Maasai Mara Photo Trips 2015

This year marks C4’s 7th consecutive year with Entim Camp in the Maasai Mara. The Mara never comes with disappointment, hence our successive photo trips to this wilderness region of Kenya over the past years.

 

Not only does the Mara provide photographers with an unlimited supply of phenomenal wildlife sightings and suburb lighting conditions, we are also fortunate enough to be guided by some of the Mara’s finest field rangers. Over the years C4’s professional wildlife photographers have provided the field rangers at Entim Camp with photographic training and tutoring, to ensure that our clients are provided with the best possible photographic experience.

 

C4 run two types of safaris to Entim Camp in the Mara, the Classic Photo Safaris and the Premier Photo Safaris. On both safaris, unless designated, you will have a personal, qualified guide that will conduct you through your safari with information and knowledge on the ecology of the habitat. The Classic Safaris can host up to 12 guests per trip with two photographic guide’s hosting the trip. The Premier Safaris are designed to give you the highest possible photographic safari experience; hence we have minimized the group size to no more than 6 guests per trip accompanied by three highly experienced photo guides.

 

Between our professional photographic guides Shem Compion, Greg du Toit, Isak Pretorius, Albie Ventre and Andre Cloete over 20 seasons have been spent in the Mara, giving the guides ample time to map out their favourite spots as well as the most productive game viewing areas on the reserve. Over this period strong working relationships have been built with the local field guides at Entim Camp, making our guided experience seamless.

C4 will be hosting 7 trips to Entim Camp in the Maasai Mara this year, to read more on these trips take a look at our photo calendar for the year here:

http://www.c4images-safaris.co.za/photo-safari-calendar-dates.asp

 

Here are some images taken during our 2014 Maasai Mara photo trips, we look forward to having you join us in this wilderness paradise soon!

 

 

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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.

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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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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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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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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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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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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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Mashatu Workshop - Mike Dexter

At the end of all safaris there are some sightings or moments which stand out from the rest. The recent Mashatu workshop was a little different in that each instant smudged into the next; a hotchpotch of memorable imagery, a truly extraordinary experience.

The road to Mashatu Tent Camp is long, rocky and hot. More picturesque areas of the reserve will be explored later. For now the promise of four exhilarating days of idyllic game viewing in one of the largest private game reserves in Africa will have to keep you motivated as you pass through the dry mopane veld.
A shepherd tree leans over the road. In the tree is a small leopard cub which changes everything. We are no longer on our way to Mashatu, we have arrived.

24 hours and 2 game drives later we have had another four leopard sightings. In trees, in river beds, walking, sleeping, yawning, stretching and posing, they bared all for our cameras and by brunch on the first morning there were smiles all around.

I have mixed feelings about lions. They can be murderously boring, frighteningly impressive or gracefully regal. The trait you witness comes down to timing and luck. A pride of 11 (2 lionesses and 9 youngsters) caught and killed a wildebeest bull. We arrived only moments after they had begun to devour their prey. Feeding lions provides a full sensory experience. The sounds, guttural, aggressive and primal accompany the powerful visuals that leave nothing to the imagination.

We returned to the wildebeest carcass 24 hours later. The lions had moved on and in their place was a frenzy of jackals heckling for the prime remains and a hyena crushing bones for the nutritious marrow within.

The young of most species are adorable and baby hyenas, although a member of the ‘Ugly 5’, are no exception. At one den we have counted 9 pups of different ages. They are relaxed, curious, bold and playful; a collection of adjectives that add up to wonderful wildlife images and an overall special experience.

Writing up a summary of this trip is very difficult. I can’t cover it all and yet there’s nothing undeserving of mention. I can’t do it justice with words so I hope that the images will do a better job.

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