Sitting with animals in this wilderness is some of the most powerful medicine you can get.
Wait. Not just animals. The landscapes and the changing light have incredible power to them as well.
Put that together over several mornings and evenings on safari and you have a remedy for almost anything that might be plaguing your soul.
Wait. Not just your soul. Your entire physicality and constitution. I have written about this at length before so I won’t go into it now, but each time I take a camera into the bush and capture some of what this life is showing me, I remember what it’s like to feel truly alive.
I don’t get to take wildlife photographs that much anymore. My day-to-day responsibilities keep me in the camp creating ways for our global Londolozi family to stay connected, and also doing other wonderful work in the world. And so getting to spend a week of unapologetic, uninterrupted time on the land of Londolozi with a small team of wildly creative people who inspire me every day to think in different ways and who teach me how to capture the raw essence of things and share that with the world was just what this soul needed.
What strikes me, time and time again, without fail, is that every interaction with another living organism – be it an ancient tree or a lioness – has something to teach us. If you get quiet. If you get still. If you listen. You can learn so much through the wordless frequency around you. Nature has so many incredible gifts to share with you if you let her. I really enjoyed sitting quietly in each of these sightings and letting each animal or scene tell me what it wanted to teach me. Instead of the classic description of the photograph, this week I thought I would share the lesson that it taught me.
Hopefully, through this week’s selection of images, I can send you some of this ancient wisdom wherever you are in the world – until you can come back and feel it for yourself. Until then…
Enjoy this week in pictures …
I haven’t had many interactions with The Nstevu Breakaways and so it was special to spend a full morning with them, completely uninterrupted by anything else. After finding them just after sunrise, we spent time with them as the daylight rose. On this morning, they were intently listening to the calls of nearby lions and collectively decided to move further south and west with intent. This wordless response to the situation was fascinating to watch. The way they collectively decided to move on in pursuit of safety and peace taught me about what freedom there is in decision-making.
We sat for a while watching this Hammerkop bird fishing with great success. While I managed to get some more traditional shots of it flying, I love the backlighting through its wings and the reflection on the amber water. Lessons in patience and honing one’s craft all around.
There are two things that interest me in this photo. The first is the inside of the Xinkhova Female’s mouth. It’s not something you see often so to capture her, mid-yawn, was fascinating. The second is to remember what it felt like to be still and read the subtle signs that she was about to get up and become active. The guides at Londolozi are so skilled at sharing their knowledge about the patterns of animal behaviour and this was a beautiful reminder to watch for the signs that something was about to happen. In nature and in life, there are signals all around that begin to point you in the right direction.
The winter sunsets are something very special here. The dust of the day begins to settle and melts into the light of sunset, making every tree that crosses the horizon stand proud. I always think about how much an old tree has witnessed and what stories it could tell. How many sunsets it has seen. How many herds of elephants, impalas or buffalo it has stood amongst. The lesson here, as with every sunset, was simply to appreciate it, and the sense of space as the day faded out on me.
Golden light on a golden male lion – the morning light reflecting in his eyes. This Ntsevu Breakaway Male Lion reminded me of the power there is in presence. Just by stopping to look at us and connect with his amber eyes, there was so much said in that wordless exchange.
After her successful ascension of this tree, the Xinkhova Female leopard sits perfectly in the V of its branches and looks back at us. I get such a sense of the secrecy of the leopard with this look. Its a silent knowing, an acknowledgment of our shared presence and the trust we give to each other.
The only thing to learn from this image is the beauty and power of a leading line in photography. Abstract shapes that frame the subject allow for our eye to dance across the scene as it collects information. I’m reminded of what an art it really is to tell a story through the making of a photograph.
Whenever I sit with lions for any length of time, I am always reminded of Shaun D’Araujo’s story of how a blind guest taught him to see in a different way. A lion’s yawn caught in stills provides hundreds of tiny details to ponder over and enjoy. It’s a constant reminder of what beauty there is in the tiny details of life.
I experienced such bliss just sitting watching this female leopard sit quietly in the shade on a termite mound. The colours of the background and her incredible markings and introspective nature were a meditation in and of itself.
This and the next image were from the tail-end of an incredible morning with the Ntsevu Breakaway pride.
Winter colour reflected in the gold and black flecks of this lioness’ coat.
Herd dynamics and the temperaments of elephants always fascinate me – forever a lesson in the presence and the eternal Om in motion.
Not your traditional image of a giraffe, but the reflection in the shape of their necks and the branches of this fallen Marula tree in beautiful morning light was more than enough to catch my attention. I was waiting for the ‘standard’ shot of them walking through the clearing but realised that there was beauty in the unexpected instead.
Amanda Ritchie
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