Wildlife through Grant's lens

Time to change

2010-03-31T14:19:00.000-07:00

To follow my blog cklick on the link below :

I decided it was time for a change………..You can follow my blog on www.grantmarcus.com

The new site will undergo a few changes so just bare with me for a little while, I am working on it.

Hope to see you there

cheers

Grant

One glittering eye

2010-03-27T02:06:00.000-07:00

This is probably not the best image of a buffalo but I quite like the angle with the branches almost framing the glittering eye. I think the B/W really brings it out as well. In wild life photography I always strive to get that glitter in the eye, it brings your image to life. When you dont have a lot of light to work with B/W is a good route to follow especially when there are a lot of shadows.

This old boy was in a thicket close to a pan where he had a drink and mud bath. We waited quite a long time for him to go out in the open but he just kept on staring us down with his one eye. His right eye is missing, so he will be even more grumpier then normal.

This was just a quik one.

Cheers

Grant

Some black and whites for the weekend

2010-03-26T12:14:00.000-07:00

Black and white images are the best way to express feelings and emotions in most images. You can take the same image and convert it to colour and you won't get the same emotional effect. The image of the Kgala male walking through the long grass shows the emotion of anger and the strive to kill. They were on the spoor of other male lions in their territory when we found them. Those eyes said it all. Its if there are something different happening to them that I cant explain. You have to be there to experience the same emotions.

This was Sepoko in Tswana it means "ghost" this is one of 5 caramel coloured leopards that have been recorded in Southern Africa, Quite a rare sighting. He is lying on the branch telling us that we are extremely lucky to see him. He layed still for 2min then got down and disapeared in the thickets.

Enjoy the weekend

Grant

Always expect the unexpected

2010-03-26T12:00:00.000-07:00

When you go on safari you never vreally know what to expect. We ( rangers ) always think that it is safe to stop in certain areas for sundowners or comfort breaks. These images are proof that you must always expect the unexpected. We found these three young lions on the edge of Madikwe plains and followed them for quite a while. I then saw the vehicle in the distance and tried to radio the other guide to warn him.....but I had no response. Luckily they saw the lions early enough to get all the guests safely on the vehicle.

These young lions were so intereseted in what was in the cooler box then the people themselves. It was quite fascinating to witness the curiosity of these cats. When they approached the celebrating bunch they ignored them flat to go and investigate the contents of the cooler box

It must have been the lion lager.............:)

So keep your eyes on the surrounding bushes next time you enjoy your Gin and tonic in Madikwe

Cheers

Grant

Worth Watching

2010-03-21T21:34:00.000-07:00

This morning's post might be a bit graphic to some people, but it was worth watching this scene unfold. The quality of the images are very poor because it was almost dark. Nature can be very cruel sometimes but that is just the way it is. Some of my guests on the vehicle did not want to see a kill at all, but when it happens you can't help but watch in awe. A wild dog kill is probably the most graphic of them all. In the same sense it is incredible to witness. These dogs don't just kill they have a strategy when they start the hunt.

We were having sun downers as the impala flashed past us with the dogs behind them. We got back in the vehicle and knew they were going to use the water hole to corner the animal. As we drove up to the waters edge I could only see the impala's head sticking out from the water.

I knew then it was over and it was there that we sat patiently and waited for the dogs to make a move. About 300 m. to our west a pride of 9 lions were sleeping. Off course they heard the commotion and luckily only pitched up when the dogs finished their meal.

The cats immediately went into stalking mode and tried to ambush the dogs.....let me tell you it was very close, Madikwe almost lost a whole pack of dogs with one hit.

It was one of my best sightings in Madikwe. The best of all is that I could share it with others as well.

That's my story for now

Cheers

Some random images of the last 2 days

2010-03-12T01:50:00.000-08:00

We sat at Tau dam in the South West while these elephants made their way to the water over the dam wall, what a sight it was. The bull who was alone at the dam soon joined the small group and had a swim and a bath. The young bulls couldnt resist the temptation of pestoring the old guy. It was quite funny !

Elephants love to bath in the day and to get the mud all over themselves.

This is one female you dont want to argue with. I love the look and the whole body posture of this image.

The light was perfect this morning with us just in the right place and right time.

It is clear that there are a very tight bond between the female and cubs. They have just returned from an atempted hunt on some wildebeest.

For me the difference in good lion images are nr. 1: good light and nr.2: eye contact from the lion to the camera. Lions dont always make eye contact and when they do your camera must be ready to fire.

This is on of the kagala etali males. He is the father of the youngsters above. Yesterday the perfect shot would have been to get eye level with this animal, although I dont think he would have appreciate me lying on the ground a few metres in front of him.....maybe one day I will get that shot who knows.

Cheers for now

Grant

Lions : Brutal or amazing ?

2010-03-10T19:10:00.000-08:00

Watching lions kill something are for many people where they draw the line. Yes they are very brutal but if they are not brutal they wont survive. Just witnessing the pure brute and power they exert are mind blowing. Have you ever seen wildebeest and zebra run at full speed ? Now lions are capable of stopping them dead in their tracks by literally tackling them with either breaking their necks or suffocating them. Watching a lion kill can be very intense and it is a great privilege to witness the whole event unfold in front of you. To be honest it happens so quickly that you don't have time to pick your camera up, especially if you don't expect it.

You have to ask yourself are they brutal or amazing ?

This specific morning we were tracking this pride for quite sometime. We arrived at Tau dam and found the youngsters alone in the centre of the dam. We knew then the mothers were hunting. We sat with them for about 10 min. when we heard the contact calling of the lionesses. We followed the cubs directly to where one female was busy killing the wildebeest. She just finished to suffocate the animal when we arrived there..

They were all a bit weary with us around but settled down quickly. The youngsters tried to start feeding but without the help of mom they were a bit lost. Their teeth are not well developed yet to open tough skin like this. Normally the females will open the stomach area and the cubs can start feeding. They start eating meat from about 2 months old, although they suckle to about 6 months.

Here the cub follows moms example by eating the stomach contents first. There are loads of trace elements and minerals in these contents.

As you can see even mom can get irritated by the youngsters.. They all just want to get in there as soon as possible and start eating. This is where they will learn their place in the pride, mom will only talk once after that one warning their will be consequences.

This behaviour is very important because when the pride males are around they wont take any nonsense. When it comes to food the big guys normally gets eating rights. I have seen where the whole pride including the big males feast together, so it's not a fact that males always eat alone.

The female on the left was the one that killed the wildebeest. She only just joined in after she's gotten her breath back. The amount of energy a lion exerts on a kill is really tiring. It takes a while for her to get her breath back.

Normally when lions make a kill they open the stomach area and eat the organs and stomach lining first. They discard of the contents and normally cover it with grass to hide the scent from scavengers like hyenas and other lions.

After they are finished with this they will start eating the carcass inside out. It is easier to get to the meat from the inside. They all know not to waste to much time because the risk of scavengers and other lions taking their meal are great. Later that evening the pride males joined in and finished of what was left.

Last night we witnessed these two lionesses killing another wildebeest. They are really great providers for their pride. I know it looks like we only see lions......but you can't argue they are great subjects to photograph :)

Hope you enjoyed the reality of what happens out there !!

Check back soon again

Grant

Something about everything

2010-02-22T03:09:00.000-08:00

Canon 50D with Sigma 70-200 f2.8

This was taken Yesterday at Thlou dam In Madikwe. The two rhino were litteraly sleeping in the mud as we drove up. Then the one female got up and approached the vehicle in a very curious manner. Great opportunity for some close-ups. I decided to layer it with a glamour glow and dark sepia. I think it works well with the one side of the face that is underexposed.

Canon 50D with Sigma 70-200f 2.8

After watching them for a while we saw two big brown figures approaching the dam as well. The rhinos thought they are going to have a quite afternoon in the spa........

The rhinos were a bit edgy with the elephant bulls approaching and got up as soon as the big guy was at the water's edge. What I love about this image is the content: blue sky reflecting, objects and emotions of uncertainty ( from the rhino side )

Canon 50D with Sigma 70-200 F2.8

On our morning safari we were looking for the wild dogs. They spent the night around the lodge, but we never saw them. Half way thru our drive I got a call that the Makanyane ( wild dog ) were close to Bush House. We immediately drove their just to find their tracks. They took of after some impala. I drove around the block and found them sleeping in the road. That was just pot luck !

Canon 50D with Sigma 70-200 F 2.8

The found of the morning were these lions. The Tshabalalas and Maropeng youngsters, they killed a wildebeest and went for a drink. We drove along a winding dirt road as my eye caught some drag marks crossing the road and the blood was still light red and wet. I then knew we were on to something. We found the dead wildebeest but no lions. Luckily they walked all along the road towards a small pan not to far from there. They all left the food underneath a Buffalo thorn.

It is amazing how their instincts work to know they have to return to the carcass. We watched them drink and followed them back to the kill. At some point some of the youngsters fell behind quite a bit and one of the females turned around with a very worried look on her face. She contact called to them and waited for them to catch up.

This image works well in B/W because the emotion of stress and worry comes forward
thru the mothers body language. By looking at the image you can actually read it like a story that is unfolding right then and there.

Mom is very weary around the water because they know about the dangers lurking around. She was keeping an eye out while the youngsters were drinking. For me it is amazing to see that they are such good mothers just like their mom, Dipelo. I saw these females grow up and I knew they would be just as good as their own mother. Unfortunately Dipelo is no longer with them.

Hope you enjoyed these images

Cheers for now

Sunrise and lions

2010-02-21T02:42:00.000-08:00

Canon 5oD with sigma 70-200 f 2.8

A very good friend of mine Gerry Van der Walt gave me a very good tip for taking images of sunrise and sunset. By shooting in AV and pushing up your F to 22 gives you this effect. This photo has not been processed in CS4 .....yet. I think its a great result. Go and see Gerry's work on http://www.photo-africa.com/

The amazing thing about my job is that not one day is the same, for example the sunrises and sunsets we get are just so far apart from being monotonous. I took this image on our way to try and find some lions.

Canon 50D with Sigma 70-200 f 2.8

The lion sightings have been fantastic the last few days, and the early morning light are the key factor. These are the Mituzi lions , youngsters of the Etali female. We found them this morning close to Bush House Lions are probably my favourite subject to photograph. They are sleeping most of the time but when they are active the opportunity for good images are endless. They were on hi alert because of two other male lions being in the same fascinity.

Canon 50D with Sigma 70-200 f2.8

This the Matyea male one of the dominant male coalitions in the North western part of the park. His brother killed this buffalo cow. He only joined the feast when it was almost finished. That evening hyenas finished the carcass.

Canon 50D with Sigma 70-200 f2.8

This is the young male in the first lion image. He is getting very close to an age where he will leave his sister and go of on his own. But being alone can be his downfall because most of the other males in the reserve are in a coalition with two or more males. If he is not carefull he can be attacked by the more dominant and bigger lions in the area. At the moment their area of operation are very small because of the dominant males and females in the same territory.

Canon 50D with Sigma 70-200 f2.8

This is one of the Serety brothers of the North western territory. At the moment they are in direct competition with the Tsholo Matyea coalition. The young Mituzi male got to keep his guard up the whole time. The Serety males really have some wild look in their eyes. Believe me they are some of the most agressive lions I have seen in a long time. I have not seen orange eyes in lions like in these two lions. The weird part is you cant stop looking them straight in the eye. Its like those orange eyes have a hipnotic effect on you.

Till later

Grant

Some random images

2010-02-10T01:03:00.000-08:00

Three headed Zebra

Canon 400D 50-500 sigma

To me Zebra makes the most beautiful monochrome images. They are not always the easiest animals to photograph. But the day they play along you get great shots.

I am back at Tuningi safari lodge in Madikwe game reserve. Cant wait to get out there again on Thursday. The sightings have been good the last few days go and see http://www.photo-africa.com I also do a guest post on Photo-Africa tomorrow on black and white photography so go and check it out. When I am back in full swing I will try and post image of the day and image of the week. So here it goes with a few random images.

Baby rhino on guard.

canon 400D with 50-500 sigma

Baby rhino are my favourite animals to photograph , one of the reasons are they can be so curious when mom is looking away, especially the young bulls. This one was running around in a open clearing harrassing other rhino that wanted to have a afternoon rest.

Female and youngster

Canon 400D 50-500 sigma

This is the same youngster with his mother. It is really a shame to think people shoot them for their horns.

Rhino portait

Canon 400D 50-500 sigma

This rhino was cooling down in a puddle next to Thlou dam in Madikwe. That gave me the opportunity to get this close up of his face. Rhino close-ups makes great portrait shots of these big animals. It actually shows a gentle side of these giants.

Buffalo stare

Canon 50D 70-200 f2.8 sigma

These giants are not always gentle. That is one stare you dont want to see when you are on foot in a Mopani thicket. This Image was taken In Kruger in the Mopani thickets surounding Shingwedzi.

Will update you guys soon

Grant

Wild dog hunt....continues

2010-02-08T23:43:00.000-08:00

Wild dogs are probably the most successful predator in Africa and the most exciting to watch when they are on the hunt. Madikwe Game reserve is very well known for the wild dogs, and is without a question one of our icons. The reasons they are so successful are:

· They work in a pack system
· There is an alpha male and alpha fermale
· Their stamina for running prey down is ongoing
· They look after one another and always work with a plan.

This specific day we found them early in the south western corner of the park. They just finished of an impala that they chased into the fence. Wild dogs have adapted to fences and use it to their advantage. They know if they rely on the fence like they do on their pack members they can eat. They literally go and fetch the prey item and herd them towards the fence where they then run it into the fence, normally the animal is stunned or dead on impact. So I tend to think they see the fence as one of the pack members. It’s ironic in areas outside the reserve fences are the biggest problem in the declining of wild dog numbers in Africa and here they use it as part of their survival to eat. Wild dogs need a very big area to roam in, one pack needs at least 400 square km.

We left them and we went for breakfast. I told my guests that we will go back there late afternoon for the hunt…BIG WORDS I KNOW!! Luckily it paid off. We arrived at the spot where they were sleeping. They were gone to our disappointment…..but also a good sign. I drove along the fence and in the distance I could see the Wildebeest running towards us with the dogs behind them. We just stayed put while they were pursuing an adult wildebeest. It’s amazing how some dogs are trying to get his attention and the rest will try and bite into the prey and get a grip on it to start the weakening process.
The wildebeest got away and they started all over again, they ran away from the fence and fetched a sub-adult wildebeest.

Now they used the vehicles to corner the youngster. What a sight it was. The youngster managed to sneak past the vehicle but the dogs chased it for about 800m down the fence where they took it down on the side of the mountain. For me in a sighting like this you put the technical stuff away and focus on the content of the scene happening next to you and keep it as reminder on what happened. Go and read Gerry’s blog on Heavy weight fight on http://www.photo-africa.com/

Catch you later

Grant

Wild dogs on the hunt

2010-02-06T12:26:00.000-08:00

This image was taken one afternoon in the south western corner of Madikwe Game reserve.These animals are probably the most successful land predators in Africa. This was the Dwarsberg pack. More on this hunt a bit later on......................

Time to go back !!

2010-02-06T10:50:00.002-08:00

Nkumbi View

Our holiday came to an end and it is time to go back to the lodge and see what exiting new memories we can make. We had a wonderfull time in Kruger. Sighting wise it was a bit quite but none the less we saw some amazing things....like a whole herd of Sable antelope. The park is so green and lush, that also made the spotting a bit more challenging. We also saw some hair rasing things like two impala that got killed by a contractor speeding through the park. I did report him to the section ranger of that area and he will get whats coming to him !! Oh and that is my father in law inspecting the crime scene !!

We are leaving Johannesburg in the morning for Madikwe. So hear is a few images of the week we had in kruger.

We started way up north in Pafuri and made our way down to Lower-Sabi. We saw some spectacular buffalo bulls in the Northern parts of Kruger. Some of these boys I dont want to meet on foot, the stare says it all !! The light did not always play along for the photography side of things .......but my F2.8 70-200 did the trick !

The baboons also made sure we got our fair share of action.....as you can see junior was more than determined to get his breakfast.

As we drove out of Olifants camp the one morning we drove past some vultures in a dead tree where they where drying there wings in the early morning sun after the thunderstorm we had the previous night..They probably had a long days flying a head as well.

Well that was just a short recap of Kruger. Will update again when I am back in Madikwe

Take care

Grant

The battle of the rhino war continues........

2010-01-23T04:33:00.000-08:00

Ok one more blog before we take the long road. I was reading an article on rhino poaching last night and realized once again South Africa sits with a great dilemma. The more people are aware of this the better. So I decided to do something on Rhino poaching

Sometimes the horns are hacked off while the animals are still alive.
The means of killing the rhino are done by assault rifles like AK-47 and 303 rifles. The use of these rifles started thanks to the liberal wars in Africa in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. It left a legacy of AK-47 rifles in the hands of poachers. That enabled the start of the commercial poaching. In the modern times of today they are implementing helicopters with drugs like M-99 to tranquilize the animal and work quietly. Rhinos are very sensitive to this drug and can easily be overdosed. Now the question “where do they get the drugs” if only registered and qualified wild life vets have access to these drugs?

It is January 2010 and the horrific news continues, 14 rhinos have been poached thru out South Africa up to date. Where will it stop, will it ever stop? The rhino numbers plummeted down from 65000 in 1970’s to about 3600 black rhino in the whole of Africa. That is about 90% down from what they were. The rhino horn is a very lucrative market. The horn is being sold at between R12000-R25000 per kilogram. The biggest market is East Asia and China. Average weight for rhino horn is about 8-11kg. It is sold in powder form. The sad part is that medicinal wise, it is worth nothing. Rhino horn consists of Keratin, compressed hair. It is the same substance as our nails or hair, they can just as well chew on their own nails or suck on their hair, they will get exactly the same effect: ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

I think because it is a cultural and probably money driven act it will never stop unless we as conservationists do everything in our power to stop it. I also feel that 5 years in prison is by far to a light of a sentence for such a crime. So Zimbabwe surprised everybody in October 2009 when a poacher was sentenced to17 years in jail for killing a female rhino. WELL DONE ZIMBABWE!! I have asked myself the question so many times………….. why use rhino horn?

I have read that the reasons they use rhino horn are:

· The horn comes from a powerful beast
· The horn is erect, straight, hard and long
· His skin is tough like armor
· It’s a very phallic symbol
· The rhino have balls like baseballs

How ridiculous but that is what they believe in, even in today’s modern world of medicine. In an article by Judy Lelliot, the Minister of water affairs and environment, it stated that an average of 36 rhinos have been killed in South Africa each year ( 2005-2008 ). Last year alone 125 rhino were killed.
2009 poaching:
· Kwazulu Natal :21 where 2 were black rhino
· National Parks : 41
· Provincial Parks : 33
· Private Reserves: 30
Yip these numbers are scary I know, and this is the ones the parks know of. Kruger National Park are employing the help of the army and police to assist in the problem. All of us that live in reserves can be of great help just to keep our eyes and ears on the ground. Even you guys out side the parks can be of great help. Earlier this year self driving tourists reported suspicious signs to park authorities and they apprehended the poacher. We should not turn a blind eye to this and think it will never happen in your area…..It is already happening!!

Let’s keep our rhino safe

Grant

For more info go tohttp://www.savingrhinos.com and http://www.rhinoresourcecentre.com

Holiday time !!

2010-01-20T05:44:00.000-08:00

This is the Mica pride at Vleischfontein waterhole

We just left Madikwe Yesterday to come and face the traffic of Joburg, and we realized why we live in the bush. Its time for our two weekly holiday. Gues where we are going for a whole week...................Kruger National Park! I know its a busmans holiday but I just cant get enough and besides it is so different going by yourself. You can really just relax. If you want to spend three hours with an Ashy tit you CAN ! ...by the way that is a bird. There will be more photo opportunies arising. What is nice about kruger is you can drive and drive or go and sit stil at a hide at one of the water points and just relax and enjoy nature. In Kruger I also go out with this thought : Always expect the unexpected !!! That is what I always tell my guests, the unexpected could be something WOW !!. The WOW I am hoping for is a leopard stretched out on a big branch of a Marula tree. :)

This image was taken in Aug 2009. A mature territorial White Rhino bul killed this 3 year old sub-adult. His mother was in oestrus and the youngster refused to back of and in the process got killed, yip nature is cruel but so fascinating. The vulture action was amazing !
So we are leaving Saturday morning very early. We are going to start up north at Pafuri, Crookes corner and make our way down south to Lower-Sabi. I will try and post on the blog where we have reception, other wise will update you guys when I get back.

This was the last pups the Dwarsberg pack had last year and they are all doing VERY WELL. Five survived out of the seven pups, not bad considering the amount of lions we have.

So I am off, hope fully I will be able to give updates as we go !

Grant

A morning with lions

2010-01-18T05:31:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning we went out to look for the pack of 7 wild dogs. They were seen heading South from on of the lodges in the middle of the reserve. So instead we found this pride of 10 lions at one of the waterholes. This was the Mica pride with one of the Kgala Etali males. They are the pride males of the South eastern pride and South western pride. We got there just as the light was at its best. We call it the golden hour. What a show they put up for us. To the frustration of the 2 adult females and the big male the youngsters couldnt sit still for one second. They had everything else on their minds but food.

Eventually the females gave up and went to sleep.One of the reason lions wait at a waterhole is to ambush antelopes while they are drinking. But with all the comotion of the sub-adults nothing pitched up. One of the youngsters tried dad's patience as well....it was so funny. Its always interesting to see where the priorities of differnet age groups lies. Adults : save energy and get a meal
sub-adults: spend as much energy and mom will provide

All this playing around is not for nothing. This is how young lions develop their hunting skills and paw eye coordination. So in fact they learn and its fun !!

Hope you enjoyed the morning with lions

Grant

New beginnings

2010-01-18T02:19:00.000-08:00

As most of you probably know it is the rainy season, that means there are plenty of little hooves ( and 20 little paws…..but coming to that ) running around. At the moment there are an explosion of baby impala and wildebeest. When we go out early mornings and we stumble onto a rank of impala or an implausibility of wildebeest the first thing you see is the babies all clustered together in a crèche almost on top of one another to keep warm. There will be one or two adults to keep an eye out while their young are sleeping.
The below image is probably not the best but these females are trying to avoid any confrontation with anybody or anything. So it was just great to get the image of these cubs for the first time.

Now for the big news! We have been missing the two Tshabala females for quite some time now. We had no tracks or no signs of them. Until one morning I found her walking towards Phiri hill and I could see something was different in her behavior and appearance, she was clearly lactating with dirty nipples. That only means one thing…..NEW CUBS! After that morning we haven’t seen any trace of them anywhere. At least we knew they were still alive and with a few new additions to the pride. That got us all buzzing and more determined to find them. The morning of the 10th of November myself and Gavin decided to go South and see if we could get lucky with some lions. In the distance I could see a few small figures running around and bouncing up and down. At first I had no clue, when a large tawny shape appeared from underneath a Buffalo Thorn with ears flat, snarling lips and tail twitching up and down when she saw us. Then I knew it was them!! I started counting 1,2,3….and there were 5 cubs with the 2 females. And I quietly said: “Well done girls”. I could see they were very skittish and aware of the vehicle. It was probably the first time these cubs have seen a land cruiser. I got on the radio and called Gavin to come and join. We didn’t really follow them because the mothers are so overly protective. So we gave them space and they went back to the hill where they were born. Gavin and I, and even the guests were so excited! Because I was the first ranger to find them I got to name them as well, so I decided on Maropeng youngsters. That means Place of origin. Before lionesses give birth they leave the pride for a few weeks and seek shelter on a rocky outcrop or thick cover where she then gives birth. After the birth she moves the cubs to a safer place. The reason for this is to get the cubs away from the scent of the birth, hyenas and other lions pick it up very quickly. When the cubs are strong enough to keep up she will go and introduce them to the pride and the males. The Maropeng youngsters’s fathers are the Kgala Etali males.

On the 27th of December I went out to look for a leopard the guys had spotted the previous night on the Western airstrip. We drove along slowly scanning every Marula tree and bush. My eye then caught fresh lion tracks on the road. I followed them for a while and they went off on an elephant path. I left it there and then Malcolm spotted a Red Hartebeest. We stopped to view him and we could see he was focused on something, so we waited a few minutes, I then heard it to our right. Cubs fighting over food! What a sound those little ones can make. I got out of the vehicle and walked in about a 100 meters. I stood behind a tree where I could see clearly how the cubs were dominating one another over the fresh wildebeest. The lioness saw me and kindly asked me to back off in her own loving way. We then went in with the vehicle. The lions backed off from the kill and I switched off. It wasn’t long before the hungry cubs returned and gave us a sighting of a lifetime.

Hope you enjoyed the update

Grant

Purpose of my blog

2010-01-17T06:50:00.000-08:00

My name is Grant Marcus and I am a field guide/ranger/wildlife photographer. I am based in Madikwe Game Reserve in the North west of South Africa.

The whole idea of my blog is to share my work with as many people as possible. I believe criticism can always be good. I got the idea from a very good friend who posted a blog on sharing your work. Think about it the more criticism you get the more open minded you will look at your own work. Go and read the blog at http://www.photo-africa.com/. Gerry really gives a whole new meaning to, sharing your work. This is just the beginning of the whole journey and I have quite a few things planned with my blog, but more on that later.

Being a field guide brings up the most wonderful and exciting photo oppertunities you can imagine. This blog will also keep my guests up to date with happenings and news from Tuningi Safari Lodge ( http://www.tuningi.com/ ). I will try and give Safari updates on a regular basis.

on this sharing note

till next time

Grant