GERT JANZEN VAN VUUREN

Canon EOS R5 Canon RF 100 – 500 mm lens

GERT WRITES: I took this photo at the Cubitje Quap waterhole north of Nossob in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. A female cheetah came to drink with her three adolescent cubs. The cubs are the animals in the photo; the mom was out of frame to the right.

The cheetahs had been at the same waterhole the previous day and I noticed that the three cubs interacted a lot – I wanted to capture that.

My settings: shutter speed

1/1 000 second; aperture f5.6;

ISO 3 200.

TOAST SAYS: If I ever have a child of my own, his or her middle name will be Cubitje Quap. Marietjie Cubitje Quap Coetzer. Or something like that.

Cubitje Quap not only rolls off the tongue, it’s also a great place to be. Nossob is already lekker and as you drive further north, it gets better by the kilometre.

The Cubitje Quap waterhole is right next to the road – you don’t even need a hefty zoom lens to take close-ups of animals. It’s a big event when thousands of sandgrouse and doves come to drink in the mornings. It sounds like a rugby stadium in full cheer as the birds call to their friends, swear at the referee and clap their wings.

Other animals arrive at other times of the day – you might also be lucky enough to see cheetahs. I like how the two cheetahs on the sides are leaning in to touch cheeks. I also like that you can see their eyes clearly. The third cheetah completes the triangle with its raised hindquarters. It’s as if the third cheetah didn’t know that the other two were posing for a selfie…