitats in the Luangwa ecosystem is one of its strongest appeals. Within one morning drive, it’s possible to move from riverine forest, through open grassland to natural hot springs, such as the one which hosts these endangered grey crowned cranes.
Photo safaris are not always, or ever, about particular species; they are about working with the light, reading your subjects and connecting with Nature. Taking time to sit quietly in one spot and watch opportunities arise is sometimes as productive as moving around in pursuit of results.
My October visit to Kafue was one of the most rewarding trips of year; there is nowhere one can watch majestic roan antelope in such a way, and enjoy the transition of landscape from miombo woodland, through termitaria on Kalahari sands through to black clay closer to the river.
As I watched this scene unfolding in front of me, I struggled initially to understand why it looked so special; after all, I have seen elephants mud-bathing hundreds of times. What was different was the time of day; later afternoon, in beautiful light, is not the time when elephants often come to bathe, and it created a very special scene.
Tandem flying along the Kafue river. Two of the small colony of African skimmers which nest – largely unsuccessfully due to the heavy traffic of elephants, hippos and crocs with whom they share the island – on an exposed sandbar in the Kafue river.
I may have crossed the Luangwa bridge more than 5,000 times. It’s hard to know. But when I spotted these elephants emerging from the treeline just as the sun started to peek over the horizon, I knew that there was something special brewing.
It’s rare to see zebra stallions sparring. These scuffles often occur in among the rest of the herd and are often short-lived. Added to this, they rear up but often briefly and the rest of the altercation is conducted through mane-biting and neck-wresting. So I was very happy to capture this moment of tension between the two, especially with such clear energy on show.
Towards the end of the year, I took a 2 week break from work and visited some areas of Zambia that I am less familiar with. I took my cameras but I allowed myself the freedom to lift them only when I wanted to. It was good to take some time to enjoy my cameras at my own pace, rather than everything being guided by them, which is necessarily the case (and the motivation) when running safaris. I particularly enjoyed time with these thick-billed weavers in the papyrus swamps at the edge of the Zambezi river.
On the same road-trip, while travelling out in the west of Zambia near the Angolan border, crimson-breasted shrikes are common and can be easily located by their comedy 2-note call. They thrive in thornvelt on Kalahari sands and are dramatically beautiful.
I ended the trip in Lochinvar NP, a small forest and wetlands area in southern province. The main attraction is the large herds of Kafue lechwe and the opportunities for birding along the edge of the Kafue river’s vast floodplain. At a popular picnic site, we sat and watched the birds, some of which were more confiding than others, and I captured these two swamp flycatchers singing boldly in defence of their patch.
Looking back at the year, it’s easy to see that the wildlife, the landscapes, the scenery and the experiences on offer in Southern Africa are matchless. But the motivation to rise early every morning, search hard, work each sighting and always push for more comes from wanting to do the best job for my guests. I am ever grateful to them for continuing to sign up for my trips, for engaging in everything that I throw at them and for their humour, good nature and support when things are more challenging! Right across my area of work, I am also grateful to the guides who help me provide the very specialised and precise experience which I work so hard to create. There is huge levels of experience, skill, pride and humility in the guiding fraternity in Southern Africa and I’m grateful to them all, not least to Isaac Kalio (above) from Wilderness Safaris who is certainly one of the very best.
Thank you for reading to the very end. I am grateful to everyone who supports me, my business and my family; I wish you all a very happy holidays and look forward to seeing you in the bush again soon. There is space on 2023 safaris and I am already looking ahead to 2024. Get in touch if you would like a photo safari in one of the best wildlife areas in the world.
