CAPTURING A MOMENT
DON’T SHOOT BLINDLY. Yonks ago, when you were limited to a roll of film that could only capture 24 or 36 frames, photographers were far more circumspect before they pressed the shutter button. Your nifty digital camera can shoot hundreds of photos in minutes.
But be careful of overshooting. Don’t waste your shots. Sure, when a lioness bolts from her ambush position and starts gaining on a buffalo at Sunset Dam in the Kruger – go wild. Fire off a hundred shots; one of them will be the money shot. But at other times, it pays to be selective.
BE PATIENT. Impatience and photography aren’t good bedfellows. You’ve seen pictures of jackals catching doves at the Cubitje Quap waterhole in the Kgalagadi, right? Surprise, it doesn’t happen every 10 minutes! Ask the seasoned pros who have captured that scene – you have to go again and again, and stomach all that cold flask coffee. But wait there long enough and often enough, and you’ll witness it.
RECOGNISE THE CRITICAL MOMENT. The critical moment is that split second when everything in your scene clicks into place.
The light sings and the animal is in the right position, doing something interesting. Click! Click! Click!
But the critical moment is not always as obvious and dramatic as a lioness getting a claw on the backside of a buffalo. Most critical moments are much more subtle.
Take Helene’s great sunset pic above. It captures a feeling – a mood – perfectly. It embodies that blissful moment during your holiday when you realise, ah, yes, this is the life! Straight to Instagram!
ROEDIE ZANDBERG
Canon EOS 1300D • Sigma 150 – 600 mm lens • IG: @roedie.zandberg
ROEDIE WRITES: We recently visited Borakalalo Game Reserve near Brits for a family holiday. My daughter and I went on a game drive early one morning while the rest of the family went shopping. She noticed the giraffes “spitting water” when they raised their heads after drinking from the waterhole.
It can’t be easy to drink with such a long neck! They drank and drank and drank, maybe to tide them over for a long time.
It was a special experience to share with my daughter. We will always remember that morning as something the two of us did together.
TOAST SAYS: As a photographer, you’re forever making decisions. When you enter a game reserve, you might stop and photograph an impala because you haven’t seen one for weeks. At that moment, the impala is important to you. But as the day progresses, you recalibrate.
By the time you’re parked at the dam during lunch hour, you’re not lifting your camera at impalas any more. You’ve seen enough of them! But what’s this, a giraffe? Click. Giraffe bends down at the water’s edge. Click. Each passing moment now draws closer to what could be the critical moment. Got the shot?
Are you sure? Stay alert – what if a croc suddenly grabs the giraffe by the foot? It’s unlikely, but you see what I mean. Stay watchful.
After half an hour at a lion sighting, when the whole pride is fast asleep, most people will lose interest and drive off. Not you! Your camera is ready (it’s not on the back seat under the bag of naartjies) because you know that one of the lions will eventually lift its head and yawn. And that’s the critical moment you were waiting for. In Roedie’s case, it was when the dripping water snaked from the giraffe’s mouth. That’s his yawning lion.
The sun is coming from behind the giraffe, creating a rim lighting effect and illuminating the water, which is undeniably the highlight of the photo. The angle: Roedie and his daughter watched the action from their vehicle – at ground level – and as a result the giraffe stands proud of the waterhole edge.
The background is blurry so it’s not distracting. Roedie’s powerful 150 – 600 mm zoom lens is just the kind of lens you need to take wildlife shots. It works especially well in bright daylight and allowed him to use a fast shutter speed of 1/800 second, freezing the droplets in motion.
KATE MORRIS
Canon EOS 7D • Canon 100 – 400 mm lens • IG: @kate_l_morris
KATE WRITES: A pair of spotted eagle-owls were nesting in an oak tree near my house in Somerset West. Two owlets were successfully hatched and appeared as fluffy white youngsters that mom and dad kept well hidden.
We only got to see them properly once they had left the nest. It was fun to listen to their calls and hissing sounds. They eventually started to move further away from the nesting site and ventured into the trees across the paddock.
I hadn’t seen them for a few days and was looking in the tree when this little head popped out. I just love the yellow and green colours.
TOAST SAYS: One of the most common critical moments to watch out for is simply when the animal
you are photographing makes eye contact. This is especially true in the case of a close-range, or zoomed-in, portrait shot. A zebra grazes head down for 90 % of the time. Wait for it to look up, scan for predators, and look your way – that’s when you take your photo. This owl immediately gains personality because our eyes are locked.
Being observant around your home can result in incredible wildlife sightings, even in suburbia. Usually it’s the small stuff like insect dramas, but sometimes it’s a truly special raptor like an owl.
Spotted eagle-owls are quite happy to nest in human neighbourhoods – it’s cool that Kate watched this family for a little while, observing the chicks growing up and eventually flying the coop.
BOMBER KENT
Nikon D750 • Sigma 120 – 300 mm lens • IG: @bomber0707
BOMBER WRITES: I took this picture on a trip to the Kruger Park. I was travelling from Shimuwini to Mopani when I found this female hyena walking along the road carrying a huge ribcage – maybe from a buffalo. She’d carry the ribcage for about 50 m, then stop and put it down, get a better grip and pick it up again. It was obviously quite heavy. I followed her for about 40 minutes.
TOAST SAYS: A photo that captures animal behaviour is always more interesting than one of an animal lazing about.
This hyena is clearly on a mission. Maybe she had pups waiting for a
meal, or she was looking for a quiet spot to enjoy her own dinner. You never know what might happen next. Follow an animal if it looks like it’s up to something.
I like that the photo is taken from the same level as the hyena. Of course you’re not allowed to get out of your vehicle in the Kruger, so achieving this can be tricky. Look for a way to position your vehicle so you’re lower than your subject. By following the hyena for as long as he did, Bomber managed to find the perfect spot to take his photo.
Spur restaurants should snap this up for an ad campaign. One for the road?