Photographerwild

AFRICA - 2014

 

Welcome back to those who have visited before and hello to anyone new! 

 

As it often does, Africa called my name again this year for an adventure to explore Kafue Park in Zambia and my favorite spots in Botswana, covering over 6000 kilometers in 3 weeks.

 

Challenges are of course to be expected and while I do not consider myself an exceptionally skilled photographer (I don't shoot as often as I should), there are other factors to photographing in this environment that make photography a little less enjoyable for me (e.g. haze and/or harsh light, dust, and dry, drab landscapes), although I captured a few good images.

 

What I also realized early into this adventure was that I didn't really want to be behind the camera as much as I have in the past - it really can detract from the experience. So I just wanted to be there, to watch and enjoy what the bush had to offer to me each day, with my own eyes and senses. To just be in it and to continue enhancing my ability to read animal behavior and interact with them.

 

Perhaps it was my desire for that kind of experience that spoke to Mother Nature who brought forth many wild visitors into or close by every campsite we lodged in. There was Flop, our honey badger "companion" in one, an Elephant and Hyena that lazily passed through another as we pulled in, and lions, leopards  and hyenas roaring, rasping and "laughing" near our campsites most nights. The most incredible visit of all was a leopard that quietly walked into camp one evening toward the end of the trip and stood just 18-20 feet away, watching us as we sat down to eat our meal in front of the campfire. 

 

Traveling to Kafue Park ("the Kafue") in Zambia was a mission - lots of flying and lots of driving. Dust followed everywhere, tetse flies bit hard and often, and there were fires or burned swaths of land throughout the park. Locals indicated that these fires are started by carelessness of poachers and others, but there is an upside. The burn sparks growth of new shoots and leaves for animals to eat, and the haze created by the fires made for the most gorgeous sunsets and evening skies I have ever seen.

 

I hope you enjoy the views!