NOTE: 01 Feb 2016 I’ve re-posted this interview because the threat to Mali’s elephants is becoming even more worrying. Poachers have exploited the on-going civil conflict in Mali to poach more elephants than ever before and unless action is taken very soon there is a real danger of Africa’s northernmost herd of elephants being wiped out. The Mali Elephant Project has[…]
Read moreAfrica’s northernmost herd of elephants have long been a fascination of mine and I have followed the Mali Elephant Project with both with interest and anxiety as tribal conflicts and civil war have threatened their survival. Earlier this year, as background to a trip I have been planning to visit Mali’s elephants, I carried out an interview with the Director[…]
Read moreOne of my favourite safari camps is Bomani Tented Lodge at Ngamo on the south eastern corner of Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. For me, Bomani manages to combine all the necessary comforts of a first class camp without succumbing to gratuitous luxury. The accommodation is superb, with each tent looking out onto the surrounding plains, and the staff are[…]
Read moreDay 4 One of the recurring themes of our trail was Matt telling us of his insomnia. What he did not mention is that when he can’t sleep he talks. He talks to whomever happens to be on watch and if he is on watch he talks to himself or into his voice recorder. We always knew when Matt was asleep[…]
Read moreDaylight on Day 3 showed us a river that looked very different from the night before. The rhino photo above was taken early evening on Day 2 This was the same stretch of river early morning on day 3 I had a few minutes to spare while the others got ready to leave and so I took the chance to[…]
Read moreThe night seemed to be an endless succession of tossing and turning. No matter how comfortable my sleeping position seemed, that comfort would only last a short time before the rocky ground began to dig into my back or my hips. So it came as quite a surprise to find that I was actually asleep when I got woken for[…]
Read moreWhat have I let myself in for? In May 2015 I was invited to join a small group of friends on a 5 day / 4 night hiking trail in South Africa’s iMfolozi National Park. Without giving any real thought to what such a trail might involve I said ‘Yes’. I love being out in the wilderness and sleeping under[…]
Read moreLet’s make it clear from the start that this is not an in-depth technical review; rather a series of first impressions based on 2 field trips. Having said that; is there a better way of finding out if a camera will do what you want? I’ve used Nikon cameras for many years and have no quibbles about the image quality[…]
Read moreEvery time I travel to Witfontein, our house on a private wildlife reserve in the Klein Karoo, I wonder what I will find there. On recent visits, in addition to the perennial questions like; will the veldt be green or brown? will we get sunshine or rain? I’ve found myself trying to guess who might be dropping in for a[…]
Read morePhotographs for Sale For some time now I’ve been getting requests for copies of my photographs, either as digital images or as prints. It came to a head last Christmas when I found myself being asked to produce a whole bunch of canvas prints so that people could give them as presents. One of the most common gripes I’d received[…]
Read moreFor some years now the first lens that goes into my camera bag when I’m loading up for a safari has been my 300mm f4 telephoto. Sure, it may not be as versatile as a zoom lens but the image quality more than makes up for that. I’ve got so used to this lens that I’m not even tempted to[…]
Read moreOne of the things I try to do at the start of every year is to look back over the photographs I’ve taken in the previous year. I do this for 2 main reasons: Firstly: I like view to them with fresh eyes and form an opinion on whether or not I think they are any good. After every safari I[…]
Read moreWell, will it? By most people’s reckoning, 2014 was not a good year for Africa. It was a year when the continent was constantly in the news but for all the wrong reasons. With the headlines shouting out about deadly viruses and repeated attacks by Islamic militants across the continent, it was no real surprise that most travellers sought alternative[…]
Read moreFor some inexplicable reason, over the past couple of days, I have been coming up against a recurring theme; “can photography be art?” and if so, when does it become art? It all kicked off when I read an article in the Guardian entitled “The $6.5m canyon: it’s the most expensive photograph ever – but it’s like a hackneyed poster[…]
Read moreThe term ‘private vehicle’ is often used in the context of African safaris and game drives but what exactly does it mean? And, more importantly, do you need one? When you go on safari as part of a group you will find that you almost always have a vehicle to yourselves, exclusively for members of your group only. When you travel alone, or[…]
Read moreAfrica Stop Ebola Way back in 1984, two British musicians, Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, brought together a stellar line up of singers and musicians to record a song to draw attention to, and raise money for relief of, a devastating famine in Ethiopia. ‘Do they know it’s Christmas?’ was a huge hit and sold over 11 million copies worldwide.[…]
Read moreElephants at Kanga Pan Our first sight of Kanga Pan did not fill us with optimism. What we saw was a lot of mud, with a few small pools full of stagnant green water and it certainly bore little resemblance to the year round waterhole we’d been expecting. Appearances can be deceptive though, and over the course of the 2[…]
Read moreto read the previous chapter of our Safari Diary An elephant named Boswell, Wild Dogs and a Leopard click here 26 September 2014 The topic of conversation when we gathered for our morning drive was noises that had entertained us during the night. I’d heard hyaenas and lions but apparently at about 5am 2 wild dogs had run through camp[…]
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