A selection of the best readers’ photographs submitted to the Getaway Gallery photo competition for May 2016.
Getaway Gallery is a prestigious showcase of the best photographs our readers have to offer. This year we bring you our biggest competition yet, with travel and equipment prizes to the value of over R160000.
Take a look at our April 2016 Gallery for more inspirational images.
May’s finalists
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- We were on an early morning game drive in Chobe National Park, Botswana, when all of a sudden the vehicle came to an abrupt stop. This gentle giant emerged from the thick bush silently and turned to face us, lifting her trunk and breathing in the surrounding scents. As she stood guard, a tiny elephant calf revealed itself and walked underneath what we assume to be its mother. The calf crossed the road and the elephant gently lowered her trunk and without a sound disappeared after the baby on the opposite side of the road. – By Chad Jason Gregory, Durban. Canon 6D, Canon 70-300mm f/4-5.6, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/250 sec.
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- I took this image of a ground squirrel in Nossob camp, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. This youngster was enjoying a seedpod from a nearby tree. – By Hilda le Roux, Robertson. Canon 7D Mark II, Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 II, ISO 320, f/2.8, 1/400 sec.
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- I was sitting next to a dam in the Kruger Park waiting for something interesting to happen, when suddenly these two rhinos appeared to come and drink water. After a while they began to stand in this position. It was so special to watch these gorgeous animals. – By Louise Victor, Alberton. Canon 1DX, Canon 600mm f/4 L, ISO 800, f/4, 1/1800 sec.
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- I photographed this mud-brick house in the old town of Shali, in the Siwa Oasis, Egypt. – By Yasser Alaa Mobarak, Egypt. Canon 6D, Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8, ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/500 sec.
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- Geladas overnight on the sheer cliff faces of the Simien Mountains in Ethiopia. They leave the safety of the cliffs in the early morning in order to warm up, groom and feed for the day. I took this shot at the edge of a cliff face and wanted to capture not only the Gelada but also the huge height and scale of the mountain scenery. – By John Haley, Nelspruit. Nikon D7200, Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6, ISO 125, f/4.5, 1/1000 sec.
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- In October, the terraces of the Amphitheatre are completely empty, with only the eerie gusts of the sub-Antarctic winds whistling in your ear. But watch it over a few weeks and it gradually fills up with macaroni penguins returning to the island to breed. By the beginning on November it is jam packed, with more than 12000 pairs of penguins sitting on eggs. – By Thomas Otto Whitehead, Cape Town. Canon 550D, Sigma 18-200mm, ISO 400, f/13, 1/160 sec.
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- This image was taken on my last visit to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, while I was at Polentswa waterhole. I was fortunate to see a brown hyena after it had drunk at the waterhole and before it moved away to the north. It was extremely alert and was constantly looking out for other predators while at the waterhole. I like the way the wind had blown the coat of the brown hyena as it stood by the waterhole. – By Mark Wiseman, Constantia.
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- The photo was taken during a five week self-drive vacation in Botswana. We left Khwai Community River Camp in Moremi on an early morning in July 2014 to drive to Chobe. We drove about two hours before the sun rose and we were greeted with a herd of about twenty giraffe. This was truly a beautiful African sunrise moment. – By Andre Schultz, Pretoria . Canon 70D Canon 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 ISO: 160, f/5.6, 1/640 sec.
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- The Ankarana sportive lemur is endemic to the northern areas of Madagascar. These animals are nocturnal and predominantly arboreal, but are often found hiding in their tree hollows surveying the surrounding area during the day. – By Johan Siggesson, Malta. Nikon D810, Nikon 300mm f/2.8, ISO 320, f/5.6, 1/400 sec.
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- A young Himba woman sitting outside her hut, Kunene Region, Northern Namibia. – By Johannes de Wet, Potchefstroom. Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L II, ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/800 sec.
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- We patiently waited in the vehicle until dusk had set in, and the lions slowly started showing signs of waking up and getting ready to begin the night shift. Leisurely, they started stretching and yawning, warming up for the evening activities ahead. I wanted to capture the young male lion staring directly at me but he kept looking in other directions. Eventually he stared right at me and I felt shivers down my spine as he continued staring me down. In post-processing I converted to black and white and found this image comprehensively captured the essence of the moment and expressed the emotion that I felt. – By Michael Raddall, Sandton. Canon 7D Mark II, Sigma 120-300mm, f/2.8, ISO 2500, f/3.5, 1/250 sec.
