Oh Very Young One...

On one of our Safari days we visited the Lemek Conservancy after hearing that a Cheetah with four young cubs had been spotted.

Unfortunately, days before we went, one of the cubs was killed. The story of what exactly happened to the cub is a little sketchy but we were told that the mother would be depressed and we should wait a couple of days before going.

When we arrived, the Cheetah family was in a bushy area, covered with greenery and branches. It was next to impossible to get a shot. We still tried, and I’m grateful that we did. We were able to see and photograph the remaining 3 cubs.

This ended up being my favorite shot from that morning. We didn’t stay very long, just long enough for each vehicle to see and take a few photos. The mother was resting and we did not want to disturb the family unit, especially at this sensitive time.

I would have loved to watch and photograph the cubs playing and romping but that was not to be. They stayed very close to mamma in the thick brush. This was shot through many branches with a lot of focal length. Still, I love the thick mantle on the cub. It has a bit of curl to it. The mantle is a silvery-grey clump of fur that helps to protect young cubs from predators..

Leopards

This year in the Mara, we had several leopard sightings. Every time we saw a leopard it was thrilling for me. I absolutely love these strong cats, especially with their young.

Leopard with Pumbaa piglet.

Luluka and Jilime

Several years ago while in the Mara, I photographed a leopard named Lorian. She is a beautiful leopard that I have a true fondness for.

Well, on my next visit to Kenya I was able to photograph Lorian and her cub Luluka. It was such a treat for me to see her young female cub. When she passed by our vehicle I captured a close-up shot of her fur. After returning home I ordered custom buffs made with the pattern of Luluka’s spots.

This year, I was treated to a morning shoot with Luluka and her cub Jilime. My heart was so happy to see her thriving as a young mother. She did lose one cub though, but she has a close bond with Jilime and it showed in their playful sparring.

Luluka killed a Wildebeest and dragged her prey for over 400 feet while Jilime followed. Seeing animals grow up and have families of their own has been one of the most rewarding things about returning to the Mara every year.

Luluka and Jilime

Luluka carried this Wildebeest for at least 500 yards.

Close-up of Jilime’s spots.

Charleston Trip Report

I’m taking a break from publishing all of my blog writings about my recent Mara trip to share this:

I just finished up with my Charleston South Carolina workshop. The ending is kind of bitter sweet. After about 15 years of visiting this low country and several years of running workshops, I will be turning over all future Charleston trips to Donna Bourdon. Donna co-led this workshop with me and she was a great help. The clients loved her and her energy level rivaled mine.

Our group would be described as a dream group. I enjoyed working with them all and I know Donna did too. We hit many of my favorite spots, including Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, no trip to Charleston would be complete without a visit there. We also went on a private charter to Bull Island where we photographed the boneyard beach, Magnolia Cemetery, Shem Creek, Old Sheldon Church, Rainbow Row, Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge and much more. BTW, we had a spectacular sunset for our bridge shot.

We practically ate our way through the city. Jack Kotz (one of the attendees) recommended a restaurant called Edmund’’s Oast Brewing Company for lunch. I had the pickled shrimp dish and it was outstanding! His wife treated us to another great lunch at the Glass Onion where the star of the lunch was the crispy, garlic brussels sprouts.

Above and below are two infrared shots that I captured at Magnolia Plantation & Gardens. I purposely left some pink in the processed photo above as it reminded me of a Wallace Nutting print. I loved the fences and the way the plantation house was enveloped by trees. For the live oak tree photo below, I processed it in a more traditional high-key B&W manner. This is one of my favorite trees at the gardens. Both photos were captured with my infrared converted Olympus camera @720nm.

The tree above was photographed at Bull Island using a slow shutter speed and… tripod <wink>.

I loved the white bridge and the soft pink tones so in post processing I just brightened the whites and dulled some of the pinks after adjusting some of the color channels.

Old Sheldon Church Ruins above. I found that the new black fence could be used as added interest to some images. Captured with my 720nm infrared converted Olympus .

“MEET-N-GREET ‘CHA”.

Thanks to Sonia Durrance for lending me her camera to capture the above image after I had lent my camera out.

The slave cabin photos shown above were captured at Magnolia Plantation & Gardens as part of their Slavery to Freedom tour. There are four historic cabins on the property that date back to the 1850’s. There is also a small smokehouse that was built later. The plantation feels it is important to acknowledge and share this part of history. So do I. If you would like to read more, check out this link.

A Charleston, South Carolina 2022 trip with dates and details will be announced soon. Let me know if you would like to be placed on the interested list.

Client's Images

Here are some images that our clients captured on the trip. They all did a fantastic job. Their images reflect their talent. Each photo brings back memories of our time together. I really enjoyed working with both groups.

Ilana Block-

What a trip! What an incredible experience we all had! The Maasai Mara is so magical! It was amazing to head out in the rain and watch these magnificent cheetahs. I enjoyed all the playful interactions between mama and her cubs, but especially loved the tenderness that began as the downpour subsided.

Photo copyright and courtesy of Ilana Block, 2021. “Cheetah Love in the Rain”

Margaret Page-

At the end of the day, isn’t it all about the look and touch? Just a simple, “I love you, Mom”. We see it every day and it always warms our heart. This lion's cubs put on quite a frolic for us in The Mara, running, playing, tussling and frolicking about. Then this little tyke ran for a quick reassurance from mom. Even though the light was fading fast, this is still my favorite photo.

Photo copyright and courtesy of Margaret Page, 2021

John Block-

I chose the sunset because, even with all my wonderful images of serval cats, lions king fishers etc, the sunset epitomizes how I have progressed because of the workshop

Image copyright and courtesy of John L Block, 2021

Edwin Davis-

Ed’ lovely wife Sally wrote this:

DENISE ,

WHAT A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE. EDDY WILL BE TALKING ABOUT IT FOR YEARS. I WAS SO IMPRESSED WITH THE OPPORTUNITIES, ACCOMMODATIONS, STAFF AND FOOD. EDDY SHOWED ME HIS "TENT". I HAVE HEARD OF GLAMPING BUT THIS TOOK IT TO ANOTHER LEVEL. HE ENJOYED HIS FELLOW TRAVELERS . I KNOW THIS WILL NOT BE THE LAST TRIP FOR YOU TO PLAN FOR US.

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH.

SALLY AND ED

Image copyright and courtesy of Edwin Davis, 2021

Janice Rosner-

Sometimes the lessons from the wild are tough. We were quietly watching a pride of nine lions, females and juveniles, when this little guy popped up. We had been in the area for awhile and had no idea he was in the grass. There wasn’t gazelle around to be found and it was clear his herd had left him asleep in the tall grass. He leaped around frantically looking for his mom when his erratic movements caught the eyes of the lions. I wanted to leap out and capture the tiny infant myself. I don’t usually take sides in the animals survival, but I thought this infant was no more than an afternoon snack for the lion. Clearly I couldn’t intervene so I silently rooted for the tiny animal. He ran around the front of our vehicle. I watched for him to come around the other side but only the lion appeared.

Image copyright and courtesy of Janice Rosner, 2021

Yvonne Ho-

"Here is a picture from the crossing. It was a blast to see the crossing. The dust, the movement and the chaos ... "

Image copyright and courtesy of Yvonne Ho, 2021

Andrew Chow-
One of the most memorable sightings during the trip were the Serval Cats and their kittens. We were fortunate enough to see a few families of Serval Cats and their kittens during this trip. Kittens are full of energy and very adorable.

Image copyright and courtesy of Andrew Chow, 2021

Michelle Wiznitzer-

Cape Buffalo with Oxpeckers......Masai Mara, Kenya 092521......I love the symbiotic way nature works......

Image copyright and courtesy of Michelle Wiznitzer, 2021

Sally Foster-

It was on my wish list--a photograph of a lion carrying a cub. Would I be so lucky to capture this image on my recent trip to the Mara. We saw lions...prides of lions...lions sleeping...lions hunting...lions gorging on a kill...But, one day it happened. A mother lion picked up her cub and started walking while a second cub watched. I smiled.

Image copyright and courtesy of Sally Foster, 2021

Lions in the Rain

It’s Raining it’s Pouring

On an afternoon shoot in the Mara we came across four lions looking at a Monitor Lizard. It was right in front of them but it was not moving. The lions were all looking at it and you could tell they didn’t know what to make of it. I assumed they would capture it the moment it started moving. Most cats can’t resist a chase. However, it started to rain and the lizard started to run. As suspected the lions went for it but when they got close the lizard whacked them with his tail. They retreated and this behavior repeated. Then it became a total downpour, visibility was difficult; the lizard managed to slip away…

It was a total downpour.

Sony A1, Sony 200-600mm lens. ISO 3200, 1/640sec @f/8, AWB, Natural light, @200mm.

Just before the rain. I wasn’t thrilled with the horizon line but we closed our roof just before the downpour and I couldn’t stand to eliminate the horizon line. Still, I liked the mood, just before the torrential rain.

Sony A1, Sony 200-600mm lens. ISO 1600, 1/800sec @f/8, AWB, Natural light, @239mm.