Time to change

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

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

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

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

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

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 ?

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

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