November 2022 and it was time to take our trip to Mashatu in Botswana – finally. Delayed initially due to the pandemic, things were open again, so we boosted our Covid-19 vaccinations, packed our cameras and took off. Mashatu Game Reserve is located in the Tuli Block of eastern Botswana, and it is home to a diverse range of wildlife. There are a number of ways to reach it, depending on your route and budget. We flew into Johannesburg, and onwards to Polokwane. There we met our professional photographer tour leaders, Ann & Steve Toon, for our road trip up to the border with Botswana. Cue the jeopardy. The original…
-
-
A Stormy Return to Africa
It’s going up for three years since we were last on African Soil. Chobe, Botswana in the summer of 2019 was a game-changer. We learnt so much more about photography. Discovered new ways to compose, playing with exposure, or simply focussing on the little things. And with its abundance of wildlife, there was ample opportunity to keep practising. We came away with 12000 images and an even greater enthusiasm for our subjects (if that was possible). We immediately began planning our return to Africa. Then along came the pandemic. Travel came to a stop. Thank you SARS-CoV-19! It’s time Like many others, our planned and booked trips were postponed. For…
-
2021 The Year of the Otter
It has been an almost lifelong dream to see otters in their natural habitat. So it’s only logical we should yearn to photograph an otter, once we became camera-toting enthusiasts. When the pandemic brought world travel to an emergency stop, 2021 presented the perfect opportunity to explore what our stunning UK shores and countryside have to offer. Why We Used Guides to Photograph Otters We have always been advocates of using local professional wildlife photography guides. They know the area and the subjects. They understand the normal behaviour patterns – which may vary in different locations, and from animal to animal (or bird to bird). This is incredibly important if…
-
Memories of Sleeping Under The Stars in Beautiful South Africa
It is fair to say we are no strangers to an African safari. Drifting off to sleep to the grunts of a hippo, and waking to the soft roar of a lion calling her cubs, is the most incredible feeling. It gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. Yet the thoughts of actually sleeping under the stars had never appealed to us. Africa Gets Under Your Skin Our first-ever holiday to Africa was back in 2005. It came about as a result of one of those conversations which go something like ‘if you could go anywhere in the world for a holiday where would you go?’ An African safari came the…
-
How We Fell In Love With Africa On Our First Safari Experience
I think one of the strongest memories of our first safari experience was landing on a sandy airstrip convinced we were going to kill an Impala. Our two-hour flight into the Masai Mara had taken us over an amazing landscape, with views of the top of Kilimanjaro. I was literally glued to the window, desperate to spot my first ever elephant – from the sky. The excitement was making my heart thump right out of my chest. Even today, 16 years on, I still get butterflies whenever we fly over Africa, with views of the game reserves and national parks below. As we touched down, wheels skidding in the dust,…
-
Welcome to our new website
We are thrilled to announce our brand new website. Thanks to the success of our Facebook page, we have taken the plunge. Having handled enquiries to purchase, and confirmed sales of images and products over the festive season, we decided it was high time we provided a place where our loyal fans can follow and learn more about our passion. Our love of Africa has resulted in some incredible images. And living in Scotland’s Cairngorm National Park, it’s fair to say our wildlife here is pretty photogenic too. Then, because photography is an art form, we have also been busy creating images which are just a little outside your usual…