Saturday, December 13, 2014

C4 Photo Vehicle

 
Designed and built by the same wildlife photographers who built the world famous underground photo hides at Mashatu, the C4 photo vehicle is a fully customised vehicle built exclusively for Mashatu Game Reserve. Its design and concept stem from wanting to give clients unparalleled access to the excellent wildlife of Mashatu and allow them to photograph uninhibited and unconstrained. Our many thousands of hours on safari vehicles have been the best research and combined with our photographic experience we have produced a specialist photo vehicle that is simply the ultimate experience in photographing from a vehicle.
C4 Photo Safaris has been hosting photo safaris across Africa since 2005. Over this time we have seen thousands of game drive vehicles, each one with its advantages and pitfalls. No one vehicle was ideal for photography, so we went forth and built the definitive photo vehicle that caters perfectly for wildlife photographers. Using our extensive experience of driving on vehicles in the field whilst taking photos, we used this knowledge to design a vehicle that is unique in its kind and that offers you unparalleled photographic ease, speed, stability and comfort. No element of design was left out. We designed this vehicle to be our perfect photographic vehicle and we demanded perfection based on our many years photographing in the field.  Only once it was good enough for us, did we allow it to be enjoyed and used by our clients.

C4 Photo Vehicle

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Thursday, December 11, 2014

C4 Photo Tour - Antarctica 2014 (Part 2)

How does one show a destination that's gives the viewer an overall impression of what life is like in a true wildlife heaven? Do you go in close and make your images intimate? Or do you go wide and give the overall impression of the scene, but then remove yourself a bit from the scene?
South Georgia island was part of our recent Antarctica safari and it is the most overwhelming scene a naturalist can ever encounter. Having master photographers art Wolfe and Frans Lanting travelling with us ensured that we were adequately prepared for what the islands were to offer us. They even covered how to use your tripod to defend yourself against the aggressive fur seals as you walk by them!
South Georgia is definitely quite overwhelming but because we were well prepared for what to expect, we were ready to capture the magical scenes in all their glory, and more importantly, we knew what areas to head to.
 
This resulted in images that give an intimate, yet a wonderful overall impression of what life is like on South Georgia island.
 
I can assure you that it is the greatest wildlife experience in the world. Enjoy the images.
 
 

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Wednesday, December 10, 2014

C4 Photo Tour Antarctica - 2014 (Part 1)

 
Over the last few years C4 has begun taking its excellent reputation in leading photo tours into the Arctic regions. This was based on demand from our clients who wanted to travel to new destinations and wanted to do it with C4. The Arctic trips were so successful that we have now done 4 trips in our own chartered boat. In May we will do our 5th Arctic charter. But the demand did not stop there and Antarctica was the next polar region being demanded. Maintaining our goal of always delivering the best photo workshops and tours on offer, we negotiated to run a photo workshop to Antarctica with Art Wolfe and Frans Lanting to join C4’s Shem Compion and Iconic Images International’s Denis Glennon.
From the moment everyone stepped on board our vessel the spirit was one of highly charged anticipation having such wonderful photographers to help run our workshop in such a magnificent location.
The results were not disappointing as we had brilliant weather at all the major landing sites resulting in world class photography and sightings. 
The sheer numbers of wildlife on South Georgia and the vast ice scapes of the peninsular offered all our cameras a continuous buffet of photo options. Art and Frans helped immeasurably in the field with their experience, tutoring and deep knowledge of the locations we were visiting.
 
18 days moved very quickly and before we knew it we were back on land with bags and bags of images to work over. 
Antarctica and South Georgia are both places that make you realise the true potential beauty of our planet. Everyone on this C4 trip was touched many times by being in such close commune to a wilderness area and such close proximity to so many animals.
 
These images will give you an idea of just what Antarctica is all about.



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Tuesday, December 9, 2014

C4 Valley Hide

It’s been an impressive start to the establishment of our newest hide edition on Mashatu Game Reserve, The Valley Hide.  The hide has been created using the same design principles as the existing Matabole Hide, which has served many photographers in capturing the renowned low angle intimate shots the hide is known for.
The Valley Hide is no different, and in its first few weeks of operation has proved to be a very active little waterhole drawing a variety of species to the hide. The visitors include; multiple visits from the valley’s resident leopard, giraffe, zebra, jackal, hyena, steenbok, impala, eland, warthog and of course a variety of bird species.
We look forward to witnessing the Valley Hides first full year in the bush, and capturing and sharing the cycle of visitors the waterhole attracts to it.


Drinking giraffe close up


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Monday, December 8, 2014

Mashatu Photo Workshop - November 2014, By Trevor Kleyn

Some more great feedback and images from C4’s last Mashatu Photo Workshop of the year. Some incredible moments where shared in the bush during this workshop, despite the ‘far from ideal’ weather conditions.
With a little bit of applied patience and excellent guiding, shots such as these by workshop host Trevor Kleyn where achieved.


Hide activities

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Thursday, December 4, 2014

Private Safari in the Okavango Delta, Botswana.

One of our clients, Eric Cheek, went on a private safari with Greg Du Toit earlier this year. They were situated at the Mombo Camp, Botswana which is in the famous Okavango Delta. The Okavango Delta is known as one of the last major wildernesses in the world. Mombo Camp within the Mombo concession in what has often been termed the 'Predator capital of Africa' and is considered to have the finest game viewing in Southern Africa. It is the only place in Botswana that holds the Big 5 and it sensational wildlife viewing is a world-renowned attraction.

The photograph below was taken by Eric Cheek.


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Thursday, November 20, 2014

C4 Workshop, Mashatu Game Reseve - November 2014

With the onset of the rainy season and the first rains the weather proved to be challenging in terms of photography, but there is one very famous saying, “Mashatu always delivers”, and that it did indeed.
In anticipation for the bad weather, we all decided to head into the underground hide on our first morning with the hope of getting lucky before the rains. Luckily we had 3 different processions of elephants come down, who where elegantly dwarfed by the moody skies.
 
Elephants at the underground hide with moody skies

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Thursday, November 6, 2014

The Hide's Gone Cuckoo

Over the past 2 weeks here at Mashatu Game Reserve, there has been a huge influx in bird species as all the migratory birds start returning for the season. This change has brought the underground hide some special new faces in the form of a variety of cuckoo species. Knowing that this festival of cuckoos at the hide has a very fragile time limit, photographers visiting the hide have been going wild at the opportunity. As soon as the first solid rain falls arrive in the area the concentration of cuckoos will disperse around the reserve.
This far spotted at the hide: Klaas’s Cuckoo, African Cuckoo, Diderick Cuckoo, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Levaillant’s Cuckoo and Jacobin Cuckoo.
Heard at the hide, but not yet seen:  Red-chested Cuckoo
Also seen at the hide:  Burchell’s and Senegal Coucal.
 
Great Spotted Cuckoo take off

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Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Maasai Mara Safari Dairy - Isak Pretorius

Safari Diary - 2 October 2014
Private photo safari, Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya
 
We finally arrived in the Maasai Mara and I was pleasantly surprised to see it so green from this week's good rains. This is great news as the wildebeest might return to graze here during the next few days before heading back to the Serengeti. In fact, people at our camp saw a massive crossing close to our camp over lunch time. Our plan was to look for Malaika, the cheetah with the five cubs. We found my favourite cheetah with her cubs and spent the afternoon with them. Our memory cards filled quickly as they finished a meal and went looking for another one, although not successfully. What a great way to start the trip!

Cheetah   |   1/500 sec at f/5.6, ISO 800   |   Canon 1D X + Canon 600mmf/4 lens   |   Aperture priority, 0 ev

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Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Svalbard Trip Review, September 2014

20 days in one of the last true wildernesses of the world is quite a sensation. When was the last time you travelled out and saw no other person other than your small group for more than 10 days?
This is one of the overwhelming emotions that hit you when you depart to the northern reaches of Svalbard. Here you are on the edge of the world at the mercy of nature, the ocean and the weather in a small vessel. Luckily that small vessel is one of the strongest kinds in the archipelago and can take you almost anywhere.
This is the nature of Svalbard and why we run our voyages here as "expedition style cruising". We go where we want to, exploring the many faces of this wonderful land searching for landscapes, glaciers and of course, polar bears and other wildlife. This was C4's third trip to Svalbard and once again it did not disappoint. Walruses, foxes, bears and magical landscapes all were part of the magic that was lit up by the arctic light. 
Svalbard grips you with a polar bug that is hard to shake off. I will be hosting our 5th voyage to Svalbard in May 2015. Unfortunately there are other clients who also have the polar bear bug; the voyage is already sold out with all berths filled.
 
If you would like to join us on a future voyage to Svalbard please contact us and we will put you on the wait list for 2016.



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Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Mashatu : Photo Workshop with C4 Images and Safari's - By Astrid and Juerg Bluemel

We were here before, little over a year ago. It was so absolutely fabulous that we had to come again, come and share it with friends. So we booked a photo workshop with C4 images, hoping to learn a little more and improve our photography, and we did ! Plus we made some new friends, had a great time, fantastic wildlife sightings and a very enjoyable stay at Mashatu Tented Camp.
Mashatu Tent Camp Tents
 

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Thursday, October 9, 2014

Mashatu workshop in September 2014

We recently hosted a Workshop at Mashatu in the month of September and had some lovely feedback from our clients. Marc & Karin Scheltens joined us on this Workshop and had this to say about their whole experience and sent us some of their photographs, which is shown below:

"We just want to let you know we had a great time at Mashatu. Special thanks to Andre & Kyle, we learned a lot, but still need to practise a lot. We were so lucky seeing lots of lions, leopard and of course the cheetah with her 4 cups. Another great experience was making photos of the stars and a baobab tree.  Hope to get back one day."

 - Kind regards Marc & Karin Scheltens -



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Sunday, October 5, 2014

C4 Images and Safari's September Workshop - Mashatu Game Reseve, By Kyle de Nobrega

During our last 4 day photography workshop hosted at Mashatu Game Reserve’s Tent Camp, we were treated to some incredible sightings with our guests that Andre Cloete and I co-hosted.
With the onset of summer, the weather was inconsistent which made it challenging for a few days with very overcast conditions. However, this worked in our favour for the multiple times we spent with the mother Cheetah and her four 3 month old cubs.  Without the worry of harsh light we all spent a number of drives following these 5 Cheetahs as they walked, stalked and played over the dusty baron areas which are so unique to Mashatu.
With our bank of luck being topped to the full, we where fortunate to get a glimpse of the 3 new large male lions that have moved into the area from the Tuli Circle region in Zimbabwe. Clearly life out in their usual territory is not like that for a lion at Mashatu as these 3 boys where not having any vehicle get within 50-60m from them. As if they where never here, the very next morning they somehow disappeared from the property giving us a glimpse of hope that they might one day finally reside in the reserve.
During the course of our 4 day workshop we where spoilt with no fewer than 5 differnet leopard sightings, and in true Mashatu style the sightings were of great quality.
Myself and Andre spent some time scouting out a new ‘star –trail’ site and we where delighted to hear about and discover that the largest Baobab on Mashatu was only within minutes from Tent Camp. With this monster of a tree being very rarely visited we spent a good portion of our last afternoon/evening trying our hand at some Milky Way and star trail shots.
Over the course of the 4 days, it wasn’t just about getting images for the stockpile but rather about enjoying the wilderness and being able to capture the incredible time we had out there together.
A huge thank you to everyone who was on the workshop!
Cheetah mother and her four 3month old cubs

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Thursday, October 2, 2014

Private guided photo safari in the Okavango


Trevor Kleyn guided a Private Photo Safari in the Okavango Delta fro C4 Images and Safaris during the start of September. The Trip was timed for the height of the dry season, with animals all focused along the permanent waterways, which maes this photo safari can only be termed as the “ultimate” safari into the Okavango Delta. 

What makes Botswana’s Okavango Delta most remarkable is the fact that it is a wetland paradise located within the arid Kalahari Desert. Each year floodwater flows into the Okavango from its source in the moist central African highlands over 1000km away, creating a unique wetland that supports and sustains a huge diversity of wildlife.

Have look at these great examples photographed by Trevor Kleyn.



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Wednesday, October 1, 2014

C4 Images & Safari Predator Tour guided by Go Yamagata.

Go Yamagata recently guided clients of C4 Images and Safaris on a privately booked Premier Premier tour at Mashatu and Mala Mala. The combination of Mashatu's open ruggedness- perfect for leopard- and Mala Mala's notoriety on the big cat front gave our clients access to the best there is to offer on a big cat photo experience such as this.

Here are some amazing examples of Go's talent as a photographer and guide and the photography opportunities the group had on their safari!



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Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Getaway Wildlife / Natural History Photography course with Shem Compion at the Photo and Film Expo 2014

"Wildlife/natural history photography has changed considerably over the last fifteen years. Shem has navigated these years to emerge as one of the most successful. Shem's invaluable experience and expertise will guide you through this course for you to emerge as a successful photographer."

 

This is a once in a life time opportunity where Shem Compion will be speaking about how Wildlife/Natural History Photography has changed in association with Getaway Magazine. Join Shem Compion and Getaway at the Photo and Film Expo 2014 for a Wildlife/Natural History Photography Course on the Friday( 31 Oct.) and Saturday (1 Nov.).

Please contact Sue on suew@ramsaymedia.co.za for bookings and additional information.


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Friday, September 19, 2014

Maasai Mara Photographic Safari - A Visual Diary by Heinrich van den Berg

During C4 Images and Safaris most recent photographic safari to the Maasai Mara Nature Reserve our clients where spoilt with incredible wildlife interaction, colourful landscapes, great hosts at Entim Camp and of course ample photographic opportunity.
 
The photographic group was hosted by two of our professionals guides Isak Pretorius and Heinrich van den Berg. Thank you to all who made the trip a huge success, and to Heinrich for this visual diary from the trip!


Mating lions greet one another


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Thursday, September 18, 2014

Mara Magic - Isak Pretorius Safari Diary


Safari Diary - 8 September 2014

Photo tour, Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya

 

With the traveling day behind us we finally made it to the Maasai Mara for the start of our photo tour. After arriving at our camp, we had lunch and time to refresh before leaving on our first afternoon game drive. Shutters fired furiously at our first sighting of small herd of elephants walking across the savannah. That was followed by mating lions in good light and a cheetah crossing the Talek river. On the way to camp we stopped to photograph wildebeest on the crest of a hill in front of the rising moon. Not a bad way to start the week and everyone is excited to see what is in store for the rest of our time here.

 
Cheetah| 1/1000 sec at f/5.3, ISO 640  |  Nikon D4 + Nikon 80-400f/5.6  |  Manual mode, -1/3 ev

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Sunday, September 14, 2014

Month of the Mud Bath

To the wildlife of Mashatu yesterday was just another day in their lives. To me, it was the best day spent in the underground hide I have experienced thus far. As temperatures have begun soaring into the 30’s, the wildlife on Mashatu Game Reserve have had to adapt and make some changes to their everyday routines. These changes are bringing life to the waterhole of the C4 Underground Elephant Hide like never before. Hundreds of elephants have been pulling in from afar not only for a quick drink but also a mud bath. Alongside the elephants we have impala, warthog, kudu, eland, monkey’s and not to mention the birdlife – all co-existing together in harmony...for a change!
 
Here are a series of images from our jammed packed morning of hide activity, hope you enjoy pictures as much as we enjoyed our morning!
 
First herd of the morning arriving in full force


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Thursday, September 11, 2014

Reflection by Heinrich van den Berg

 "This is not just a book of wildlife. It is a book of thoughts, reflection and candid philosophy."


Heinrich van den Berg is a full-time wildlife photographer and has travelled the world photographing wildlife and culture with a uniquely artistic eye. Van den Bergs photographs are known for breaking boundaries and depicting the natural world in a fresh and evocative way, proven by the numerous awards and publications his photographs has received.

Being one of C4 Images & Safaris' most experience guides, it comes to no surprise that some of the Photographs featured in the book Reflection was taken on Safari to places as beautiful as Mashatu and the Underground Hide.

I urge you to take a moment to click on this page and watch the video on his new book. It will expose you to one of South Africa's creative geniuses in the photography book world. Heinrich is currently the only photographer in SA that takes great concepts and turns them into stunning books full of excellent images and worthy words. Some beautiful examples featured in the book Reflection.
 

    


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Wednesday, September 10, 2014

True Wilderness in Laikipia


With 1 million hectors of true wilderness heaven, one can only imagine the masses of wildlife that roam the landscape of Laikipia. Laikipia situated in Northern Kenya is the eco tone between East African Savannah and the Chalbi Dessert, thus creating a unique environment ideal for wildlife to thrive in. With the combination of large open plains, wooded landscapes and huge granite protrusions one is spoilt with a diverse array of landscapes.

 
The Beautiful Wilderness of Laikipia
 

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Sunday, August 31, 2014

August Winds

The August winds have once again brought change to underground hide.  New mammals, birds and herds have made regular visits to the hide this month making for an interesting viewing experience to all those who have visited the hide.


Kurrichane Thrush
 

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Thursday, August 7, 2014

Recent July Premier Predator Tour

C4 and Shem Compion recently hosted one of their favourite photo safaris in Southern Africa, a Premier predator Safari with a Kalahari extension.This means 4 nights in Mashatu, 4 nights in Mala Mala and then three nights in Tswalu Kalahari. All transfers are done by plane so that means you never miss a photo morning or evening session the entire duration of the safari!

What it also means is that our clients cover some very diverse landscapes across the country with all of them being excellent wildlife photography country.This is simply one of the best wildlife photography safaris you can do in Southern Africa with the highlights being the elephants and photo hides of Mashatu, Leopards and lions of Mala Mala and then the Meerkats of Tswalu.

It is no wonder that we only have a couple of places remaining in 2015.

These are:
Premier Predator Tour 22-30 April 2015
Premier Predator Tour 11-19 November 2015



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Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Getaway Wildlife / Natural History Photography course with Shem Compion at the Photo and Film Expo 2014

"Wildlife/natural history photography has changed considerably over the last fifteen years. Shem has navigated these years to emerge as one of the most successful. Shem's invaluable experience and expertise will guide you through this course for you to emerge as a successful photographer."


Join Shem Compion and Getaway at the Photo and Film Expo 2014 for a Wildlife/Natural History Photography Course on the Friday( 31 Oct.) and Saturday (1 Nov.).

Please contact Sue on suew@ramsaymedia.co.za for bookings and additional information.



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Second Photo Workshops led by Heinrich van den Berg

In a previous post we spoke about Heinrich van den Berg who led our Clients on a C4 Images and Safaris Photo Workshop in Mashatu and showcased some of the his amazing photographs captured over that time.

Heinrich hosted another Workshop at Mashatu for C4 Images & Safaris and once again Mashatu delivered in incredible sighting of Elephants and wildlife. Please see below some great photography from Heinrich van den Berg, capturing all of the excitement while on the C4 Photo Workshop.


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Photo Workshop led by Heinrich van den Berg

Heinrich van den Berg is a world renowned photographer and publisher, he was the first photographer to win the Eric Hoskings Award of the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year for two consecutive years and also won the international Camel Trophy Photographic Competition. Additionally he was the overall winner of the International Fuji Getaway Photographer of the Year award in 2005. 



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Friday, August 1, 2014

Birds of the Underground Hide

Although summer feels as though it is centuries away as well as the beautiful migrant birds that come with it, the bird life at the underground hide has been outstanding in the past few months.  Our “seen at the underground hide” bird list for the year has reached approximately 60 species, and is growing every day.

Grey-Go-Away


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Thursday, July 31, 2014

Pantanal Photo Tour 2015

After a recent scouting trip to the Pantanal in Brazil we are now proud to announce our first safari to South America!

The Pantanal is a magical destination of excellent bird life, amazing mammals and of course their apex predator, the Jaguar.

We will be spending time in some of the best locations for each species and ending off with 4 nights on the Jaguar floating hotel right in the heart of Jaguar country.
Join us on this fantastic journey to a wetland that is three times as large as the Okavango Delta, and with more species!


For more information please visit Pantanal Photo Tour



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Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Photographic Workshops at Mashatu.

Photographic workshops at Mashatu never fail to deliver great experiences and heart stopping photographic opportunities for our clients. We recently hosted a Workshop at Mashatu (24-28 July) with Heinrich and Trevor as the guides and had some great feedback from our clients.

Dewald van Brenda had this to say: 

"I was on the latest trip at Mashatu and I want to thank C4 Images & Safaris for most likely the best trip to the bush I have ever had. What made it so great was Heinrich and Trevor's willingness to help and answer all our questions with their extensive knowledge. C4 Images & Safaris can be proud of the work they do..."

Here are some images taken by Trevor Kleyn and please visit our website for additional information on the Photographic Workshops.


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Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Client feedback on our Premier Predator Tour...

Tom and Pam Holmes recently joined Greg Du Toit on C4 Images & Safaris, Premier Predator Tour and had this to say about their experience:

"Our safari exceeded our expectations! Greg Du Toits companionship, leadership instruction was outstanding. It was clear that he engaged the best drivers in Bashi and Roan. They amazed us in their ability to find wildlife the lengths to which they go to ensure we were in the right spot. We appreciated Gregs bush school where he reiterated basic photography techniques. Gregs reminders of the starting point settings while on location was also very helpful. We also had great fun photographing predators by spotlight flash. Greg even taught us to photograph the night sky. Mashatu and Mala Mala were outstanding in all aspects. The variety quantity of wildlife could not be bettered! We greatly appreciated Vernon Swanepoel in Sossusvlei. Vernon is very adept at dealing with the park bureaucracy. He also willingly shared his in depth knowledge of natural human history. At the end of 3 days we had our fill of dune photography from the road so on the 4th day we took two walks into the dunes for a closer look. This was fun showed a very different side of the Namib Valley. We were pleasantly surprised at the amount of wildlife we saw in the dunes oryx, jackal, springbok, ostrich many bird species. We even saw a bat eared fox family an aardwolf. Of course the photo opportunities were much better on safari. Shems recommendations assistance for our independent travel were invaluable. He even helped us obtain a rented ball head because Pam left hers at home. If hopefully when we return to Africa, we will certainly choose C4 Images & Safaris and Greg Du Toit again."

 - Tom & Pam Holmes -



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Monday, July 7, 2014

C4 Hides Update

The C4 hides at Mashatu Game Reserve are in full swing at the moment. The elephant hide has been teeming with bird life, everything ranging from guinea-fowls to fire-finches and parrots. As the great Matabole River slowly dries up the mammals on the reserve – especially the elephants – are becoming more and more dependent on the waterhole as their permanent source of water. Regular visitors this past month include impala, baboons, elephants and warthog, the more occasional visitor’s include vervet monkeys, eland, hyena, banded mongoose and lion.

Mashatu's towering giants having a drink at the elephant hide


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Tuesday, June 24, 2014

C4 Workshop, 11-15 June 2014

C4 Photo Workshops are the best ways to improve your skills as a photographer. These are 3/4 night excursions with the emphasis solely on improving your photography skills. Each Photo Workshop is chosen for its location and timed for the best wildlife viewing and with award winning photographers tutoring you, resulting in better skills, technique and great imagery.

We hosted a workshop at Mashatu, Botswana a few weeks back and were excited to see some of the great imagery that our clients and guides where show casing after the Workshop... Here are some examples of one of our guides Trevor Kleyn experience at Mashatu during this Workshop.

For more info on each workshop destination and why we choose them click here. To view a video on our Mashatu Photo Workshops click here.


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Tuesday, June 3, 2014

First visitor of the season

After many days of hard work the notorious underground elephant hide was back in action, and oh boy did the elephants waste no time getting their trunks straight back into the delicious clear water of its waterhole. 
As we sat quietly for the first time in the hide discussing the long journey we had been through to get to this very point, a herd 30 strong slowly started appearing from every angle that the eye could see. At first we had no idea where to point our cameras as we were in complete sensory overload mode, but slowly as the adrenaline calmed and we lifted our jaws back off the floor the camera shutters started clicking away. 



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Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Clients photographs from Premiere Predator Tour

Clients of C4 Images and Safaris have returned from an exciting Premier Predator Tour in April and had beautiful sightings and photographs to show for it and with guide as Greg du Toit you can expect nothing less than perfect.

All the Premier Predator Tours for the rest of 2014 and 2015 are fully booked with the exception of Premier Predator Tour in November 2015 where we have space for three photographers to experience the breathing taking beauty and amazing photography which is associated with these Tours. The Premier Predator Tour takes place in Botswana and South Africa. Please feel free to contact us for any additional information and have look at some of Teresa and Willem's photographs taking at the latest Premier Tour in April.

All photographs taking by Teresa Nel.



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Tuesday, May 20, 2014

An update on the relocated Cheetah with the C4 Images and Safaris collar


In a previous blog post of ours on the Relocation of Cheetah with C4 Images and Safaris collar” C4 Images and Safaris received a call to place the collar on a wild female cheetah which was found roaming on farmland in the North West Province. Conservation authorities believed the cheetah to be in danger and she was relocated to Pilanesberg to bolster the existing cheetah population in the reserve.

The GPS collar enables monitoring of her 4 times a day and capture good data on her progress within the park. Since the relocation of the cheetah, she has been exploring the park mainly in the central part of the lake area in the valley grasslands. This great news as the valleys are located very close to roads and this may count in her favour as it may boast to friendly tourist behaviour and with her habituation in whole.

 A map of the areas she has been roaming in, tracked via the GPS collar.

We couldn't be more exhilarated about the great progress she has been making and we couldn't be more humble by the fact that C4 Images and Safaris could be part of this great opportunity to help and support Wildlife conservation. We will be keeping a close eye on her and update on her progress.

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Thursday, May 8, 2014

Mashatu Feedback


All images by Isak Pretorius

C4 guide Isak Pretorius has just returned from 2 back-to-back sold out Mashatu workshops.
It was a great success with plenty of sightings as one can only expect from Mashatu.
All of C4's Mashatu workshops for the year are fully booked with the exception of 11-15 June which has 2 more places available. Book your place now to avoid missing out.


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Thursday, April 17, 2014

Relocation of Cheetah with C4 Images and Safaris collar

In a previous blog post “C4 Images and Safaris aids in the release of a wild captive leopard” C4 Images and Safaris received a phone call requesting funding for a collar, which would help in the release, and monitoring of a captured wild Leopard in the Magaliesberg. The released leopard was found to still be in the reserve a few days later and C4 has been receiving updates on its movements since. With the leopard now free roaming and not in need of its collar another use became available for the collar.



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Isak Pretorius full time C4 representative

It is with great excitement that we welcome Isak Pretorius to join us as a full time C4 representative. 

Isak has been a wonderful part of our team over the last few years and his photography skills have grown in accordance with C4's ethics. It has become a natural fit for Isak to be involved with c4 on a full time basis and now it is a working reality.

Welcome to the C4 team Isak, we look forward to many great years together!




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Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Iconic east Africa.

Amboseli, Masai Mara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro are all names that are at the heart of the safari industry in Africa, spread between Tanzania and Kenya. They stir up a romanticism that cannot be found in other locations. So when C4 Images and Safaris and Iconic Images International ran a safari to these wonderful locations we expected a good safari but nothing could prepare us for how wonderful the safari would actually be. We simply could not have asked for better sightings or photography



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Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Mashatu guide press release



C4 Images and Safaris are excited to announce a new chapter in the Mashatu Photographic hides. We’ve welcomed two new guides with a passion for conservation and photography as strong as C4 Images and Safaris’.  

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Thursday, March 27, 2014

Southern Serengeti Calving Season

Words and Images by C4 Guide Albie Venter

Contrary to what many believe, the great migration never really starts nor stops ever. It is a perpetual movement of the mega herd of herbivores comprising wildebeest, zebra, and some species of gazelle. One of the main events on our safari schedule is the annual calving season during the months of February and March in the southern Serengeti. Here we caught up with the herd in a beautiful location in the southern woodland. Africa’s quintessential plains meet with the woodland and create a feature-full landscape of flat topped Acacia woodland interspersed with scenic Granite outcrops. These Granite kopje’s adds additional flavor and on them we often encountered prides of Lions, scenes reminiscent of Disney’s the Lion King.

A Scene out of Disney's Lion King! A pride on a Granite Koppie!
Quintessential East African Sunrise.

A chorus of Cape Turtle dove calls welcomed the day each morning as we travelled through the woodlands and we were treated to some of Africas most quintessential sunsets.

Our first afternoon had us photographing a pride of lionesses with no fewer than eight cubs all playing in the last rays of the setting sun.

All the large predators were present in numbers and we even witnessed a pair of newly independent Cheetah siblings taking down a wildebeest calf. Lions with cubs playing in golden light, a large male leopard and animals beyond count all contributed to a very memorable trip.

One of the Serengeti Special endemics, a Grey Breasted Spurfowl greeting calling at the end of day.

A big highlight was upon our return to camp one evening our chats were interrupted by a lioness walking nonchalantly through camp. And being a group of photographer one would imagine at least one good image between the lot of us. But alas...nothing to prove the sighting.

A Tawny Eagle taking off in early morning light.

Something I personally take real pleasure from is the fact that birds of prey were present in both species diversity as well as numbers. And although it is difficult to do proper birding during a safari in one of the worlds predator hotspots I did manage to tick off more than 120 species.

The smaller predators such as this pair of Bat Eared Foxes also added to the remarkable diversity of wildlife.


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Monday, March 24, 2014

Lake Nakuru

Words and images Albie Venter

This small little park on the outskirts of Nakuru town in Kenya’s rift valley never fails to surprise me. Probably not the wildest place in the world as one can see the outlying developed areas from most places in the park it certainly punches way above its weight in terms of photographic opportunities. One of the most remarkable phenomena is the incredible rise of the water levels. There are a few explanations for it but it is possibly resulting from increased freshwater inflow into the lake due to high rainfall. This results in lowering the salinity of the water, which in turn reduces the “salt flats” which then degrades the area as a feeding spot for the myriad flamingoes and other waders. Currently the lake shore has reached the entrance gate, submerging all the original offices and the rising water levels have drowned hundreds (thousands?) of mature Fever Trees along the lake edge. The lack of numbers of waders notwithstanding, this easily accessible park still features highly on photographers hit list.
 
One cannot really ask for more. A scene out of a Kipling fable. A beautiful female leopard high up in a Fever tree forest. 
The enchanting Fever Tree Forests combined with the frequent early morning mist creates stunning photographic opportunities, reason enough to visit this Park.

Again the mist is the deciding factor. Here a white rhino feeds on the "floodplains" next to the lake while a flock of waders pass overhead.
 
However to see the big cats within such close proximity to built up areas is truly a testimony to the conservation success and tolerance of neighboring communities. During our recent travels we saw several lion prides, Leopard, the most memorable of which was perched regally in a golden Fever Tree Forest as well as a remarkable sighting of a Striped Hyena.

Birds never disappoint and in addition to a new lifer for me in the form of European Shoveller, I also saw a spectacular and always special Narina Trogon.

Even though we were not really even looking for the big cats, we caught up with several prides of lions.


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