Thursday 27 January 2011

27th January - Johannes - not just good at finding leopards!

I wish i could claim this as my 'own' photo - Great work Johannes!!!
Greetings everyone!  Hope you are all well and enjoying being updated on the happenings at Motswari!  I must say I enjoyed knowing what was going on each day while I was back in Johannesburg; although by our standards of late, it did seem a bit ‘quiet’; but I guess it is all relative!
I am not on drive for another couple of days, so I have been occupying myself with other jobs, but one that I could not help but share with everyone was when I offered to download Johannes’s photos onto my laptop.  For all that have met Johannes, you know what an amazing guide and tracker he is – he really has an amazing and uncanny ability to find animals that makes the rest of us look bad!  It was probably with this in mind that one of the Sharalumi Cottage guests kindly donated Johannes a digital SLR camera a couple of years back.  When I worked at Motswari first time, Johannes just had the standard ‘kit’ lens which was fine, but not the best for wildlife.  Upon my return I was pleased to see that a guest had kindly helped him out with a 70-300mm lens; something far more suitable to the job at hand...and well, the results speak for themselves!
Going through some of Johannes’s shots over the last 3 or 4 months, I dont know what made me more envious – his sightings or the photographs he managed to get of them!!! 
It was with this in mind that I have taken the liberty to share some of his images with you; I hope you enjoy them and are as impressed with them as I was!
I hope to be contributing some of my own shots to this blog again soon...time to go blow the dust off my camera I think...or maybe I should just leave the photography up to Johannes from now on?
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Chad
Rockfig Jnr, Thumbela and Grant

Rockfig Jnr

Grant and his leopards - Rockfig Jnr and Thumbela

Rockfig Jnr warning Thumbela

Thumbela jumping up a marula to join mom

Shongile

Shongile and Chad

Shongile

Jacaranda Cubs pretending to be leopards



Jacaranda Pride


Jacaranda Male

Jacaranda Four lion

Marka crossing the Nhlaralumi River

Kuhanya at Motswari Reception

Red-lipped Herald (not to be mistaken with our own Herlad!)

Grant and some wild dogs

Hyena Reflections


Young male lion from the Jacaranda Four


Playful wild dogs

Wild dog sunset


Elephant dust bath




Cheetah!

White Rhino


Three females cheetahs on an impala kill

Drinking impalas



Three cheetahs with a fresh steenbok kill

10 comments:

  1. It makes you wonder is it the camera or the user! WOW, these are truly amazing photographs! I hope to see some more of his photos on the blog! Keep up the great work guys. If game ranging ever fails you as a job, photography will be a close second!

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  2. The pics are great and it is not the camera. The sightings are awesome, but the composition, reading the direction of light, capturing special moments becuase he knows when to anticpiate them all work together to make great shots, some of them up there with the best. I love the sitting Cheetah, the Cheetah in the road, the elephants dusting themslevs, the lion cubs and there are some beauty leopard shots, just look at the water droplets on the one of Rockfig jnr. Johannes has a good eye and a steady hand vene if he might be shooting on A or P, it is firstly composure then exposure. Enzile muhle khakhulu nkosi!

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  3. Great, really great - thank you so much guys!

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  4. I have to agree with the other comments, simply amazing photos. Well done Johannes.
    I think his photos should also be part of the normal blog with yours and Grant's.

    Lourens

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  5. Wonderful wonderful photographs.

    Sue UK

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  6. These photos are just amazing, but the ones with the elephants are truly special.
    Congratulations, Johannes!

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  7. Wow, im glad to have got this great response to this post - when i showed Johannes his shots on the computer scrren, even he was amazedat how good they looked!!!!

    Grant told me he has been using some of Johannes's shots of late, but we will try make a weekly post of his photos once the Sharalumi Refurbishment is complete...i am sure you wil all enjo that!

    Got to agree with Chris; Johannes's anticipation and positioning make a big difference...his elephant with the dust is great, but i was most envious of the cheetah on the road and the lion cubs...as you said - right up there with the best of the best!

    Will definitely be posting more soon!

    Cheers

    Chad

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  8. Move over Chad . . . . .
    Go Johannes you good thing!!!!
    I love the cubs and the elephant ones particularly

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  9. well done Johannes... brilliant photos !!!

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  10. unreal ... envy all of you so much...
    ingwelala no:66

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