JOHAN MOCKE

@johan.mocke Nikon D5 Nikon 600 mm lens

JOHAN WRITES: I photographed this leopard just after sunrise, north of Rooiputs in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. I grew up between Kenhardt and Upington, but for some reason I never visited the park as a child. That has changed. Since my first visit eight years ago, I’ve returned 12 times! The park is the closest you can get to raw, untamed nature. You have to go back to basics like driving slower, being patient and opening yourself up to what nature has to offer. The empty landscape makes the park ideal for wildlife photography. You can often see the animals approaching from afar and study their behaviour. And if you’re willing to get up early and stay in the veld until late, you’ll be rewarded with beautiful light. Carrying a camera makes you more focused when you’re out looking for animals. You soon forget all about your cellphone and your other responsibilities and worries. At night in the Kgalagadi, you can relax around the campfire and spend time with your loved ones. At home you might WhatsApp your wife even if she’s sitting right next to you!

TOAST SAYS: Johan, send your wife a WhatsApp and tell her that your photo made it into the magazine this month! There are many things to like here: the leopard’s whiskers catching the light, its pink nose, its cute ears… Most of all I love its attitude, looking over its shoulder as if to say: “Are you talking to me?”