Collected Moments of Survival

The enviable view from my tent is just the thing to make a studio special. I have to admit that I am feeling a little depressed. If you consider that I am on my African adventure then that statement is even more depressing. (Not to worry it does brighten up in a bit). I am not sure if the reason for my depression is the unrelenting heat or the realization that there are some unrelenting 21st-century “things” I am not sure I can accept as part of who I am. The main reason, of course, for the African adventure is to get into the bush (that I so passionately love) and hopefully steep myself in its magic and peace. However, the reality is far from that, especially here at Etosha.   The first shock, I think, was the sheer number of tourists in the park on a daily basis. I will add that   I am on the western side of the pan at the very popular Anderson Gate entrance. Due to the fact that I only go into the park every second day I have to go and pay entrance fees each time (bureaucra...

It’s time to talk about elephants and auctions. I have been banging on a bit about it in the last few weeks and I thought it was appropriate to join the dots.   My journey with Voortrekker began a year ago now. Splashed all over social media was the damning evidence that a gentle giant, an African spirit, was no more. At the time I was working on another exhibition that was entrenched in the desert sands of Africa. It was called Echoes in the Dunes.   Perhaps it was that connection that drove me to decide to do more, however, that is where the journey had its origins. Now, we are where I set the target. One year later, the anniversary of the death of Voortrekker and I’m looking for a whole bunch of people to open their hearts, minds and purses to help the Desert Elephants of Damaraland. In the meantime, the world has changed in a way that none of us ever imagined it could. We’re hunkered down, moaning and groaning. Each of us more concerned about our economic viability than we...

The African Elephant up close - almost posing for his photograph. It is Elephant Day today. For quite some time now I have been banging on about the Elephant Crisis that is sweeping through Africa. Those damned Chinese ivory carvers and their clients combined with bad governance by African leaders are keeping the momentum going, fuelling poaching and illegal trade. The losers in this story are the elephants that are dying at a rate of 15 per day. It can’t go on. So, besides Robert Mugabe and Jacob Zuma giggling and dismissing the frantic appeals by conservationists there is a large population whose concerns are more around filling their bellies and keeping starvation from their doors along with those who are filling their overfilled bellies and lining their pockets. And then there are those who, if they cared to listen, could perhaps be doing something more about this sad state of affairs. Why should you care, I hear you say? Well, let me tell you a little story that took...

The second day of packing up the tent in the morning and the realisation that this will be something we have to do almost every day sinks in. So, besides paying quite a high daily rate I have to make my own bed, pack it up and pack the car. For someone used to spending most of the day behind a lens this is certainly a bit of an eye opener. Okay, you can all stop laughing now! We head out at about midday as the rest of the group does a quick flip over the Okavango Delta. These flips (which I have done in a helicopter on a previous occasion) are highly overrated and it is very amusing to sit and listen to the stories around the campfire that night. Nausea seems to be the main topic of discussion with a large contingent not even looking out of the windows at the view below. We spend the morning trying to find a blanket as the sleeping bag I bought from Outdoor Warehouse must be rated for the tropics. With blanket underarm we head out for Sepupa Swamp Stop. This is about as inspir...

The wilderness of Africa is a shrinking concept in the face of an exponentially burgeoning human populace that is encroaching more and more into areas that for millennia have belonged only to the savagely wild and wonderful beasts that roam its plains. Reaching these now isolated pockets of wilderness means travel of thousands of kilometers for those wishing to share in its magic. And so it is that after two days of travel I find myself sitting at the gates of Etosha National Park in Namibia. It is day five of a seven day sojourn that we decide the day will be well spent next to a waterhole for the whole day. We’re there just as soon after sunrise as we can muster and we settle down for the day. The first very curious visitor to our vehicle is a Pied Crow who spends the day hopping from car to car looking for something to eat. Bets are on that he is regularly fed titbits from disobedient tourists! The first visitors to the waterhole in large numbers are some ...

It is our last day in the Etosha National Park today and we decide to only visit our favorite waterholes. After a quick visit to Blesbokfontein waterhole where we are lucky enough to get a black rhino out in the open we head off to Rietfontein, an active waterhole where we are guaranteed some action. By now I even have a favorite spot to park to get the best shots on offer and we wait. We are not disappointed as wave after wave of elephants pass us by. Finally, the big herd arrives. Today, instead of going around the back of the waterhole they pass close by as there is a group of rambunctious young males splashing around on the far side of the pond. There is nothing more exciting than landing up in the middle of a group of elephants and their close proximity certainly heightens the experience. The leader of the group today is the matriarch's youngest offspring. As the group quickly move forward with their measured steps the young elephant has difficulty in keeping...

It's 6.30am Namibian time, the the ominous dark gate blocks our path to getting where we need to go. I anxiously watch the Eastern horizon where the sun is starting to brighten the sky. To pass the time I apply sunblock to my face and lips willing the gatekeeper to appear. Then, just as the first golden orange sliver appears the gate miraculously slides open and after some flashing of papers we are finally on our way. First turn to the right and we hit the white chalky roads of Etosha. There are few animals to be seen and soon the bush breaks into open plains that are just perfect for a cheetah. But, of course there isn't a cheetah in sight.  First stop is Gemsbokvlakte, a barren waterhole, amidst the white chalk.  We stop in the designated parking area, there is hardly an animal in sight. We're new to this so we decide to wait. Soon enough a few springbok appear and a quick scuffle around the waterhole between two rams sets my shutter off. But, that is all ...

So I’ll jump right in and admit that my preconception of an African wilderness certainly skewed my idea of what to expect in the Selous National Park in the south of Tanzania. On arrival however, I am in for a bit of a surprise. Heavily wooded hills that are impenetrable is not what I expected in the Selous. The early morning rays shimmer across the varied landscape and the soft Equator light gently plays on blades of grass that are dancing tantalisingly inviting a landscape orgy. Resolutely, we move forward, we are here to capture the many animal wonders of the Selous. Each morning we pass the Impala herds as they graze in the cooler part of the day. Their pelts glow bright orange and are smooth and clean.   In the nursery herds the young skip and hop and play while in the peripheral bachelor herds there is a constant interlocking of horns that reminds us that the rutting season is not far off. Unexpectedly coming out of the forest a small Elephant herd will b...