JOHAN POTGIETER

Canon EOS 70D Sigma 150 – 600 mm lens

JOHAN WRITES: I live in Kempton Park and in November 2017 I visited Botswana and Zambia. It was a bucket-list trip: I saw Vic Falls, a wildebeest migration on Liuwa Plain, and Chobe and Kafue national parks. I took this photo at the start of the trip, at Molema Bush Camp in the Tuli Block. There were two adult pearl-spotted owlets feeding chicks in the trees near our campsite next to the Limpopo River. The owls were calm and I had lots of time to take photos. I enjoy the photography section of your magazine immensely and I learn something new with every issue. I always turn to “Take Your Pic” first before I read the rest of the mag.

TOAST SAYS: I’m glad you like “Take Your Pic”, Johan. The great thing about this section is that we can all learn from each other. Most readers who send in photos are better photographers than I am and I’ve also learnt a lot from them over the years. You were lucky to see this owlet out in the open (it’s only about the size of a bunch of grapes) because they usually hide high in a tree canopy or behind branches. In a conservation area like the Tuli Block, animals often seem more tame. Actually, they just feel safer and they don’t view you as a threat. Some of the best photos can be taken right in your campsite – it would have been much harder to get this shot on a game drive. In your campsite, you can walk around and take your time. Look at every tree and listen out for birdcalls. See how close you can get – carry your camping chair with you so you can wait in comfort – and hit the shutter button when the bird or animal ventures out into the open. My favourite part of this photo is the twinkle in the owlet’s eyes. Well done, Johan!