I am spending a few days off at Pakamisa Private Game Reserve – one of my favorite places. While on horseback safari photo shoot I took these two shots of a baby Giraffe and an adult male. I like them a lot 🙂
Pakamisa Giraffes
A look back!
It is custom to have a look at the previous year when the new one has just started.
For me it has been a good year. I enjoy my life and work in the South African bush as much as when I moved here in 2012. Since then I have led over 1,000 game drives, I have had over 1,600 Big Five sightings, I taught over 900 people my way of motion/wildlife photography and I have written over 900 blog posts.
Today I would like to share with you some of my favorite pictures of 2016: One wildlife picture per month and a bonus scenery picture 🙂 – Thank you for following my blog!
I hope you will enjoy my photographer’s picks for 2016 and I hope that all of us will have a good 2017!
HAPPY NEW YEAR
I wish all of you a HAPPY NEW YEAR 2017
… with my favorite scenery image of 2016: The sky over Thanda Safari on 30 December 2016!
Stay tuned for a blog message about my wildlife sightings between Christmas and New Year … coming soon …
Ngikufisela uKhisimusi oMuhle noNyaka oMusha o Nempumelelo
I wish all my friends around the world a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2017!
With my very best wishes from South Africa – Christian
PS: The holiday greetings above are in isiZulu!
A helicopter!
No big story – just one of my favorite pictures – Thanda’s dominant male Lion watching a helicopter!
A Dazzle of Zebras …
I have just uploaded 103 Plains Zebra images taken between 2002 and 2016. Have a look at http://www.sperka.biz/sg14
This is another new species gallery available online at http://www.sperka.biz/sg
Please contact me at info@sperka.com in case you are interested in publishing any of these images or if you would like to license any image for printing (for personal or commercial use).
Barbets
If you like Barbets then this is the post message for you 🙂
I have just uploaded my Barbet images taken between 2002 and 2016.
Acaia Pied Barbet – http://www.sperka.biz/sgb13
Black-collared Barbet – http://www.sperka.biz/sgb14
Crested Barbet – http://www.sperka.biz/sgb15
These are three more new species galleries available online at http://www.sperka.biz/sg
Please contact me at info@sperka.com in case you are interested in publishing any of these images or if you would like to license any image for printing (for personal or commercial use).
Lots of Giraffes …
I have just uploaded 159 South African Giraffe images taken between 2002 and 2016. Have a look at http://www.sperka.biz/sg15
This is another new species gallery available online at http://www.sperka.biz/sg
Please contact me at info@sperka.com in case you are interested in publishing any of these images or if you would like to license any image for printing (for personal or commercial use).
Four Drives – A Picture Diary
I drove Thanda Safari guests for the last three days. We had some great sightings and I thought I would share the most exciting sightings with you. So here they are …
It is amazing how many great sightings one can have in only four drives if the weather is right and luck is on your side!
Bloody – The Thanda Safari North Pride Lions were feeding on a Wildebeest kill!
Charge – A Black Rhino bull gave us an exciting mock charge – we had two more Black Rhino sightings!
Morning Light – Two Giraffes were posing for us in the perfect morning light.
A ‘Small Five’ – We found a large female Leopard Tortoise. She was moving into high grass to hide.
Zebras, Zebras and more Zebras – On all four game drives we saw large numbers of general game. Especially the large herds of Zebras impressed the overseas guests.
Growing fast – Thanda Safari’s youngest Elephant is growing fast – I last saw the little one a few weeks ago and he has grown visibly since then.
Naughty – Vervet Monkeys provide great sighting, as long as they are far away from our Villa, our Lodge and our Tented Camp.
A Favorite – One of the favorite sightings over the last two days were Warthogs.
Night time – On the way back to Thanda’s Villa iZulu we had to stop as this young Python was crossing the road. I got out of the game viewer and shot some close-ups.
Relaxed – These White Rhinos were far more relaxed than their ‘black cousins’
Evening Drinks – A herd of Cape Buffalo arrived at a waterhole when we got news about White Rhinos nearby – tough choice!
Many Birds – This European Roller was one of many bird sightings – from small (Blue Waxbill) to large (Common Buzzard)
… and many more sightings!
My Photography Game Viewer Project
Since I started my job in South Africa as field guide, wildlife photographer and photography teacher I always envisioned my own – photography oriented – game viewing vehicle.
This weekend I bought a used Land Rover Defender 130 (TD5) from a friend in Durban. He – being an engineer and very handy with that sort of thing – is now working on the conversion of the vehicle into my very own photography game viewer. It will take a bit of time to change the Landi to have all the features I want and I am looking forward to start using it in January or February next year.
The vehicle will lose its roof and all the windows except the windscreen, which will be hinged to be able to lower it when driving on the reserve. It will feature two seat rows behind the driver’s (first) row for a maximum of five passengers. The second row will have three comfortable and slightly raised seats. But the really special feature is going to be the third row. It will have only two high-backed seats with lots of room in front of them. In this space photographers can slide off their seats and take pictures over the sides of the vehicle (close to eye level). It will feature special canvas-covered mats on the vehicle floor for comfortable shooting positions and custom made bean-bags will be provided for the ideal camera placement.
There will be spotlight sockets in all rows as well as on the specially fitted tracker seat up-front. Behind the third row a storage compartment will have room for all necessary game drive gear. Each of the two photographer’s seats in the back will also have a turn-able and height-adjustable bean bag support. An Apple iPad will be available in each row (with many special applications available to the guests including Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, eGuide to African Mammals, a TrackID application and a map of Thanda).
I am looking forward to using the Landi for my own photography work, for teaching wildlife photography and to drive photography enthusiasts and professional photographers on Thanda Safari.
PS: I am searching for a snappy name for my new photography Landi. Please let me know if you have a good idea!
Christian Sperka Photography | Custom Luxury Tours 