N3TC Photography Competition 2022: Outcome of my images summitted

The N3TC launched a photography competition late last year. The rules of the competition indicated that any photos that were taken in KZN, Mpumalanga, Free state and Gauteng can be entered – preferably close to the N3 highway. I thought about some pictures I taken in that vicinity some years ago and decided to enter the competition.

Let’s have a look at the outcome of the four images that I’ve entered for this competition: 

I was quite surprised to receive an e-mail telling me that the following image of mine has won the competition:

wildlife-1-winnerDownload

The Vultures and the Jackal
Giant’s Castle, South Africa
(Nikon D700, 1/1600 sec, f8, ISO1000, 600mm)

The following image of mine was also the runner up in this competition:

wildlife-2-runnerupDownload

How about a kiss
Giant’s Castle, South Africa
(Nikon D3S, 1/4000 sec, f5.6, ISO500, 600mm)

And this image received a merit award in the competition:

wildlife-3-meritDownload

Southern bald ibis flying
Giant’s Castle, South Africa
(Nikon D3S, 1/6400 sec, f5.6, ISO800, 850mm)

The other image that I’ve entered was:

Raven attacking vulture
Giant’s Castle, South Africa
(Nikon D4, 1/4000 sec, 8, ISO1000, 600mm)
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As part of the entry process, they provided us with a list of organisations and you had to select one of the mentioned organisations that you would like to benefit should one of your photos win a price. As a result, I’ve identified Birdlife SA as my organisation. Therefore, they would now receive a substantial amount of money as a result of the outcome of my entries.

Message to take home:

As you’ve seen from my photos, three of the four photos were taken at the very familiar Giants Castle in the Drakensberg and the other one the Golden Gate National Park.  Photographers are sometimes not keen on going to places where many other photographers been and where unique images are very difficult to be captured. Photographers are usually concerned about the originality of their photos. They are worried about how over-photographed the world and wildlife at that specific area/point seems. Furthermore, they are worried that they won’t have anything unique to show and to contribute going to such places. Also because they thought many photographers captured so many photos in that area in the past and that it’s all been done before. I think it is wrong. Nature and wildlife are never the same and by finding specific sightings to photograph, you’re capturing the unique moment in time to show people what the areas and sighting look like at that specific point in time. 

Until next time – keep on shooting and go place!!!

Wild Art Photographer of the Year Competition July 2022: Theme Human Nature – outcome of my images summitted

The 7^th theme for this year’s Wild Art Photographer of the Year competition was “Human nature” – yet another challenging theme for me. As a result, I had some trouble finding some wildlife images of mine where there is a human element in the photo. However, I’ve scanned through my files looking for wildlife phots with some human elements in it. I found about eight photos.

This time around I was not successful with my entries because the judges did not even request one RAW file and therefore none on my 8 images was even selected to be under the Top 100.

Now let’s have a look at my 8 images entered for this theme: 

The eight images that I’ve entered but that did not make it through the first round of judging:

Elephant and car
Addo National Park, South Africa
(Sony A1, 1/2000 sec, f5.6, ISO1600, 200mm)
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Hyena cub pickup
Kruger National Park, South Africa
(Nikon D500, 1/200 sec, f8, ISO125, 300mm)
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Hyena cub running
Kruger National Park, South Africa
(Nikon D5, 1/1000 sec, f8, ISO640, 600mm)
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Leopard gents
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa/Botswana
(Nikon D4, 1/1000 sec, f8, ISO640, 300mm)
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Leopard GP number
Kruger National Park, South Africa
(Nikon D5, 1/3200 sec, f4, ISO250, 300mm)
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Lion take away cafe
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa/Botswana
(Nikon D800, 1/1000 sec, f8, ISO3200, 350mm)
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Lion take away
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa/Botswana
(Nikon D800, 1/1000 sec, f8, ISO3200, 350mm)
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Lioness biting car
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa/Botswana
(Nikon D800, 1/200 sec, f4, ISO100, 200mm)
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Message to take home:

As you’ve seen from my camera setting just below each image – not one image has the same camera setting. It is important that you are in control of your camera and camera setting. And you can only be in control and feel comfortable with the camera setting if you do experiment/explore with various settings in a sighting (take note – only after you’ve captured the image you want). 

If you are in control, your photos will definitely improve. Do not just rely on one setting and just on the Auto mode like you do with your cell phone. 

Try and get the camera setting spot-on so that you can get the photo right in-camera and that you do not need to do much post-processing in Photoshop.

Until next time – keep on shooting and experiment with the camera settings!!!

Wild Art Photographer of the Year Competition June 2022: Theme Space – outcome of my images summitted

The 6^th theme for this year’s Wild Art Photographer of the Year competition was “Space”. A very interesting theme because the tendency is to zoom in with your camera/lens and focus on the detail and/or behaviour of animals. As a result, I had some trouble finding some wildlife images of mine that would fit this theme. Nevertheless, I’ve selected and submitted 10 images that I thought might be appropriate for the theme. Well, it seems to me I was wrong because only 1 of the 10 images was selected to be under the Top 100 and it did not make into the prize categories. I am sure you would agree – more space around the subject is necessary and the subject should be smaller in the photo. More of the environment must be visible in the photo.

However, let’s have a look at my 10 images entered for this theme – some of the images were also used in the previous months’ competitions as well, so there might be some repetition.

The one images that were selected to be under the Top 100 images in the Behaviour category:

Chameleon moon
Mashatu Nature Reserve, /Botswana
(Nikon D800, 1/60 sec, f2.8, ISO1000, 200mm)

The other nine images that I’ve entered but that did not make it through the first round of judging:

Baboon baby scared
Kruger National Park, South Africa
(Nikon Z6, 1/4000 sec, f4, ISO400, 600mm)
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Buffalo double
Kruger National Park, South Africa
(Nikon D5, 1/2000 sec, f8, ISO320, 600mm)
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Baboon half
Karongwe Private Nature Reserve, South Africa
(Nikon D4 1/2000 sec, f8, ISO800, 600mm)
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Brown hyena landscape
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa/Botswana 
(Nikon D3S, 1/800 sec, f4, ISO2000, 600mm)
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Dwarf mongoose around
Kruger National Park, South Africa
(Nikon D4, 1/3200 sec, f8, ISO3200, 1200mm)
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Impala backlight
Kruger National Park, South Africa
(Nikon D3S, 1/5000 sec, f5.6, ISO320, 600mm)
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Leopard grass 
Savuti nature reserve, Botswana
(Nikon Z6, 1/1000 sec, f8, ISO125, 600mm)
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Jackal in grass
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa/Botswana
(Nikon Z6, 1/3200 sec, f4, ISO1250, 600mm)
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Lazy leopard
Lake Nakuru nature reserve, Kenya 
(Nikon D3S, 1/500 sec, f6.3, ISO5000, 600mm)
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Message to take home:

Like I’ve mentioned in the first paragraph – this theme (Space) was challenging for me. But maybe not for other photographers because the wildlife world is heavily photographed, with unique photos everywhere. However, wildlife in its purest form is not static because it is ever-changing, with nothing that stays the same. Therefore, the opportunities are plenty to get some unique and original photos.

But the question you need to ask yourself: What kind of photographer are you? Remember that photography is an expression of who you are. Initially I started by capturing the usual wildlife photos. But the more I played around with my photos while in a sighting, the more I’ve created photos that is an indication of what I enjoy and what I want to show the world about me, my photography and what wildlife is all about. If my photos do not fit into a theme of a competition – so be it. Why change who I am and how I photograph wildlife? It would be just a frustration on my part. 

I just remind myself constantly to be myself while spending time in nature and that would be enough for me to create the unique and interesting photographs I want the world to see.

Until next time – keep on shooting!!!

Nature TTL Photographer of the Year Competition 2022– outcome of my images submitted

This year (2022) I’ve entered this annual nature related competition for the second time and the results were released recently. There were several themes/categories to enter and I’ve submitted 5 images in the Behaviour category and 5 images in the portrait category. Two of my images made it to the final round of judging  – both in the Behaviour category. As a result, the RAW and high resolution images of the two entries were requested. Competitions usually requested the RAW (negative as it was called in the olden days) image just to make sure that I did not make any changes to my image (add or remove anything from the image – in wildlife and photo journalism photographers are not allowed to alter any images, it should be a true reflection of the scene). Unfortunately none of the images ended up amongst the prizes Let’s have a look at my 10 images entered – some of the images were also used in the previous competitions:

The two images that went through to the final round or judging in the Behaviour category:

Honey badger on carcass 
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa/Botswana
(Nikon D4, 1/3200 sec, f4, ISO2000, 300mm)

Jackal queen
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa/Botswana
(Nikon Z6, 1/3200 sec, f8, ISO1250, 600mm)

Portrait category – the five images that I’ve entered but that did not make it through the first round of judging:

Agama death wish
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa/Botswana 
(Nikon Z6, 1/2500 sec, f11, ISO400, 600mm)
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Baboon baby
Chobe National Park, Botswana
(Nikon D3S, 1/400 sec, f4, ISO1000, 600mm)
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Impala twins
Karongwe Private Nature Reserve, South Africa
(Nikon D4, 1/640 sec, f8, ISO800, 300mm)
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Leopard c all eyes
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa/Botswana
(Sony A9ii, 1/800 sec, f6.3, ISO3200, 600mm)
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Leopard mom cub t
Londolozi private reserve, Sabi Sands, Greater Kruger National Park, South Africa 
(Nikon Z6, 1/3200 sec, f8, ISO5000, 600mm)
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Behaviour category – the other three images that I’ve entered but that did not make it through the first round of judging:

Weaver feather grap
My own backyard, Bloemfontein, South Africa 
(Nikon D4, 1/6400 sec, f7.1, ISO640, 600mm)
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Heron before Zebras
Etosha National Park, Namibia
(Sony A9ii, 1/2500 sec, f9, ISO640, 840mm)
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Wildebeest chased in water
Etosha National Park, Namibia
(Sony A9ii, 1/3200 sec, f9, ISO640, 708mm)
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Message to take home:

Today is a very short message that I read somewhere and the statement is:

“First compose, then expose”

They say composition is king in photography. It does not matter what you are shooting or what type of camera equipment you are using. First make sure that you do have the correct/optimal composition for the photo. There are various rules that you can apply and one that is used most frequently is the Rule of Third.  With this approach, you divide the viewfinder of your camera into three horizontal and three vertical zones with three lines. Usually you can put your subject on where two of of the outer lines cross.  

Just one last thing to remember when it come to composition – one of the first “rules” I’ve learned but I do not use it very often – just because with wildlife photography you sometimes do not have the time do it:

“Do frequent ‘border patrol’ of your viewfinder before pulling the trigger (pressing the shutter). 

This means that you need to look for any distracting elements around the edges of the frame of the camera. If there any, try to re-compose the image in order not to capture it or to minimise the effect of the distracting elements.

Until next time – keep on shooting!!!

Wild Art Photographer of the Year Competition May 2022: Theme Behaviour – outcome of my images summitted

The results for the 5^th theme Wild Art Photographer of the Year competition this year for the month of May were released recently. And the theme was “Behaviour”. As usual, I’ve submitted 10 images and this time around 4 of my images were selected to be under the Top 100. Unfortunately none of the images ended up amongst the prize categories. Let’s have a look at my 10 images entered for the month of May – some of the images were also used in the previous months’ competitions:

The four images that were selected to be under the Top 100 images in the Behaviour category:

Almost
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa/Botswana
(Nikon D3S, 1/5000 sec, f18, ISO1250, 600mm)
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Jackal king
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa/Botswana
(Nikon Z6, 1/4000 sec, f8, ISO1250, 600mm)
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Mongoose bar
Karongwe Private Nature Reserve, South Africa
(Nikon D5 1/60 sec, f8, ISO2000, 600mm)
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Leopard jump mating
Londolozi private reserve, Sabi Sands, Greater Kruger National Park, South Africa
(Nikon Z6, 1/1600 sec, f4, ISO1250, 300mm)
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The other six images that I’ve entered but that did not make it through the first round of judging:

Goshawk challenge
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa/Botswana 
(Nikon 4, 1/5000 sec, f11, ISO1600, 600mm)
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Heron dove neck
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa/Botswana
(Nikon D500, 1/3200 sec, f5.6, ISO640, 900mm)
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Leopard impala kill
Londolozi private reserve, Sabi Sands, Greater Kruger National Park, South Africa
(Nikon D4, 1/8000 sec, f4, ISO1000, 300mm)
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Weaver vs sparrow
My own backyard, Bloemfontein, South Africa
(Nikon D4, 1/6400 sec, f8, ISO1600, 600mm)
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Lioness pulls eland
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa/Botswana
(Nikon Z6, 1/4000 sec, f8, ISO500, 600mm)
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Weaver spectators
My own backyard, Bloemfontein, South Africa 
(Nikon D4, 1/6400 sec, f4, ISO1000, 600mm)
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Message to take home:

One of my favourite themes and approaches when it comes to wildlife photography – Behaviour. I just love to watch and capture the behaviour of animals in the wild. And that requires a lot of patience. Not all people have the necessary patience when it comes to wildlife photography. Some people find it difficult to stay and wait patiently in one place for more than a few minutes or even seconds. I do see it a lot of times in the parks as cars entered a sighting – just to leave it without evaluating the sighting. Once in a sighting or just sitting next to a waterhole, I keep telling myself that a good sighting might just happen and I just need to be ready when it does. Also remember that when you continually gaze at one area for some time, you become very familiar with it. Interesting enough you would start noticing things in your surrounding that you didn’t initially see, and you start to understand what makes that specific location special. If time is not on your side for that specific moment for example you need to get back into camp before gate closing time, you may even decide to come back a second or third time or even more. Nature is definitely not always the same, especially when it comes to wildlife and light – it could result in different conditions, and you might use different compositions in the same location for your photo.

Until next time – keep on shooting!!!

Wild Art Photographer of the Year Competition April 2022: Theme “Eyes” – outcome of my images submitted

The results for the 4^th theme of the Wild Art Photographer of the Year competition this year (for the month of April) were released some time ago. And the theme was “Eyes”. As usual, I’ve submitted 10 images and this time 2 images were selected to be under the Top 100. Unfortunately none of the two images ended up amongst the prize categories. Let’s have a look at my 10 images entered for the month of April – some of the images were also used in the previous months’ competitions:

The two images that were selected to be under the Top 100 images in the “Eyes” category:

Eagle eyes 2
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa/Botswana
(Nikon D500, 1/5000 sec, f18, ISO5000, 1275mm)

Wildebeest help me
Masai Mara, Kenya
(Nikon D3S, 1/2500 sec, f5.6, ISO400, 600mm)

The other eight images that I’ve entered but that did not make it through the first round of judging:

Curious young jackal 
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa/Botswana
(Nikon D3S 1/125 sec, f4, ISO400, 600mm)

Leopard c all eyes
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa/Botswana
(Sony A9ii, 1/800 sec, f6.3, ISO3200, 600mm)

Leopard protective mom 
The Masaba female and Ximungwe Female (when she as still a cub)
Londolozi private reserve, Sabi Sands, Greater Kruger National Park, South Africa
(Nikon 4, 1/640 sec, f8, ISO4000, 600mm)

Lion portrait
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa/Botswana
(Nikon D3S, 1/5000 sec, f4, ISO640, 600mm)

Lion rain eyes (Yes, it does rain in the Kgalagadi)
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa/Botswana
(Sony A9ii 1/80 sec, f10, ISO1250, 287mm)

Martial eagle Fortuner
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa/Botswana 
(Nikon D3S, 1/2500 sec, f5.6, ISO500, 850mm)

Owl small eyes
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa/Botswana
(Nikon D500, 1/1000 sec, f4, ISO2000, 900mm)

Owlet housekeeping s
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa/Botswana
(Nikon D500, 1/1250 sec, f18, ISO2000, 570mm)

Message to take home:

Eyes! Certainly one of the most important component of a wildlife photo. It is said that everything can be out of focus except the eyes of your subject. The following is usually quoted when you read articles: “if your main subject has eyes, focus on them.” Sometimes one eye of your subject is closer to you than the other eye – like my Lion portrait photo above. In such cases, it is recommended that you should focus on the eye closest to you and your camera. As a general rule of thumb and you can have a look at all wildlife photos that are winners in photographic competitions – if the eyes of the subjects in your photo are out of focus, it does not really look good. Try and find a wildlife competition winning photo that where the eyes of the subject are out of focus – you will need a lot of time to find such a photo.

Until next time – keep on shooting!!!

Wild Art Photographer of the Year Competition March 2022: Theme Silhouettes – outcome of my images submitted

The results for the 3^rd theme Wild Art Photographer of the Year competition this year for the month of February are released. And the theme was “Silhouettes”. Yet another interesting theme and luckily I had a few images to enter.  Again, I’ve submitted 10 images and this time 3 images were selected to be under the Top 100. Unfortunately none of the images ended up within the prize categories. Let’s have a look at my 10 images entered for the month of March – some of the images were also used in the previous months’ competitions:

The three images that were selected to be under the Top 100 images in the Silhouettes category:

Buffalo double 
Kruger National Park, South Africa
(Nikon D5, 1/2500 sec, f8, ISO320, 600mm)
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Leopard in the dark 
Mala Mala private nature reserve, Greater Kruger National Park, South Africa
(Nikon D5, 1/2500 sec, f8, ISO320, 600mm)

Weaver pair
My own backyard, Bloemfontein, South Africa
(Nikon Z6, 1/3200 sec, 11, ISO250, 600mm)

The other seven images that I’ve entered but that did not make it through the first round of judging:

Baboon family
Mashatu Nature Reserve, Botswana 
(Nikon D4, 1/1000 sec, f8, ISO1250, 600mm)

Elephant drops and spray
Khwai Concession area, Botswana
(Nikon Z6, 1/3200 sec, f8, ISO320, 600mm)

Impala backlight
Kruger National Park near Satara rest camp, South Africa
(Nikon D3S, 1/5000 sec, f5.6, ISO320, 356mm)

Lion dad son
Savuti Nature Reserve, Botswana 
(Nikon Z6, 1/3200 sec, f4, ISO640, 600mm)
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Ostrich backlit 
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa/Botswana 
(Nikon D500, 1/3200 sec, f4, ISO125, 900mm)

Rhino horn
Somewhere in South Africa
(Nikon D5, 1/6400 sec, f5.6, ISO2000, 300mm)

Weaver claws
My own backyard, Bloemfontein, South Africa
(Nikon Z6, 1/3200 sec, f11, ISO250, 600mm)

Message to take home:

This month’s theme namely silhouettes was not everybody’s cup of tea. you need to think out of the box when you are faced with a category like this. It calls for creativity on the part of the photographer. If you do have the time in a sighting and you have already captured the scene or the action, you can experience with your composition and your camera settings.  For example, there is a rule in photography that you do not shoot into the sun. Well, as you know rules are made to be broken. and you can get very interesting photos shooting into the sun. Those interesting backlit photos but you need to get your background, composition and the camera settings just right. And can only get it right by doing a lot of experimentation. Luckily, I’ve played a lot with my camera composition and settings in some of the sightings as well as in my backyard and I had a few photos to enter. 

Until next time – keep on shooting!!!

WildArt Photographer of the Year Competition Feb 2022: Theme “Light” – Outcome of my images submitted

And the results for the 2^nd monthly Wild Art Photographer of the Year competition for this year for the month of February are announced. And the theme for February 2022 was “Light”. Very interesting theme and I went deep into my archives to find some interesting “light” photos.  

Once again, I’ve submitted 10 images and 2 images was selected to be under the Top 100. This time around 1 of the mentioned 2 images ended up within the prize categories. The other 8 images did not make it through the initial round of judging. Have a look at my 10 images entered for the month of February 2022:

The image that was selected under the Top 100 and then was awarded a “Commended” image in the Light category:

Baboon family
Mashatu Nature Reserve, Botswana 
(Nikon D4, 1/1000 sec, f8, ISO1250, 600mm)

The other image that was selected to be under the Top 100 images in the Wet category but did not make into the prizes:

Buffalo double – a very special photo for me because I drove 5 afternoons to the same waterhole waiting for the right moment – herd of buffalos approached the waterhole in the dry season in a cloud of dust. One buffalo moved out of the cloud of dust (in front of the dust cloud) while the other buffalo was still standing within the cloud of dust  
Kruger National Park, South Africa
(Nikon D5, 1/2500 sec, f8, ISO320, 600mm)

The other eight images that I’ve entered but that did not make it through the first round of judging:

Zebra Bot dust
Savuti Nature Reserve, Botswana 
(Nikon Z6, 1/5000 sec, f8, ISO250, 600mm)

Elephant drops and spray 
Khwai Concession area, Botswana
(Nikon Z6, 1/3200 sec, f8, ISO320, 600mm)

Fox jumping jack 
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa/Botswana
(Nikon D500, 1/2500 sec, f4, ISO320, 900mm)

Hyena cub early
Kruger National Park, South Africa
(Nikon D4, 1/4000 sec, f4, ISO2500, 600mm)

Leopard last light
Londolozi Private Reserve, South Africa 
(Nikon D500, 1/500 sec, f4, ISO250, 300mm)

Lion dad son
Savuti Nature Reserve, Botswana 
(Nikon Z6, 1/3200 sec, f4, ISO640, 600mm)

Meerkat child love
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa/Botswana
(Nikon D500, 1/500 sec, f9, ISO250, 1250mm)

Meerkat kneeling 
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa/Botswana
(Nikon D4, 1/2000 sec, f5.6, ISO6400, 850mm)

Ostrich backlit 

Ostrich backlit 
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa/Botswana
(Nikon D500, 1/3200 sec, f4, ISO125, 900mm)

Message to take home:

To continue with the theme of the February 2022 WildArt Photographer of the Year competition namely Light, the message of this post is all about using light when taking a photo so that it can work in your favour.

One must remember that there are two critical elements to consider that can make or break your image – Light and Composition. As you can see in the above posted ten images of mine – the subject is important but so is the position where you put the subject in your image (composition) as well as the quality of light. I’ve included my camera type and setting underneath each image. However, just remember that the camera is just the tool that you will use to capture the image. Where you position your subject as well as how you use the light available can be used to create that WOW image. Therefore, you need to practice using the available light that you do have in a sighting. With the mentioned practice you will learn to understand how the different qualities and types of light can influence your image – the two major factors that will influence your viewer (and for that matter the judges of a competition) while they are viewing your image.

Until next time – keep on shooting!!!

Wild Art Photographer of the Year Competition January 2022: Theme Wet – Outcome of my images submitted

I started entering this monthly international competition last year and I’ve posted my best images from last year – which was judged to be under the Top 100 images for each theme (month).

This year I’ve decided to enter the monthly competition again. Just to re-cap: there is a theme for each month and the first theme (January) for 2022 was “Wet”. I’ve submitted 10 images and 1 image was selected to be under the Top 100. The other 9 images did not make it through the initial round of judging. So I decided to post the image that was under the Top 100 as well as the other 9 images that I’ve entered so that you can also be a judge:

The image that was selected to be under the Top 100 images in the Wet category:

Lioness in rain (D5, 1/320 sec, f8, ISO640, 600mm)
Unfortunately, the image did not make it through to the prizes categories)

The next/other nine images as shown below that I’ve entered did not make it into the Top 100 images of the Wet competition (January 2022):

Cheetah lipstick
Mashatu Nature Reserve, Botswana
(D700, 1/200 sec, f6.3, ISO1600, 600mm)
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Goshawk after the bath
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa/Botswana
(D3S, 1/5000 sec, f5.63, ISO800, 600mm)
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Hippo water mouth
Mana Pools, Zimbabawe
(D4, 1/1600 sec, f4, ISO1000, 600mm)
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Hippo watery mouth 
Londolozi Private Reserve, Greater Kruger National Park, South Africa
(A9ii, 1/1000 sec, f6.3, ISO6400, 437mm)
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Lion rain eyes 
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa/Botswana
(A9ii, 1/80 sec, f10, ISO1250, 287mm)
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Lioness bloody line 
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa/Botswana
(D5, 1/4000 sec, f8, ISO500, 850mm)
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Spider web 
Mala Mala nature Reserve, Greater Kruger National Park, South Africa
(D3S, 1/100 sec, f8, ISO200, 105mm)
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Wildebeest chased in water 
Etosha National Park, Namibia
(A9ii, 1/3200 sec, f9, ISO640, 708mm)
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Wildebeest help me 
Maasai Mara, Kenya
(D3S, 1/2500 sec, f5.6, ISO400, 600mm)
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Message to take home:

For this post, I want to link the message to take home to my previous post and start with a well-known statement among photographers:

“You don’t take a photograph, you make it.”

It is really not difficult to take a photos – everybody can do it. But looking at the above mentioned statement – what is the difference between “take” and “make” a photograph?

When you make a photo, you need to think carefully before you press the button. You need to think beforehand what you want to communicate to the people who are going to look at your photo afterwards. Even yourself – what do you want to remember from the photo and the sighting. With that in mind, can you plan your shot before pressing the button – what do you want to include in your photo, what should not be included, where do I put my subject in the photo and more import – wait for the right moment to press the button. With the necessary thinking and planning would you be able to capture the “WOW” moment in your photo.

To summarise the difference:

Snapshots are taken by people who just point and shoot while photographers were made photos are those who plan and though before pressing the button in order create  the image and the message they want to communicate.

Easier said than done – believe me – but give a try next time you are in a sighting.

Until next time – keep on shooting!!!

Unusual bird sightings Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park Oct 2021 – Jan 2022

We had several unusual bird sightings during our last 4 visits to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park – from October 2021 to January 2022. We even had a few lifers (birds that one sees and identifies for the first time). I thought it would be interesting to share some of the photos with you – apology for the poor quality but I had to crop some of the photos to the very extreme. I’ve decided to also include the distribution charts of the birds.

So, let’s take a look at some of the photos: 

Western Osprey (Visvalk)

One of the interesting surprises – almost drove pass it because it looks like just another Tawny eagle on the other side of the riverbed.
Few hundred meters south of Kij Kij waterhole
Photo taken: 2021:11:06 @ 06:17:58

Distribution chart for osprey

Cinnamon breasted Bunting (Klipstreepkoppie)

Fairly familiar bird when you are in the Kruger National Park but a surprised visitor to the KTP.
Gunong waterhole – was also seen at 13^th Borehole waterhole in October 2021
Photo taken: 2021:11:12 @ 07:31:24

Distribution chart for Bunting

Kite (Black of yellow billed)(Swartvou of Geelbekwou)

Initially we thought it was a family of five Black Kite birds because of the colour of the bill and eye. However, during a bird ID course in February the course instructor was of the opinion that it was a juvenile Yellow billed Kite.
2km meters south of Kij Kij waterhole
Photo taken: 2022:01:18 @ 16:10:21

Distribution chart for Kites

Black Cuckoo (Swartkoekoe)

This bird we were sure because we could also hear the calling of the bird. Initially it took us some time to ID –but a lifer for us. It was very difficult to get a good picture because the birds just did not want to sit still for one moment. Was also seen a few days ago halfway between Melkvlei and Gunong waterhole
3km meters south of Kij Kij waterhole
Photo taken: 2022:01:20 @ 10:41:41

Distribution chart for cuckoo

Temminck’s Courser (Trekdrawwertjie)

First thought it was a Double banded Courser but when we stopped, we realised it was not. 
2km meters north of Rooiputs waterhole
Photo taken: 2022:01:11 @ 16:03:33

Distribution chart for Courser

Dwarf Bittern (Dwergriethaan)

Before we came to the KTP in January I saw images of this bird posted on Facebook on the Kgalagadi Sightings site. So, we were looking for it. We fist saw it halfway between Kransbrak and Gunong waterhole and a day later about 2 km south of Melkvlei. We also saw one at the dam near Kij Kij waterhole. A lifer for us again!
2km meters south of Melkvlei waterhole in a pool of water in the road
Photo taken: 2022:01:17 @ 16:35:43

Distribution chart for Bittern

Maraboe stork (Maraboe)

A first for us in the Kgalagadi in about 30 visits to the park since we first visit the park in 2010. 
Between the Lower dune road turnoff and Auchterlonie waterhole
Photo taken: 2022:01:21 @ 16:51:47

Distribution chart for Maraboe

Common Myna (Indiese spreeu)

We were very surprised to find these two Myna birds at the 13^th borehole in December 2021 – and only that one specific day.
13^th borehole waterhole
Photo taken: 2021:12:24 @ 07:46:12

Distribution chart for Myna

Lesser moorhen (Kleinwaterhoender)

Wow, this bird almost had us confused and I am sure it was totally lost. Luckily, we’ve seen one on a safari in the Sabi Sand reserve with Byran Serrao – so the ID of the bird was much easier
Samevloeiing watehole
Photo taken: 2022:01:18 @ 10:33:01

Distribution chart for Moorhen

Allen’s Gallinule (Kleinkoningriethaan)

This bird was even more confusing. We saw it at the same water hole as the Lesser moorhen – just 10 minutes before we’ve ID the Lesser moorhen, so we thought it was just the juvenile that joined the adult. Now I had a closer look at it, and we think it is a Allens’ Gallinule. 
Samevloeiing watehole
Photo taken: 2022:01:18 @ 10:22:05

Distribution chart for Gallinule

Black-winged Stilt (Rooipootelsie)

A family of four stilts at the dam just north of Kij Kij waterhole, photo taken 2022:01:18 @ 06:12:20

Distribution chart for Stilt

Additional birds we’ve ID but could not get a photo:

Hadida – for the first time in the Kgalagadi at Kij Kij waterhole – attacked by Lanner falcon but got away

SA cliff swallow – a lifer for us near Houmoed waterhole

Red billed Spurfowl – nowadays a regular at Rooiputs camping site (“Saartjie”). Be aware, if you leave the door of your caravan open, she will get in to stay there for the night!

Distribution chart for Spurfowl

Diederick cuckoo – also a first for the Kgalagdi. we’ve heard them before but never saw it

Red footed falcons – second time we saw them, this time on the Nossob River side near Melkvlei waterhole

Green winged pytilia – also the first time we saw it in the KTP

Greater painted snipe – the male at Autcherlonie waterhole and the female just north of Kij Kij waterhole

Distribution chart for snipe

Message to take home:

It is not just about the big cats (lion, leopard, cheetah) or even the small cats (African wild cat, caracal) in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. Birding in the Kgalagadi can just as awarding. Very interesting pastime and hobby if other sightings are “slow to come by”. We were in the Kgalagadi for 2 weeks in January 2022 and we were able to ID 100 different types of birds. Birding is strongly recommended as an alternative (or is it complementary) to photography. You will learn so much more about nature if you ID and study birds.