Monday, October 25, 2010

Masai Mara Report by Albie Venter

In my opinion October must be the best time to go to Kenya’s Maasai Mara. The weather is generally much drier that a few months earlier while many of the concentrations of people that came to see the migration have already gone. It does however also mean that the chance is good that the migration herds have also gone.

albie venter, masai mara, c4 images and safaris,

albie venter, masai mara, c4 images and safaris,

But on our approach to Ol Kiombo airstrip it became apparent that the herds are still around – probably as a result of some late rains on the Mara. Meaning that we get the chance to see crossings! Although there are much more to the Mara than just crossings its understandable that it’s a highlight for many. And none better than a private crossing right in front of camp. In two years living in the Mara and never having this view I made sure to get the eye level perspective I always wanted. The highlights are really too many to mention but one worth mentioning is spending the week there observing the adventures of a mom cheetah and her six cubs. Indeed a privilege to get the chance to spend time with these animals to see what they get up to and not just a mere glimpse as can be the case in other parts of Africa.

albie venter, masai mara, c4 images and safaris,

Here follows some pics from the trip and I hope it can convey in a small the wonder of this fantastic region. Then lastly to everyone who joined us – thanks for all the laughs!! Below follow some pics of the last C4 images and Safaris trip.

albie venter, masai mara, c4 images and safaris,

PS Jan I am really sorry I nearly lobbed elephant dung on you and Chris I am really sorry I missed you.



albie venter, masai mara, c4 images and safaris,

albie venter, masai mara, c4 images and safaris,

Masai Mara Report By Shem Compion

Counting Wildebeest by Isak Pretorius


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Wednesday, October 13, 2010

An Exclusive Agreement

Following almost a year of discussion and a very successful three week jointly-led photo safari in Kenya, on 26th September 2010, C4 Images & Safaris and Denis Glennon Photography, Perth, Australia entered into a formal agreement whereby Denis Glennon Photography was appointed as the exclusive representative for C4 Images & Safaris in Australia & New Zealand. The two companies have scheduled further joint tours to the Okavango Delta in 2011 and Namibia in 2012. Additional details may be found in the Contact Us page.


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Monday, October 11, 2010

Masai Mara: A Showpiece

This year we ran four tours to the Masai Mara. The success of our formula from 2009 meant that the word spread fast, and this year, without changing much, we worked on the exact same formula of
• Small groups of photographers
• The best location in the Mara
• One photographer per bench seat
• The best pro wildlife photographers with exceptional experience of the Mara eco-system
• The best Masai driver guides working in the Mara

c4 images and safaris, masai mara, photographic tour, wildlife photographers, wildlife photography safari,  shem compion,

We left the rest to the Mara. I’m of the firm opinion that If I can deliver on the above points, then my clients will have the most memorable wildlife photography safari ever. For the Mara does not disappoint- ever. For sheer intensity of sightings, animal interaction, predator numbers and just actual numbers of animals, this wonderland is exactly that; a wonderland. And it delivers, day in and day out.
To describe everything we saw would be too much of a task. Rather let me talk of one particular day, which blended into the other 21 days I was there.

c4 images and safaris, masai mara, photographic tour, wildlife photographers, wildlife photography safari,  shem compion,

First up was a leopard hunting a Kirk’s dik dik. We had the leopard walking through the grass right next to us on top of the river bank. It then slipped into the lugga and stalked to within 10m of the Dik dik. We watched in anticipation, but just as we thought the strike was imminent, the overactive senses of the dik dik caught onto something and the game was up.

c4 images and safaris, masai mara, photographic tour, wildlife photographers, wildlife photography safari,  shem compion,

We drove on. I saw some ears through the top of the grass. We stopped to put the bins on them and I saw lion ears, running. Then the faint squeal of a warthog… And all of a sudden it was “pese pese!” (quick, quick) to the driver and “hold on” to the clients. We arrived as one lioness was wrestling the warthog to the ground. Noise filled the air with squeals and grunts of exertion. It was over in 20 seconds. It felt like a year. The cameras at least had their fill of action. Straight from there it was onto a cheetah kill. We photographed till the light was harsh and our stomach’s were calling. Driving onto breakfast we came across some more lions posing and calling through the long grass. OK breakfast really was calling now!

c4 images and safaris, masai mara, photographic tour, wildlife photographers, wildlife photography safari,  shem compion,

The afternoon was one of a kind. Not many people will ever get to witness this scene, as it was a combination of factors. I was not there, but the scenes I saw afterwards were of men and ladies who had come back from war. After some of us left camp in the early afternoon, 10-15000 wildebeest crossed camp right in front of the tents. Our clients had the whole crossing to themselves- with thousands and thousands of wildebeest surging across the Mara River in a noise and anxiety that is so overwhelming it affects your emotions to the core. By all accounts it was one of the most intense river crossings that anyone had seen, including our Guide, Greg du Toit, who has 7 seasons of the Mara under his belt...

c4 images and safaris, masai mara, photographic tour, wildlife photographers, wildlife photography safari,  shem compion,

To end the day, about another 10 000 crossed the river during the night. We woke to animals thrashing through the bushes in camp, hioking and snorting away.
That’s an example of just one day’s activity in the Mara. Here each day offers something you just cannot fathom is possible.

c4 images and safaris, masai mara, photographic tour, wildlife photographers, wildlife photography safari,  shem compion,

Of course it would not be possible without all our clients who trust C4 Images and Safaris to give them the best photographic tour into one of the most fascinating game viewing areas in the world. Also, to our camp staff- Mbogo, Johnathan, Lexy and crew- your service is a delight. Thank you.

c4 images and safaris, masai mara, photographic tour, wildlife photographers, wildlife photography safari,  shem compion,

Spending three weeks in the Mara gives one a special insight into how dynamic the area really is. It also gives one an appreciation for how special this eco system is, and how we must over the next few years fight to preserve it. The Mara faces more challenges than ever before. It will be a sad day for humanity if we cause this one last remaining large mammal spectacle, unhindered by man, to come to an end.
I ‘m not sure what I would say to my children when they ask “Why cant we see the migration?”

c4 images and safaris, masai mara, photographic tour, wildlife photographers, wildlife photography safari,  shem compion,


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Friday, October 8, 2010

Counting Wildebeest by Isak Pretorius

How long will it take you to count two million wildebeest given that it takes you one second to count one wildebeest and that you can count for eight hours per day? This is the question that one of our guests had during the recent Masai Mara Photographic Safari with C4 Images and Safaris.

c4 images and safaris, masai mara photographic safari, wildlife photography, masai mara, isak pretorius,

The fact is that two million wildebeest is a lot of animals, and it is just as Shem warned people before the trip - it's a lot to take in. The sheer number of animals is overwhelming and as a natural history experience it's one of the spectacles everyone should see at least once in their lifetime!

c4 images and safaris, masai mara photographic safari, wildlife photography, masai mara, isak pretorius,

The photography during our safari was brilliant - it really put wildlife photography in a new light. The sightings in the Mara is so good that we would often just drive past inactive predators because we knew that we were going to see better action somewhere else. Everyone was keen on the classic Mara shots - cheetah on an anthill, lions on a kill, vultures on a wildebeest carcass, wildebeest crossing, and the lone tree with big sky scene to name a few. We were fortunate that we had the opportunity to cover all those shots in the first few game drives which forced us to chase better sightings and more creative shots. Apart from the wonderful wildlife photography that the Masai Mara has to offer, the other highlight of the trip was the good coffee that Kenya is known for - strong, smooth and aromatic!

c4 images and safaris, masai mara photographic safari, wildlife photography, masai mara, isak pretorius,

The tent camp on the Mara river with it's bush feel was a hit with everyone. We were treated to all sorts of animal calls at night, and even leopard calls every morning. One morning during coffee we managed to spot a leopard as he walked past our camp only a few hundred meters away from us. The week before, our guests from the previous photo safari hit the jackpot when they saw one of the most dramatic wildebeest crossings right in front of camp.

c4 images and safaris, masai mara photographic safari, wildlife photography, masai mara, isak pretorius,

With camp located inside the reserve and having five safari vehicles to our disposal we made great work of first morning light. Early morning landscape shots were at the order of the day. Each vehicle had the option of having a packed breakfast out in the veld or to have breakfast back at camp, but we all wanted to stay out photographing as long as we could. The vehicles we use are very photographer-friendly, with the option of photographing through the top hatch or through the side windows. Each photographer also had a whole row of seats available to him/herself which added to the comfort of the ride.

c4 images and safaris, masai mara photographic safari, wildlife photography, masai mara, isak pretorius,

From all the Safaris I've ever hosted, this was the trip where memory cards got filled to capacity the fastest! Thank you Lexy and the staff for a wonderful trip!

c4 images and safaris, masai mara photographic safari, wildlife photography, masai mara, isak pretorius,

So how long will it take you to count two million wildebeest? The answer is ... more than three months!!

c4 images and safaris, masai mara photographic safari, wildlife photography, masai mara, isak pretorius,

c4 images and safaris, masai mara photographic safari, wildlife photography, masai mara, isak pretorius,

c4 images and safaris, masai mara photographic safari, wildlife photography, masai mara, isak pretorius,

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Friday, October 1, 2010

Landscape and Seascape Photo Workshop by Hougaard Malan

We hosted our very first landscape and seascape workshop at the beginning of September this year. Our venue was in Gansbaai, which lies right in the middle of the Overberg between Arniston, Hermanus and the Farmlands stretching from Botrivier to Swellendam..


Shaun Ross

We kicked off with a sunrise at the Kleinmond lagoon on the first morning. Conditions weren’t bad, but not spectacular. It gave everyone a bit of a chance to accustom to the concept of auto exposure bracketing and how landscape photography works. Everyone was quite taken aback by the fact that you drive to a place, get your compositions and equipment ready, wait for the light to peak, take a few shots and then you’re done. It’s usually quite a change for people who are used to doing travel style photography where you walk around for hours taking photos of everything you see, or shooting wildlife where you drive around all day in search of animals. Landscape photography is like a military mission. You go to your destination, do a reconnaissance of the area, decide on the best option, wait for the right moment and make sure you get a single shot that justifies that moment.


Michelle Kalp

We went to the Walker Bay nature reserve that afternoon, an endless white beach with sandstone cliffs that stretches from Gansbaai to Hermanus. The weather was looking dramatic and promising, but a spring rain storm quickly approached and we made it to the cars just in time.


Cindy van Wyk

The second morning gave us a stunning lightshow as we shot sunrise from atop the cliffs of Arniston, while golden rays of light poured through moody dark clouds over the turquoise waters. Each day’s sunrise shoot was followed by fresh filter coffee and a filling breakfast, then some photoshop work. We paid our first visit to the farmlands that afternoon, just enjoying a calm and relaxed sunset between the endless rolling hills.


Glynnis Salvado

Saturday morning everyone decided to sleep in and recharge their batteries, which also gave us some time to work on the photoshop while enjoying more of Linda’s brilliant coffee. The afternoon we headed back to the farmlands for another tranquil, but icy sunset. The following morning we had a brilliant sunrise at the old Hermanus harbour as a phenomenal beam of pink light shot through the mountains to illuminate gray skies. A Perfect display of light to end off 4 very productive days.


Shaun Ross

We learned as much from our first landscape workshop as the clients did and we have already taken those lessons to improve on our future workshops.
  • Although Gansbaai is centrally located, we found that it necessitates too much driving to get to the locations, so for 2011 we will be hosting separate workshops on either sides of the Overberg to minimize the time spent on the road.
  • We will provide all transport between locations.
  • The 2011 farmland workshop will be earlier as the weather balled us with the timing of the canola this year.
  • We are looking into providing our workshop clients with Lee graduated filter kits, which will avoid having to teach the complex process of auto exposure bracketing and layer blending in such a short time. This will cut down on time behind the computer dramatically and allow us to spend more time out in nature.


    Michelle Kalp


    Cindy van Wyk


    Glynnis Salvado
    All images by clients that went on the workshop.

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