This Week At Angama #91

1 November 2019 | This Week at Angama |

This was a week that could have been all about the Big Five, but unfortunately, the leopard kept true to its character, and eluded us all again. Nonetheless, the Mara presented some amazing sightings of the Big Four

This week has seen heavy downpours almost every afternoon. As a result, most vehicles have been back in the lodges early to avoid the rain, but in doing so, missed out on some glorious photography opportunities. We managed to catch up with this female cheetah as she climbed on top of the termite mounds to scan for potential prey. With the heavy afternoon storm clouds, I opted to go for a wide-angle shot to set the scene. [f 5.0, 1/2000, ISO 400] 

Sunrise

A fiery sunrise. The dust from a vehicle that had passed by created an interesting smoky look to the shot. [f 5.6, 1/2500, ISO 200]

Zebra and elephant

Zebra basking in the limelight as an elephant walks in the shadows. [f 20.0, 1/640, ISO 400 -1.67 ]

Elephant portrait

With some nice framing and a bit of a retouch on Photoshop, I was able to create this printworthy elephant portrait. [f 6.3, 1/1250, ISO 400  -0.67]

Rhino

Black rhino are rare so to see a pair so close by was quite a treat. I loved how the heavy shadows created some interesting contrasts, with a monochrome retouch to top it all off. [f 6.3, 1/1250, ISO 400 -0.67]

elephant and landscape

As heavy storm clouds gather, a lone bull elephant grazes gracefully. The wide-angle perspective shows how small the elephant looks in comparison to the stormy sky. [f 5.0, 1/1600, ISO 320  +0.33]

Blue crane

Pure elegance. [f 5.0, 1/2000, ISO 400]

Monkey

We came across this black faced monkey resting on a tree branch. There was not a cloud in sight at this time of the day, so the background was very clear. I processed it in Lightroom to increase the contrasts. [f6.0  1/1000, ISO 400 +1]

Cheetah

The cheetah had something in its sights and it started to walk intently. We followed her for close to an hour hoping she would hunt, but she didn’t. [f 5.0,  1/1600, ISO 400  +0.33]

Lion cub

This week, I was lucky enough to meet the Border Pride’s young cubs for the first time. It was noon and the sun was scorching, so all they did was sleep in the shade, giving me an occasional glimpse. [f 6.3, 1/640, ISO 320  -0.33]

Lion cub portrait

Practicing its “mean face” in the most adorable style. [f 5.0, 1/800, ISO 400  -0.33]

Lioness

This is one of the mothers of the Border Pride. They had made a wildebeest kill in the early morning and in this frame, she is looking at some vultures perched on top of the tree, protecting her kill from them. [f 6.3, 1/1000, ISO 250]

Lioness roar

This lioness had lost her cubs and was looking for them frantically. Constantly calling in low sounds, eventually she ended up roaring in desperation. I caught up with her a few days later and was glad to see that she had found her cubs. [f 5.0, 1/500, ISO 100 -0.33]

Ostriches

Love is in the air. This male ostrich was performing a mating dance for his potential mate. Unfortunately, the female was not impressed and walked away from him. Poor guy. [f 5.6, 1/800, ISO 100 -0.33]

Giraffe pair

After sniffing the female as she urinated, this male was convinced that she was in heat. The female is quite young and I’m certain this must have been her first time in season. She constantly rejected the male, walking away from him but he kept on in pursuit. She also rubbed her head on his belly softly, as though to prompt him. [f 5.0, 1/2000, ISO 320]

Zebra pair

After getting some hard kicks in the face, this zebra mounted on top of the other and just stayed there. [f 5.0, 1/2000, ISO 200]

Elephants wide angle

The most gentle of giants. [f 5.0, 1/5000, ISO 400]

Zebra foal

This must be the cutest little zebra foal in the Mara. Always keeping close to its mother. [f 6.0, 1/1250, ISO 400]

Giraffe portrait

A higher perspective. [f 5.6, 1/1600, ISO 320  -0.33]

wildebeest

Nothing too interesting about this shot, but I liked the composition. [f 5.3, 1/2000, ISO 320]

 

This Week a Year Ago

Giraffe-baby
A giraffe baby sits calmly whilst being groomed by yellow-billed oxpeckers. [Photograph by Jeffrey Thige – f 5.6, 1/250, ISO 250]

 

 

AUTHOR: Jeffrey Thige

Hailing from Nairobi, Jeff’s younger years were spent watching Big Cat Diaries with his mother. Images of wild animals roaming across the savanna inspired Jeff to travel the country, study wildlife management and move into photography. Jeff aims to use his camera to become an ambassador for conservation. He joined Angama Mara as an intern in 2018 and is now employed full time as assistant photographer at the lodge’s Photographic Studio.

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