HarveyG

To watch the mothers and children initially playing in the mud was so much fun. Then the old bull emerged from the bush, where he was hidden from our view feeding. With a flick of his trunk and a subtle move of his body the entire herd stopped playing, as if chided by him, and then proceeded to regroup and leave the water sports in the dam to go dry off. It was inspiring to witness the interaction and intelligence of these massive creatures, and yet not a sound was made by any one of them. Read on to see an edited image and decide what impact that has overall.

Elephant Dust Bath, Nsemani Dam, H7 near Satara © HarveyG Photography

(continue reading…)

Photographic Workshops:

I’ve had the good fortune to travel around Africa on my photo tours/workshops and see many camps, lodges, parks, hotels, conference centres and the like. There are only a handful that are memorable and make you want to return time and again. Not just the scenery, wildlife, facilities and peacefulness but what really makes the difference is the people. Seokama is one of those rare places where you can relax with family and friends and truly feel at home.

At the beginning of, and throughout the summer I visit Dave, Monika, Peter, Ryan, John and Tepa. The Waterberg is one of my favourite bush-veld getaways. Whilst there are dozens of lodge choices in the area, I occasionally need some escape from the pressure of only chasing the Big 5 for clients and not focussing on the other wild and birdlife, scenery that Africa has to offer.

Seokama Private Lodge is this escape.

Lodge Building. Seokama Private Lodge.

Sunrise

Vista

African Sunsets

Within walking distance from the lodge, 4 luxury canvas tents sleeping 8 on very comfy beds, each one with a covered verandah and an en-suite bathroom where the shower overlooks the bush at the back (just your head is visible!). A well appointed lodge with kitchen, lounge, bar and pool deck with views of the bush-veld savannah tucked amongst some beautiful mountains and landscape, a boma with Bush-Baby’s calling at night, has all one really needs to wind down. There is also a conference centre for hire, with facilities. Seokama has an abundance of bird life, especially around the summer rainfalls, as well as a good variety of game..

(continue reading…)

Up bright and early, around 4:30am to get this shot. Minimalist landscape. The fabulous CCD based D80. Needless to say a tripod was used and a longer exposure at ISO 100, f/22 @12mm. The Tokina is shaping up.

Sedgefield - Kingfisher River Lagoon (c) HarveyG Photography

Gear I use:
Bodies: Nikon D-SLR’s / Lenses: Nikon, Sigma, Tokina, Vivitar /
Filters: Hoya UV & Polarizing / Flash: Nikon Speed-lights / Bag: Lowe Pro /
Tripods & Heads: Manfrotto / Batteries, Grips, Timers, Triggers: Phottix /
Plug-in: Topaz Labs for Noise Reduction, HDR.

I spotted this gent at a recent airshow. About 30 meters away. He came across as an ex military man, perhaps down on his luck but still proud.

Chiseled - (c) HarveyG Photography

Shot handheld with a 1996 Sigma 170-500mm f/5-6.3 APO Aspherical for Nikon (AF-D). Who needs VR?! You can pick a 2nd hand one up for R4000-00 ($550-00 / £400-00 / EUR 400-00) or so. About 1/2 that of the new Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM APO Autofocus Lens never mind the price of a similar Focal Length zoom or prime from Nikkor or Canon.