Behind the shot - Cheetah and Cubs

I was asked by Gerry and the guys from Wild Eye to share some thoughts behind the Cheetah image that won the February 2012 Photographic competition and decided to add it here as well.



A classic moments when all six cubs joined mom briefly on the termite mound.

  I was leading a photographic safari for C4 images and Safaris in the Maasai Mara and we were following this female cheetah and her six, six week old cubs for an entire week. During this time we were privileged to witness their antics and adventures as they faced up to the many challenges of life in the Maasai Mara. The cubs playing on a very photogenic termite mound, mom trying to hunt and even crossing a river were all some of the remarkable sighting this family gave us. We even got the very typical scene of them on a termite mound. Yet although we managed to get images of all 6 cubs together they were very often obscured by grass, not all cubs were very visible or, as Murphy would have it, taken in very flat light. Ever optimistic we went to say goodbye to the family on our very last morning.



During the week we followed the cheetah family we were privileged to witness some remarkable interactions.



It is quite easy to get Cheetah images on top of termite mounds in the Maasai Mara. As the animals walk through the flat terrain they seek out anything which gives them some vantage points and a quick scan often reveals the right perch. So on the very last morning we found them walking through the grass and headed straight for a termite mound. I prefer moody backlit images as it lends fantastic atmosphere to photographs and with this in mind gambled for the money shot and positioned our vehicle away from the others who went for the classic front lit images. The rapidly rising equatorial sun was also not in our favour and realistically we only had a few minutes before the sky would be a completely washed out white. At this stage we were only hoping and praying that mom would oblige and go for “our” termite mound. And as it (very rarely) happens in nature all came together for a few brief moments. With the vehicle in a good position mom made her way onto the termite mound, then one by one each boisterous cub joined one another next to mom. I only got two shots of this scene before the light changed and the cubs started playing in the grass.

Herald Snake Hunt

I never leave home without a macro lens. There always seems something to photograph, even when back at camp after game drives or during rainy weather when most photographers pack away their gear. One’s back garden always seems to provide some incredible sightings and in fact some of my favourite images have been taken right in my back yard.



I recently stumbled upon this fantastic scene at home. A fairly large Herald snake had gotten hold of a large Red Toad, probably hunting it from within the hollow log pictures above. Once immobilized the snake could not get the toad back into the tree hole and was left to consume it from a somewhat precarious (to say the least!) position.
 

Painstakingly slow the snake managed to consume the prey until the very last bit.



 Whether the snake would eventually make a meal of its quarry was anyone's guess which meant that I had to stay with the snake quite a while to determine and photograph the unfolding events. These things take a while though and I was very fortunate that I had time on my hands that day. Scenes like this certainly do not come around too often and it was indeed a pleasure to witness such drama unfold almost from start to end.

Time with Wilddogs

An inquisitive dog investigates my camera from a few centimetres away

 Its been more that two years since I first met up with the Wilddogs of Northern Kenya and whenever I find myself in the area I make an effort to spend as much time with them as possible. Although Africa's second most endangered carnivore's future always seems to balance on a knife's edge the population seems to be doing well. Highlights included witnessing several kills, packs fighting (impossible to photograph) and the first sight of a new litter. So here are a few images from their lives.

The Drama of the action packed hunts proved very difficult to communicate effectively on a photograph yet this one I feel does it some jsutice

Allways out on a hunt, a dropped cap makes for excellent practice.

Portrait

Before setting off on his afternoon hunt, a young male gives me an inquisitive glance. 

The dimunitive Dik dik forms around 70% of the Wilddogs prey, like this one in Samburu.

They kept their dens out of sight amongst the granite boulders of the area and only at around 8 weeks did we manage to see and photograph the pups for the first time.

Serengeti

We witnessed this entire Cheetah kill from the stalk, the high speed chase over hundreds of metres to the actual kill. Here she catches her breath minutes after her prey expired. 

After our very eventful predator Safari in the Mara we hopped across the border into Tanzania to go and catch up with the Migration which we met in the Seronera region.

 It really doesn’t matter how many times one has seen this spectacle it still remains an incredible sight.

Six week old Cheetah Cubs. 

After the migration it was across to the shortgrass plains and woodlands of Ndutu where the predators put up a spectacular show for us. From the first evening being kept awake by lions roaring though camp to the last morning following four playfull cheetah cubs the action never stopped. Highlights included a female Cheetah killing a Thompson’s gazelle in full view of everyone with four cubs in tow while for me sighting such as Golden Jackal (regular in the Serengeti) and a remarkably relaxed Striped Hyena mom and cub at a den was real treats. 

Although common in the Serengeti it was a highlight for me to get to eye level with this Golden Jackal. 

After keeping us awake for the entire night we caught up with this pride on lions on our first morning. Still wet with dew it was amazing to see steam escape from their bodies as the sun warmed their pelts.

The last stop and very fitting end to our wonderful Safari was the legendary Ngorongoro Crater. 

C4 - Maasai Mara Predator Safari

The first afternoon, although overcast produced exciting Lion behaviour.

The nice thing about hosting Photographic safaris is that one gets to experience various regions during different times of the year.

Most people flock to the Mara for the dramatic and action packed Migration. This year C4 hosted it predator safaris during February when the Mara put on a totally different face to the more familiar migration season.

The Maasai Landscape never fails to impress. 

The first noticeable difference was the sea of tall grass waving from horizon to horizon.  What at first seemed to be a photographic challenge turned out to be real blessing as the grass seeds provided superb mood to photograph the predators in. 

This Female leopard had her den nearby and although we missed photographing the days old cubs managed to get regular views of her walking down the riverbed most days. 

In short we saw all three big cats as well as Spotted Hyena withing the first 24 hours. Other highlights included a reliable leopard den where we managed to photograph the female every morning in superb light. Spotted Hyenas feasting on a hippo carcass which was later taken over by a pride of lions. The latter then provided more excitement as the young lions chased off the descending vultures.

Jan standing with the Cheetah

But the highlight of our trip came when a female cheetah decided to use our game drive vehicle as a perch to scan for prey turning every guy in the car into a 16 year old. What an experience having one of Africa’s most charismatic predators sitting a mere arms length (literally) away from us oblivious to the excitement inside. A truly fitting apex to our predator safari. 

An excited Louis and Andrew withi touching distance of the spotted cat.

 Book your next specialist predator Safari with C4 images and Safaris here!

C4 Images and Safaris - Lake Nakuru Private Photographic Safari

Thousands of relaxed Great White Pelicans epitomise Nakuru and presents lots of fun photographing them. Here Jean gets close enough to a few hundred Pelicans to get some wide angle shots. 

Before starting the Mara predator safari I met up with an old friend and regular C4 guest Jean Manson for a four day private safari to Lake Nakuru. Seeing we were headed to the predator rich Maasai Mara we were more focussed on the birds of Lake Nakuru. Although focussed on the birds we did manage to catch up with three black rhinos, a couple of Lions and a Leopard during our time there. 

The sheer numbers of birds are overwhelming. Here a mixed flock of Ruff and other waders fly part in the late afternoon sun. 

Buffaloes against the Acacia forests on the lake's shoreline. 

The dry, dusty conditions this time of year created stunningly dramatic moods and the sheer abundance of birds kept the shutters clicking.   


If you would like to arrange a private photographic trip contact C4 Here.

Laikipia Wildlife

The feature full Laikipia Landscape

Over the past two years I have been fortunate to spend some time in Laikipia’s Western regions and have really come to like the area a lot. Except for hosting the big five (reputedly Kenya second largest Elephant herd after Tsavo) its also home to a wide variety of other unique wildlife. Sosian, the area where I work has no fences and are thus open all the way to the Sudan! Add the fact that the total area encompasses more than a million hectares easily places it firmly in the league of best wilderness areas in Africa.

Endangered Grevy's Zebra

Reticulated Giraffe

A wide variety of animals such as this Reticulated Giraffe and Grevy’s zebra are only found in Northern Kenya. Only 3000 of these animals are left in the wild and about 30 % are found in Laikipia. 

Beisa Oryx in the mist

A great albeit unusual sighting of Beisa Oryx in dense mist on the plateaux.

As we were lying on the ground one of the wilddogs stalked us. In the end it was less than 10 metres away.

A healthy population of Africa’s second most endangered carnivore, African Wilddogs occur and play a very important role in repopulating the region. I focussed a lot on these animals and have been very fortunate to document their breeding cycle. On the last trip they were denning and it was very special getting the first glimpses of the pups.

Nearly independent Striped Hyena pup.

On the topic of predators, except for all the big and small cats the very elusive Striped Hyena are found and we were very fortunate to photograph these highly evasive animals at a den. 

Gabar Goshawk stretching

For Birders the variety is mind boggling as the northern species is well represented. More to follow later. 

Searching out the reptiles and amphibians of an area adds another dimension to any safari as it opens up a hidden but very interesting world. 

Leopard Reed Frog, Hyperolius glandicolor (viridiflavius)

Side Striped Chameleon

I’ll leave you with what guests David and Robin Reid had to say about a few days spent in this remarkable place: 

Robin and I are safely back in Hong Kong. We really enjoyed spending time with you. Sosian was a real surprise in terms of the photographic opportunities. That experience lying on the ground with an inquisitive wild dog less than 10 metres away was really special. We are also still amazed to have been able to photograph a striped hyena.We will definitely be back again next year in early January.