Last week Thursday (6th March 2008) I was VERY fortunate to be able to get an opportunity to get away to the Sabi Sands which is a private game reserve which borders the Kruger National Park with no fence between Sabi and Kruger so the animals are free to roam.
This was a 5 day photographic excursion to Nkorho Lodge (one of several private lodges in the Sabi Sands) and was hosted by Manus van Dyk of the Canon EOS Roadshow. Manus had received a late cancellation and offered up a slot on the course at a discount and I was lucky enough to be the first to respond to him. He is fully booked up on this course which he runs once a month, for the next year!
So early Thursday morning I was off on a 6½ hour journey from Johannesburg leaving all the worries of work and family behind. My wife Wendy was extremely gracious in allowing me the time off as having to stay behind and look after a 3 year old and a 4 year old on your own can be quite a challenge. So thanks so much Wendy.
Nkorho Lodge is a beautiful 4-Star lodge in the Sabi Sands. It is not over-the-top in terms of function but is extremely comfortable, with lovely rooms and beautiful surrounds. The staff are very friendly and you are made to feel extremely welcome. The food is also fantastic and I ate much too much while I was there. We were so busy most of the time with the course that we didn't get much time to experience more of the lodge - for instance I never even made it into their swimming pool. :(
Manus proved to be a very adept teacher and photographer and soon I was learning all sorts of things for him. He went to great lengths to have a good setup in the lecture room with properly calibrated monitors, a good presentation and lots of tips and techniques for both camera and Photoshop CS3. One of the great aspects was that he provided special brackets on the game vehicles which allowed us to use our Wimberley Gimbal tripod heads on the vehicle with our long lenses (400-600mm). As you know these lenses are extremely heavy and can be unwieldy but this combination worked really well and we were able to get some great shots.
What also really helped was the knowledge of the bush by our tracker, Freeman; and the willingness to try his level best to get us the best possible shooting position from the vehicle by our ranger Andre. Manus and Andre have a very good working relationship and Andre understands the need to get good light (usually from behind) and stop in the right places while the animals approach the vehicle. This was really appreciated and allowed us to come away with some great shots (well I think so anyway! :D)
I keep referring to us, and the us were Dries, Grizan and her husband Wouter; so yes there were only 4 other photographers which gave us plenty of room on the vehicle to maneuver into position and have some of our equipment on the seat next to us (other lenses, converters etc). There was a lot of Afrikaans spoken that week so for this Soutie by the end my afrikaans had improved substantially - at least I can understand the language pretty well after having being in the South African Defence Force for 2 years (for my sins!).
I thoroughlly enjoyed the course and the opportunity to photograph the Big 5 (Leopard, Lion, Rhino, Buffalo and Elephant) in their natural surroundings was just the cherry on the top. I came to understand Spot metering and exposure lock (something that I have struggled with in the past), and learned quite a bit about composition and even a bit about Photoshop too.
I was disappointed that Wendy wasn't able to join me as I know she really loves the bush as well but I will definitely be making a trip back there when the children are older. It's quite an experience and I've been wanting to go to Sabi for a long time. I only had to wait until I was 40 to get my chance. :)
While out in the bush we had many fantastic sightings and saw many leopard as well. This is the first time I have seen leopard in the bush so clearly and just being there was a fantastic experience on it's own. We even came across a leopard Karula with her two cubs. She was off to hunt and so left her two cubs to their own devices. The cubs aren't that small anymore but definitely still full of fun as they tried to track down two doves to no avail! :)
One of the most fantastic sightings however was the 4 Lion brothers that we came across. There is a 5th brother but he was off doing what comes naturally with a lioness somewhere else in the bush. :) Anyway, these male lions were stalking a full grown male Buffalo. If anyone knows the African bush then you will know that a lone bull buffalo is THE most dangerous animal in the bush and although you could see he was anxious with the lions surrounding him he was certainly going to put a fight. And put up a fight he did. The lions hardly managed to get close before he charged them at full speed. Needless to say the lions scampered away at incredible speed (look out for an upcoming photo!). Eventually the lions got bored and rolled over on their backs in the shade all next to one another and allowed the buffalo to go his own way. Perhaps another day! This was just one of the many highlights in the bush and we also saw: Black-Backed Jackal; Hyena, Walhberg Eagles, Saddle-Billed Storks, Warthogs, Giraffes, Zebra, Wildebeest, More Buffalo, Hare, Squirrels, Lilac-Breasted and European Rollers and many many other animals. What an experience!
I'm not sure how many pictures I am going to be able to process before the whole family leave at the end of March for a month long holiday with my family in Australia, but I hope you enjoy the few that you do get to see. We are going to stay with them in Brisbane and then have a trip up and down the coast, to the Zoo and all the good touristy stuff. Then Wendy and I are also managing to get away on our own for a couple of nights in Cradle Mountain, Tasmania. Pray for good weather - otherwise I guess we can enjoy a log fire and some red wine together. Mmmmm. :)
Here are a few snap-shots of Nkorho lodge in case you're interested (not the best time of day to shoot them, so as I say snap-shots). Other 'proper' photographs will be posted in the normal gallery.
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