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  • Vervet monkeys like to hang around the campsites in Moremi where they harass campers and steal food items. Despite that I actually love them, more especially the youngsters. I was determined to get some close-up shots of one of those cuties and after a few straight forward portrait images I tried some alternative framing. Here I was on my knees to get at eye level with my subject, a baby hanging upside down on its mother’s belly. I framed it such that the head of the adult is excluded; thereby creating an image that may have to make the viewer look twice before understanding what is going on.
    VGR_20080101_0818_B&Wn.jpg
  • The Main water fall inside the Moremi Gorge in the Tswapong Hills, Eastern Botswana
    VGR_20140221_0331_SEPIA_n.jpg
  • Herd of giraffe on the Sunday Pan in the CKGR, Botswana.
    VGR_20120127_5690.jpg
  • Herd of giraffe on the Piper Pans in the CKGR, Botswana. A summer rainstorm created the mood that is so typical for the Kalahari in summer. I used an ultra wide-angle lens to capture the vastness of the scene.
    VGR_20130207_7873_B&Wn.jpg
  • Herd of giraffe on the Piper Pans in the CKGR, Botswana. A summer rainstorm created the mood that is so typical for the Kalahari in summer. I used an ultra wide-angle lens to capture the vastness of the scene.
    VGR_20130207_1618.jpg
  • Herd of giraffe on the Piper Pans in the CKGR, Botswana. A summer rainstorm created the mood that is so typical for the Kalahari in summer. I used an ultra wide-angle lens to capture the vastness of the scene.
    VGR_20130207_7873_B&W_400x600_ALU.jpg
  • Herd of giraffe on the Piper Pans in the CKGR, Botswana. A summer rainstorm created the mood that is so typical for the Kalahari in summer. I used an ultra wide-angle lens to capture the vastness of the scene.
    VGR_20130207_7873.jpg
  • Herd of giraffe on the Piper Pans in the CKGR, Botswana. A summer rainstorm created the mood that is so typical for the Kalahari in summer. I used an ultra wide-angle lens to capture the vastness of the scene.
    VGR_20130207_1612.jpg
  • Close-up of zebra head
    VGR_20071222_8725.jpg
  • Vervet monkeys like to hang around the campsites in Moremi where they harass campers and steal food items. Despite that I actually love them, more especially the youngsters. I was determined to get some close-up shots of one of those cuties and after a few straight forward portrait images I tried some alternative framing. Here I was on my knees to get at eye level with my subject, a baby hanging upside down on its mother’s belly. I framed it such that the head of the adult is excluded; thereby creating an image that may have to make the viewer look twice before understanding what is going on.
    VGR_20080101_0818_B&W_400x600.tif
  • Rain falls from a dramatic cloud over Botswana's Nxai Pan, making a gorgeous backdrop for this Bull Elephant.
    VGR_20200221_5373-HDR_B&W.jpg
  • Rain falls from a dramatic cloud over Botswana's Nxai Pan, making a gorgeous backdrop for this Bull Elephant.
    VGR_20200221_5373-HDR.jpg
  • 'Reflections of Death'-<br />
This bull giraffe died here on the shore of the Boteti River in Makgadikgadi National Park, Botswana. It is the end of October, the 'Season of Death' as I like to call it. Mostly though it is the drought combined with the heat that kills the weak and gives predators the advantage. In this case, with the river still holding water, it could impossibly have been the drought that killed this big bull giraffe. What did kill it remains a mystery. Despite the macabre nature of the scene I was interested in using the giraffe's unusual position and its reflection in a wide angle composition.
    VGR_20151029_3730b.tif
  • 'One in a thousand'<br />
This massive baobab tree (Adansonia digitata) is one of many baobabs rooted on one of the rocky hills that make up the Kgwebe Hills in Northern Botswana.
    VGR_20160909_3427.tif
  • In celebration of Botswana's 50th Independence I figured a zebra image would be fitting. This small herd of zebra walks across a flooded plain in the Okavango Delta at first light as seen from the air.
    VGR_20160804_9294.tif
  • 'Reflections of Baines'.<br />
The inspirational clump of Baobabs on the fringe of the Kudiakam Pan complex in the Nxai Pan National Park that was immortalized by and named after famous explorer/artist Thomas Baines, cast their reflections in a seasonally flooded Kudiakam Pan. This image was the winning submission in the landscape category in the Botswana 'Images for Conservation' photo competition 2013.
    VGR_20120129_0533a.jpg
  • This is why I love the rainy season in Botswana so much; it offers the opportunity to see incredibly dramatic scenes such as these.<br />
<br />
A storm cloud formation with rainbow at sunset above a lone Mopipi Tree in the beautiful Moreswa Pan in the Kalahari's Khutse Game Reserve.
    VGR_20150103_5389d.tif
  • 'Okavango River Glory!'<br />
<br />
An amazing fiery sunrise over the always tranquil Okavango River near Shakawe in northern Botswana is this month's highlight I wish to share. It is moments like this that make my day!
    VGR_20170322_3675_HDR.tif
  • Angry territorial bull hippopotamus charging head on!<br />
This month Air Botswana's in-flight magazine 'Peolwane' features my photo essay titled 'Hippo Power'. This in-your-face image is part of that essay as a full page print.
    VGR_20131011_7398b.jpg
  • An intrigueing abstract close up of a fallen, slowly decaying, acacia tree on an island somewhere deep down in the Okavango Delta in Botswana.
    VGR_20181022_0108d.jpg
  • Portrait of a back-lit Kudu Bull at sunrise in Botswana's  Khuste Game Reserve.
    VGR_20190716_8796.jpg
  • The far Eastern corner of Botswana is very different from the rest of the country and one of the main attractions is the beautiful Limpopo river, which forms the border between Botswana and South Africa. The riverine forests with its mighty trees had me fascinated.
    VGR_20130728_9089a.jpg
  • When shooting in rain (and in Botswana we don't get that chance too often, so I am no expert) there are basically two different approaches; one is to use a slow enough shutter speed to blur the rain drops, creating streaks, or two, to use a high shutter speed and freeze the rain drops. The first approach is the more common one. In this case, however, there was enough light due to the conditions, an incoming local storm shower in the late afternoon, resulting in a rainbow against a dark sky plus raindrops reflecting the sunlight. When a fleeting moment like that occurs you are desperate for a subject in the right place and simply have to be thankful for whatever you can find, even if it is not entirely as you had envisaged or dreamt of. Shooting in these conditions was not easy, but a few seconds later shooting was near impossible as it bucketed down..
    VGR_20120130_0595.jpg
  • Portrait of a back-lit Kudu Bull at sunset in Botswana's  Khuste Game Reserve.
    VGR_20190716_8803a.jpg
  • Dawn over Gaborone City, Botswana
    VGR_20120526_0769a.jpg
  • Glorious sunset over the flooded Tale Pan in northern Botswana
    VGR_20170323_3895_HDR2.jpg
  • Backlit Baobab uner the luminous Milky Way in the Makgadikgadi Pans, Botswana
    VGR_20190530_2790-Pano_750x600_PERSP...jpg
  • Large baobab tree (Adansonia digitata) on Kubu Island in the Makgadikgadi Pans, Botswana.
    VGR_20151030_3994.tif
  • A ghostly baobab tree under a luminous Milky Way on Kubu Island in the Makgadikgadi Pans, Botswana
    VGR_20190629_6514a.jpg
  • A small pride of lions quench their thirst at a watering hole in Nxai Pan National Park, Botswana
    VGR_20181015_6794_sunlight3_750x500_...jpg
  • Abtract of a wild stormy sky over Gaborone Botswana
    VGR_20161118_.tif
  • Large baobab tree (Adansonia digitata) rooted on Kubu Island in the Makgadikgadi Pans, Botswana.
    VGR_20151030_4030.tif
  • Large baobab tree (Adansonia digitata) on Kubu Island in the Makgadikgadi Pans, Botswana.
    VGR_20151030_3994B&W.tif
  • Glorious pastel coloured sunset over the flooded Tale Pan in northern Botswana
    VGR_20170323_3966_1200x800_WHITEDIBO...jpg
  • Glorious pastel coloured sunset over the flooded Tale Pan in northern Botswana
    VGR_20170323_3966.tif
  • The territorial male kalahari lion of the Molose pride in Khutse Game Reserve, Botswana
    VGR_20151121_4912.tif
  • Velvet Spider (Stegodyphus sp) nests in Kalahari at dawn, Kaa, Swartpan, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Botswana
    VGR_20090104_1253.jpg
  • Leopard Tortoise (Geochelone pardalis) followed by Geometric Tortoise (Psammobates geometricus), Nossob River, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Botswana
    VGR_20081227_2922a.jpg
  • Kudiakam Pan in Nxai Pan National Park Botswana indundated
    VGR_20120128_0433_HDR.jpg
  • Portrait of a wild dog walking on a dry salt pan in Nxai Pan National Park, Botswana
    VGR_20140215_9794B&Wn.jpg
  • Aerial view at firts light of Boro Village on the Borro Channel in the Okavango Delta, Botswana
    VGR_20140218_3896.jpg
  • Cape Ground Squirrel (Xerus inauris), Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Botswana
    VGR_20070930_5217a.jpg
  • Dawn over Gaborone City, Botswana
    VGR_20120526_0754.jpg
  • We were very privileged to witness the birth of a zebra foal during a Nxai Pan visit. The best image opportunities presented themselves after the actual birth when the mare was licking her young that was instinctively learning to balance on its four legs. Amazingly it could walk with ease within 15-20 minutes or so. Whilst all this was going on the lions were roaring only a few hundred meters away...<br />
<br />
Location: Nxai Pan NP, Botswana.<br />
Techs:<br />
Camera Model Canon EOS 1D Mark IV<br />
Shutter Speed 1/800 Sec.<br />
Aperture Value f/8<br />
ISO Speed 400<br />
Lens EF500mm f/4L IS USM + 1.4xTC, Beanbag<br />
Crop is 85% of original
    VGR_20120129_6532a.jpg
  • Botswana has some wonderful 'surprises' for those who dare to venture a bit off the beaten tracks; the Gcwihaba Caves are one of these. This almost abstract image of torch light beaming through openings casting shapes of light on the cave wall , was my favorite of a recent adventure to these fascinating caves.
    VGR_20140219_5287b.jpg
  • Baobab and star trails<br />
(Highly Commended in the Landscape Category in the 2012 Botswana WPOTY)
    VGR_20110430_9656B.jpg
  • Colourful stormy sky at sunset over the verdant green plains of the Kalahari at the end of the rainy season.
    VGR_20170413_4211-HDR.tif
  • One of the Okavango Delta's main channels, meanders through the lush green landscape.
    VGR_20220423_7780-Edit.jpg
  • Frontal portrait of White Rhinoceros, emphasizing its magnificent horns.
    VGR_20211124_7041F.jpg
  • Flies! These horribly irritating, annoying, buzzing, disease-bearing and sucking little creations bother us all and most mammals possibly a lot more than us. Meerkats are no exception. Here two budding flies are approaching an unsuspecting relaxed little Meerkat that is seemingly enjoying a quiet moment of the day in the busy Meerkat way of life, but not for long! Poor little Meerkat.
    VGR_20120823_5303.jpg
  • One of my favorites and in my opinion one of the most dramatic, of my series of images of two male lions killing an adult bull giraffe.
    VGR_20160419_3962.jpg
  • The strike of this Green-backed heron fishing is so fast that even with my fast 11 frames-per-second camera I only got two shots of a single strike!<br />
I liked this frozen moment with the wing stretched for balance and the nice water splash, even though its head is completely submerged.
    VGR_20131006_9951.jpg
  • 'Apex predator'<br />
A large flock of red-billed quelea dancing across the flood plains of the Okavango Delta is certainly a sight that impresses. The bird of prey that flies inside this flock literally tops off this image.
    VGR_20160805_8675.tif
  • An old Kalahari King wounded by the quills of a porcupine. His blunt canines reveal that this is the type of prey he is forced to go for in his last days. Admittedly and very unfortunately framed too tight (I can't wait for that Canon 200-400/4 with TC to become a reality!), but this was the image showing off the blunt canines and quills best.
    VGR_20130205_9506.jpg
  • I recently visited the now flooded Lake Xau and surprisingly it is this donkey image that was my favourite of this location, even though it was actually all about the water birds. This poor donkey made an interesting subject at sunset on the Lake's shore. Especially when it stopped to pay its respects to the remains of a fellow donkey. Or maybe it was just catching its breath as moving with your front legs tied together is not easy...
    VGR_20120306_0162a.jpg
  • This Tawny Eagle seemed to really dislike rain! Now, I am not too fond of it myself, but it can produce interesting images. Although technically not perfect due to a rather challenging lighting situation I still liked the end result.
    VGR_20120303_8797M.jpg
  • Seeing an electric Kalahari lightning storm unfold in the distance over the open Kalahari landscape, mostly in the late afternoons, is a sight to behold. Being in the middle of one on the other hand can be downright terrifying! At the commencement of the rainy season the first local thunderstorms start to occur, which can set the dry bush ablaze.
    VGR_20180929_4502b.jpg
  • 'Clash of the Titans'<br />
Dramatic stormy sky at sunset over the Kalahari plains of the Khutse Game Reserve at the end of the rainy season.
    VGR_20170413_4235-HDR.tif
  • A handsome proud male leopard in his prime on the open plains of the Deception Valley. <br />
This is one image from a recently added Gallery titled 'Leopards in Sepia'.
    VGR_20140215_2122B&W.tif
  • It was the fierce wind on the very top of Kgale Hill that made it feel as if it were below zero. What kept me going in this horrible cold was the sheer beauty of this dawn as well as the technical challenges imposed on me by the wind and darkness. Doesn't Gaborone City look peaceful when it is still half asleep?
    VGR_20120526_0746a.jpg
  • It is not an every day occurrence to see a Giant Eagle Owl wading through water! On my recent visit to the Kgalagdi Transfrontier Park I had a serious thunderstorm at night and the first thing I came across after I eagerly started my morning drive was this big bird enjoying the refreshing rain puddles. Shooting was a challenge with the light being still very low, but at least this old wise owl was not bothered by my presence and I managed to get a few images of this unique sighting.
    VGR_20160306_5835.tif
  • n summer lightning storms commonly occur in the Kalahari. Photographing them however is not that easy and conditions simply have to be a bit in your favour. In this case we were lucky to find ourselves in such a situation whereby it helped that the storm was in the distance, that it was not raining where we were, nor that there was too much wind to complicate matters even more. The only thing that disturbed us and gave us a bit of a fright was an animal on the run passing closely by in the pitch dark night.<br />
<br />
Lightning bolts are never following one another frequently enough when you are trying to capture them and also in this case I already knew that the most spectacular image would be the result of several exposures blended together.<br />
This image was created out of 6 different exposures, all 30 seconds @ f/2.8, ISO 250 and 400 for the lightning bolts and ISO 2500 for the stars.
    VGR_20130202_7421Sa.jpg
  • This may look like an unfair battle, but believe me, it was a completely innocent one.<br />
<br />
The two rhinos 'fighting' were moving rapidly from right to left and in the original frame of them in this position the small one appearing from the dust is only half in the frame. Seeing it I immediately regretted it was not there entirely. However since I was shooting the action sequence at a high frame rate and panned with the subjects I had captured the 'content' beyond the right frame edge and decided to try and stitch that on; this is the result. Further I cropped the bottom off, which was the (bright) water of a waterhole and OOF grass in the FG, to focus all the attention on the rhinos.<br />
<br />
The image title refers to the uncertain future of this amazing animal species.
    VGR_20130215_7718_man_stitch_a_crop.jpg
  • I simply love dramatic and colorful silhouettes and will not easily forego an opportunity to obtain one, even if it means sacrificing other, more guaranteed, opportunities. This one of a herd of Blue Wildebeest grazing under one of those immensely spectacular colourful Kalahari sunset skies is one of my favorites from the last rainy season, as things just all sort of came together here.
    VGR_20120225_9223.jpg
  • Normally I would not have been very pleased with a lion that is walking on a man-made track as I would rather photograph it in an all natural environment. However, in this case it did provide me with an opportunity to get the lion silhouetted from top to toe, which in the high grass of the pan would have been impossible to achieve. On top of that the track also serves as a compositional leading line..
    VGR_20110706_7637.jpg
  • Probably one of the most awesome aspects of wildlife photography is the acceptance by animals into their world. This beautiful female Bateleur allowed me to get closer and closer as she was drinking from a small waterhole. When we arrived there were in fact 6 individuals at the waterhole! All but one took off on the sound of our vehicle, this one however seemed not to care. Call me strange, but the few quiet minutes I spent with this magnificent bird will remain one of those encounters I will cherish forever.
    VGR_20120506_1447IOTM.jpg
  • 'Kwando Dogs' - A pack of Wild Dogs walks in single file as they start the afternoon hunt.<br />
No, not the most spectacular of my wild dog shots, but I liked the single file line up, and especially the light and the inclusion of the habitat, which give this an artistic quality.
    VGR_20140907_9194a.jpg
  • A leopard in an acacia tree scans its environment for prey in the last rays of sunlight of the day.
    VGR_20190302_3822b_1200x800_DIASEC.jpg
  • This is one of a series of images of two male lions killing an adult bull giraffe, shot earlier this year in the magnificent Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. An awesome sighting to say the least! To see the entire series check my 'Series' Gallery Collection.
    VGR_20160419_3107.jpg
  • This image of the month does not need much comment does it?<br />
<br />
What is interesting to add is that at first I was not at all happy when this lion cub and its two siblings decided to start playing right at this signpost since I normally prefer to omit man-made elements from my images. In this case, however, with the 'No entry' sign becoming the subject of play things worked out for me after all.
    VGR_20151121_5272a.tif
  • An African Skimmer in flight above the Chobe River is back lit by the very bright sun light reflecting from the water surface.<br />
Generally as a a rule in photography one should avoid having 'blown out' areas in an image as is the case here. However, rules can be broken at times in search of creativity!
    VGR_20131003_5120d.jpg
  • A single grey heron stands motionless in the shallow waters of the immense Sua Pan salt flats painted with colourful soft pastel hues at dusk; a scene of pure serenity.
    VGR_20150718_1482c.tif
  • 'Wild Silhouette'<br />
I simply could not resist photographing this big bull giraffe in silhouette against that gorgeous sunset sky. The scene reminded me of my Wild Scenics logo. A symbolic image choice as the first 'Image of the Month' for 2016 to start off the year well!
    VGR_20151229_7799.tif
  • 'The Conjurance'<br />
Over the years Khutse has been incredibly productive for me when it comes to dramatic skies; the Kalahari is true big sky country! <br />
Here is my favorite of another epic scene that unfolded during a sunset on my last trip.
    VGR_20171001_7377a.tif
  • Gemsbok are uniquely beautiful antelope with their striking black & white facial markings and extremely long straight pointy horns. The entire scene of a herd of these graceful ungulates one early morning before sunrise in Khutse appealed to me, but what makes this image strong is the positioning of the three Gemsbok. Study the image, look at the positioning of these bold faces and how the horns point towards the same point and follow the markings along the body outlines and see how they all connect, perhaps than you see what I see. The setting full moon in the background is the proverbial 'icing on the cake.
    VGR_20150105_6070b.jpg
  • I recently commented to one of my photography buddies in reply to his remark that he wants interesting subjects to shoot, that since he is a good photographer he can create art with any animal subject, even a mouse! <br />
To illustrate my point here I remembered I was shooting some very ordinary and common ground squirrels in Khutse earlier this year. All the squirrels did was eat, but what made the scene was the abundance wild flowering Vlei Lilies. These beautiful flowers grow only for a couple of days so my timing, shortly after the first rains of the season, was perfect.
    VGR_20150102_4812b.tif
  • This is an image from 2013 I dug up from my unprocessed RAW files when searching for zebra images. It may well be too 'arty-farty' for many, but it really appealed to me, particularly in black & white.
    VGR_20130213_4697B&Wa.tif
  • This intimate portrait of a male Chacma Baboon is an image from 2011, that I had not processed until last month, believe it or not! The colour version is okay, but this B&W version is so much stronger.
    VGR_20110627_5871B&W3.jpg
  • And the type of advance to be wary of when the female happens to be an elephant!<br />
<br />
Generally elephant bulls are very tolerant and allow close approach, as long as they are not in musth and as long as you respect them and don't piss them off that is, but females of a breeding herd are a totally different story and need to be treated with much more care. Our boat drifting close to the shore quite far from a herd already prompted this female to approach us head on to show how big she is and to warn us off. Staying humble and calm luckily kept her calm too.
    VGR_20121013_4636.jpg
  • 'Stress in Paradise'<br />
<br />
It is about time for an elephant image as the Image of the Month!<br />
The Paradise Pools area in Moremi is a stunningly beautiful area. This particular evening the peace and tranquility was disturbed when, out of nowhere, a small herd of ellies came barging through the still reflective pools.
    VGR_20160806_0482.tif
  • VGR_20140213_8827_B&W.tif
  • Baobab trees on kubu island in the makgadikgadi pans
    VGR_20070715_8837.tif
  • Elephant breeding herd following its leading Matriarch to a watering hole.
    VGR_20190315_7703B&W-sepia.jpg
  • An old brown hyena ventures into a pan in search of leftovers from predator kills. These extremely hardly carnivores are the ultimate decomposers and can even devour months-old dried out skin and bone. Needless to say, the brownies play a vital role in the fragile Kgalagadi semi-desert ecosystem.
    VGR_20190209_1566b.jpg
  • Grazing zebra in lovely soft back lighting with out-of-focus impalas in the foreground
    VGR_20140213_8975.jpg
  • Common tree euphorbia
    VGR_20120307_0277.jpg
  • Male Lion in the Kgalagadi's Nossob River Valley.
    VGR_20220130_9663-B&W-sepia.jpg
  • A Leopard Tortoise walks in an inundated Kgalagadi pan.
    VGR_20220121_5514.jpg
  • An adult Barn Owl (Tyto alba) taking a break on its nightly hunt.<br />
Ghostly pale and normally strictly nocturnal, Barn Owls are predators of the night. These very successful hunters have excellent low-light vision, but it is their impressive hearing, aided by their satellite-dish-shaped faces, that enable Barn Owls to locate mice and other rodents even in total darkness. This species’ eerie screeching call, a long-drawn-out shriek, is unmistakable and a familiar night-time sound in the Kgalagadi.
    VGR_20210818_2332.jpg
  • Three zebbras cuddling up.
    VGR_20140213_8827_B&Wn.jpg
  • Socializing Zebras with back-lighting in Nxai Pan National Park.
    VGR_20140213_8827.jpg
  • Impala bachelor herd in nice soft backlighting with zebras in the background.
    VGR_20140213_8933.jpg
  • Young male impala with zebra herd in background.
    VGR_20140213_8983.jpg
  • View over Gaborone City from the top of Kgale Hill
    VGR_20120107_9945a.jpg
  • A herd of zebra gathering at the Nxai Pan waterhole at sunset.
    VGR_20200221_6269a.jpg
  • Close-up of an elephant trunk in action at a muddy watering hole.
    VGR_20190314_5548B&W.jpg
  • Portrait of a large Kudu Bull with steamy breath on a cold Winter morning in the Kalahari.
    VGR_20190716_8830f.jpg
  • An adult Barn Owl (Tyto alba) taking a break on its nightly hunt.<br />
Ghostly pale and normally strictly nocturnal, Barn Owls are predators of the night. These very successful hunters have excellent low-light vision, but it is their impressive hearing, aided by their satellite-dish-shaped faces, that enable Barn Owls to locate mice and other rodents even in total darkness. This species’ eerie screeching call, a long-drawn-out shriek, is unmistakable and a familiar night-time sound in the Kgalagadi.
    VGR_20210818_2332.jpg
  • Three members of a Barn Owl family in their favourite tree.<br />
Ghostly pale and normally strictly nocturnal, Barn Owls are predators of the night. These very successful hunters have excellent low-light vision, but it is their impressive hearing, aided by their satellite-dish-shaped faces, that enable Barn Owls to locate mice and other rodents even in total darkness. This species’ eerie screeching call, a long-drawn-out shriek, is unmistakable and a familiar night-time sound in the Kgalagadi.
    VGR_20210817_8878a-CL.jpg
  • Zebras in beautiful back lighting having a little conflict in the group.
    VGR_20140213_9040.jpg
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