Congratulations to Nicole Ackermann on winning the title of Getaway Photographer of the Year for 2015!
Here were the top ten images from the six-month 2015 Getaway Gallery Competition.
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- We visited a local Masai community on a recent trip to Ol Donyo Lodge near Chyulu Hills, between Tsavo East and Amboseli National Parks, Kenya. I find the unpredictably of Africa blissfully liberating and this picture of a Masai woman laughing at my friend Penny as she attempted to dance shows how the joy of dance translates the same across the African continent. Canon 600D, Canon 55-250mm f/4-5.6, ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/400 sec – By Nicole Ackermann
- Etosha is hot, unforgiving land for most of the year. However, towards the end of November a transformation happens – clouds start to form, moisture is tangible in the air, and storms start to build across the endless horizon. Here, a herd of gemsbok (oryx) move across the vast Etosha Pan in the direction of the first real summer storms, making for an atmospheric scene as they faced the elements. Nikon D800, Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 VR-II, ISO 900, f/8, 1/400 sec – By Morkel Erasmus, Secunda
- I was in Tarangire National Park, Tanzania, which is known for its giant trees and baobabs. Early one morning, a herd of elephants came to drink at the waterhole. The sun pierced through the giant acacias towering over the elephants. I saw this opportunity to show just how big the trees in the park are when one of the elephants ventured off to the side. Nikon D600, Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6, ISO 800, 150mm, f/9, 1/500 – By Kerry de Bruyn, Johannesburg
- I titled this photograph ‘The Cost of Travel’ as it’s a striking reminder of what goes on behind the scenes of our wonderful holidays. The picture was taken outside the liquor store in the main town of Chidenguele, Mozambique, where the thematic flow of red and the movement of the young boy’s labour caught my eye. – By Clinton L. Rautenbach, Pietermaritzburg
- While travelling through Addo Elephant National Park in the Eastern Cape, I came across these two young bull elephants. They were gracefully entwined in perfect harmony; one of the most tender and intimate moments I have ever seen between two such giants. They remained like that for some time, almost as if in a communicative trance of body and mind. What they were communicating we will never know but it is up to us as humans to ensure that this spirit of Africa endures for all. It certainly got me thinking after witnessing this interaction. Canon 70D, Sigma 150-600mm, ISO 400, f/6.3, 1/200 sec – By John Vosloo, Sundays River Valley
- On an evening game drive at Zimanga Private Game Reserve we saw a white rhino mother and calf. We approached slowly on foot (with the safari vehicle close by), positioning ourselves so that the sun was behind the rhinos and we had a low-angle shot. They raised the dust as they were moving, giving a beautiful back-lit image. Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600, ISO 320, f/6.3, 1/500 sec – By Anna-Mart Kruger, Walvis Bay
- While driving back to camp at Mashatu Game Reserve in Botswana, we came across a lone cheetah with some good backlight. I decided to incorporate the tree to add some texture. Canon 1Dx, Canon 500mm f/4L, ISO 1250, f/4, 1/400 sec – By Jaco Marx
- We visited a Maasai village in the Selenkay Conservancy near Amboseli National Park in Kenya. This warrior was making a fire in the traditional way – by rubbing together sticks and donkey dung. Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 70-200 f/2.8, ISO 400, f/6.3, 1/320 sec – By Sean Morris, Cape Town
- I waited for nearly two hours at Kubu Island, Botswana, for the Milky Way to line up so I could get this composition. I used light to separate the baobab in the foreground from the background, creating a sense of depth in the image. Nikon D4s, Nikkor 14–24mm f/2.8G, ISO 6400, f/2.8, 30 sec – By Mems Carim, Vereeniging
- At the end of a long, hot day in Etosha, a large elephant bull approached the waterhole to drink his fill. The big breeding herds have left the scene and some giraffes ambled away in the distance. Only the dripping of water from his trunk broke the silence. Bliss. I was sitting in a remote underground bunker in a private section of Etosha when I captured this moment. Nikon D800, Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8, ISO 800, f/5.6, 1/250 sec – By Morkel Erasmus, Secunda
First Place: Congratulations to Nicole Ackermann, with her wonderful image ‘So you think you can Dance‘. Nicole has won a trip to Reunion Island, sponsored by Reunion Tourism and Air Austral!