Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Mashatu Photo Workshop Report by Albie Venter

What a blast! The latest Mashatu photo workshop could hardly have been more fun. And again, credit to everyone who made it such fun for us all. Amorien and Johan, Melissa and Graham, Gary and Paula, Ed and Nicky, David and Judith, you made our trip most memorable. And also a special thanks form me to Villiers. It was great working with you and your knowledge of the Tuli area proved invaluable. I am looking forward to many more trips in future. Thank you everyone.

mashatu, photo workshop, albie venter, villiers steyn, photographic,

As normal the workhop was packed with action and after an initially slow start the predator sighting started filling our drives and it wasn’t uncommon to find more than two of the apex predators on a single game drive. In the end we managed to photograph Lion Leopard, Hyena and Cheetah (with a kill on our last drive as cherry on top) under various conditions ranging from the most fantastic evening light to dappled shade, all of which posing its own range of photographic challenges.

mashatu, photo workshop, albie venter, villiers steyn, photographic,

mashatu, photo workshop, albie venter, villiers steyn, photographic,

At the end I am happy to say that everyone managed to overcome these challenges and walk away with some striking images Although predators are always the indisputable highlight of any photographic safari no one passed on the opportunity to photograph Birds, Impala and even the enigmatic Boababs that dot the landscape of Northern Tuli.

mashatu, photo workshop, albie venter, villiers steyn, photographic,

mashatu, photo workshop, albie venter, villiers steyn, photographic,

Again thank you guys and we are looking forward seeing you all in the bundus sometime soon.

mashatu, photo workshop, albie venter, villiers steyn, photographic,

mashatu, photo workshop, albie venter, villiers steyn, photographic,


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Mashatu Photo Workshop Report by Villiers Steyn

September is one of the best months for game viewing in Africa and this is no exception in Mashatu. After the late rains in April this year the reserve had much more water in the riverbeds than we had anticipated, attracting a massive variety of water birds, including pied and giant kingfishers, Egyptian geese, white-breasted cormorants and a host of small waders. We also came across a few very relaxed saddle-billed storks, which allowed us to photograph them whilst they were fishing!

mashatu, photo workshop, c4 images and safaris,

Mashatu remains one of the best (if not the best) places in the world to photograph elephants. On our second game drive we found two breeding herds walking down the Matabole River. We must have spent an hour with 30-odd individuals that walked within metres of our vehicle and drank at the natural pools in the riverbed. It was a photographer’s dream! Because they were so relaxed we were able to pull up right next to them, allowing us to get close-up photos of their wrinkled skin and amazing eyes.

mashatu, photo workshop, c4 images and safaris,

Predator sightings were equally impressive. On our second afternoon we were treated to a sighting of a cheetah mother with two 2 month-old cubs. The little ones still looked like honey badgers (dark with a ridge of white hairs on their backs), a wonderful trick of nature to scare off other predators. The mother was extremely attentive and even focussed on a small herd of impala rams for a moment. We sat with the small cheetah family for a full 40 minutes!

mashatu, photo workshop, c4 images and safaris,

mashatu, photo workshop, c4 images and safaris,

We were also able to photograph lions in perfect morning sunlight and found a lioness with tiny cubs late one afternoon! The highlight, however, was photographing a young male leopard in a thorn tree, whilst two spotlights lit him up from behind. The result was a series of very dramatic back- and side-lit images. Of course we also used our own spotlight for a few stunning front light shots!

mashatu, photo workshop, c4 images and safaris,

mashatu, photo workshop, c4 images and safaris,

mashatu, photo workshop, c4 images and safaris,

mashatu, photo workshop, c4 images and safaris,

It was not only the large animals with sharp teeth that made us reach for our cameras. We also photographed a variety of small creatures, including an extremely well camouflaged double-banded sandgrouse chick in the road. The birdbath at Mashatu Tent Camp also attracted countless small bird species such as blue waxbills, lesser honeyguides and green-winged pytilias, to name but a few.

mashatu, photo workshop, c4 images and safaris,

Sunrises and sunsets were especially spectacular on this trip due to the September dust in the air, making for some postcard shots around dawn and dusk.

mashatu, photo workshop, c4 images and safaris,

It’s always worth mentioning the invaluable skills and help of our rangers, Richard and Jakes, who always got us into the best possible positions for photography. There’s no substitute for experience and when you’ve guided on Mashatu for 22 years, like Richard has, you develop an intimate knowledge of the place and the animals that live in it. Thanks guys for making this yet another unforgettable Mashatu photo workshop!

Oh, and did I mention…our last sighting of the trip was of another cheetah mother with a year-old cub feeding on a fresh impala carcass right outside camp! Pure Mashatu magic!

mashatu, photo workshop, c4 images and safaris,
Gary Parker photographing a baobab with a wide-angle lens

mashatu, photo workshop, c4 images and safaris,
Judith Gawhen enjoying the morning with the elephant herd

mashatu, photo workshop, c4 images and safaris,
Guide, Albie Venter, concentrating on getting the perfect cheetah shot.


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Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Mashatu Workshop, Client Feedback

One of our clients, Jordi Fernandez, joined C4 Images and Safaris to Mashatu for a Photo Workshop back in April of this year. Here is a selection of images taken while on the workshop. You can view the whole collection here. Jordi will be joining us on our Chiefs Island workshop in November, so watch this space for more images after the workshop!

c4 images and safaris, photo workshop, mashatu, chiefs island,


c4 images and safaris, photo workshop, mashatu, chiefs island,

c4 images and safaris, photo workshop, mashatu, chiefs island,

c4 images and safaris, photo workshop, mashatu, chiefs island,


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Monday, September 13, 2010

SANPARKS Photo Competition

Have you got any great photos taken in any of the 19 South African National Parks? Are they better than some of the pictures you have seen in the wildlife photography books?

We want them! And we want your great works recognised and published.

The Johannesburg Region of Honorary Rangers is calling all photographers to enter their photos in a competition to select the best shots taken by you – the visitors to the Parks – to produce a coffee table book showcasing the beauty of our National Parks.



How the Competition Works:
1) This competition is aimed at raising funds for the South African National Parks (SANParks). All proceeds from this competition will be utilised by the Honorary Rangers in support of SANParks.
2) The competition is open to everybody.
3) You may submit as many photos as you wish, provided the applicable entry fee is paid.
4) The entry fees are R50 for 3 photos or R100 for 8 photos. Multiple batches of 3 or 8 photos per photographer may
be entered.
5) Entry forms are available on the SANParks website (www.sanparks.org.za) or they can be obtained by emailing HRphotocompetition@gmail.com and requesting an entry form.
6) The photos and completed entry form are to be emailed to HRphotocompetition@gmail.com. Each photo must be labelled with the photographer’s name and a photo number of 1 to 8 that corresponds with the photo details contained in the accompanying entry form.
7) All photos are to be in JPEG format and are to be of the best quality possible. Each photo however may not exceed 4MB in size.
8) Each photo’s title, location and a short narration of no more than 100 words describing the situation surrounding the photo should be included on the accompanying entry form.
9) The photographs submitted must have been taken by the photographer in one of the 19 National Parks.
10) The photographer’s name and details may be printed in the book for each photo published.
11) The applicable entry fees must be paid into the following bank account: Honorary Rangers Johannesburg, Standard Bank, account number 242016723, Fordsburg branch (code 005205). Please include your name as the reference.
12) The competition runs until 31 May 2011.
13) The photos to be included in the book will be selected by a panel of judges including a professional photographer – Shem Compion.
14) The owners of the photos selected for publishing will be entitled to order copies of the book in advance of publication.
15) The books may be made available for sale at the SANParks and on the SANParks website as well as other retail outlets and by advance order.
16) The owners of the photos selected for publishing may be asked to confirm their compliance with competition rules and details regarding the photographs submitted.

Rules of the Competition:
1) The copyright for each photo remains with the photographer. By entering the competition the photographer grants the competition organisers the right to use the photographs entered or parts thereof in the book and/or for promoting the competition, the book, the Honorary Rangers and/or the Parks themselves.
2) The photographer warrants that each photo submitted was taken by them and that the photo does not infringe on any copyrights, trademarks, moral rights or rights of privacy of any other person. Further, it is in its entirety a single work of original material and that no other party has any right, title, claim, or interest in the photograph.
3) The competition organisers retain the right to make minor modifications to the photos where necessary, for example, to crop or alter the brightness, for the sole purpose of publishing the photos in a book.
4) Should the book not be published for whatever reason entry fees will not be refunded and an alternative prize may be offered.
5) All Park rules must be obeyed and any photographs showing Park rules being broken will be disqualified.
6) Any photographs deemed inappropriate, offensive or explicit by the competition organisers and at their sole discretion will be disqualified.
7) Winners and pictures to be published will be selected by the judges and no correspondence will be entered into regarding the selection.
8) Winners themselves may be photographed.

DOWNLOAD THE ENTRY FORM HERE.


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