This year has been a whirlwind thus far and my photo processing has taken a serious back seat between a new role at work, continuous family commitments and other random things.
I found time tonight to take a quick peek at some of my photos from our safari to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in December last year. This photo was taken at first light from the walkways between the cabins at the Urikaruus Wilderness Camp.
This specific pride of lions had spoiled us by lounging around the camp waterhole all day that day!
It started when I randomly awoke at around 2am, and as usual when staying in these camps I stepped out on to the balcony to see if something was visiting the waterhole. “Something” was – a pride of about 9 lions were all drinking from the waterhole!
It was deathly quiet, and all you could hear was their tongues lapping up the water. I woke my wife and we enjoyed this moment for a few minutes. I figured they would hang around a bit, so we lied down again.
At around 3am the roaring started. 3-4 of them would roar in turns, and it didn’t stop until sunrise around 05h30! So much for shut-eye haha. As the first rays of sunlight kissed the desert sand, the big male and one of the females rose (they had been plonked down behind the waterhole) and proceeded to drink again.
I used the elevated position of the walkway between the chalets to get their reflection in the frame as well…After they drank their fill, they got lazy again, and we headed north in our vehicle and found lots more lions – but that is a story for another day.
The pride lounged around all day, roared again at sunset, and moved off into the dunes as darkness fell. A special treat dished up by a special place!
I miss the place already. Have a blessed week, folks!
Morkel Erasmus
I used to relish writing these kinds of “bio” pieces and would flaunt the odd impressive word and use dashing grammar to make it sound like I am a boundary-shifting photographer. These days I prefer stating it in much simpler ways, much more relatable ways, much more believable ways… The fact of the matter is this: I love Africa. I love its people, its wild places and its wildlife. I love being immersed in these places, observing and photographing the fall of light on the land and the daily lives of the creatures that call it home, and presenting the results to whoever will take a look. To me, nature photography is all about being in the moment, and capturing that moment in a way that can relate to someone who didn’t have the privilege of being there with me. Sometimes I am able to capture a unique vision of the scene before me, and sometimes I just capture it the way most folks would according to classical photographic guidelines. Yet I always enjoy sharing the images and experiences and imparting the knowledge I have, both in-the-field and later online or in presentations, workshops and courses. I also just simply enjoy capturing and sharing the beauty of God's creation! The greatest thing I’ve found about wildlife and nature photography in Southern Africa is the unity and familiarity of the community of people that share this passion. We come from all walks of life and all cultures and backgrounds, yet our passion for our natural heritage and our dream to see it preserved for future generations binds strangers together and fuels conversations around campfires long after other people have run out of conversation and energy. Join me on a WildEye adventure to experience this sharing community spirit and learn to anticipate that fleeting moment and be ready for it, learn to immerse yourself in the experience without losing focus of your photographic goals…and above all, learn to see Africa anew… because there are none as blind as those who look but do not see!
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