A selection of the best readers’ photographs submitted to the Getaway Gallery photo competition for October 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 September 2016 Gallery for more inspirational images.
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- A murmur resonated through the crowd overlooking the waterhole at Halali camp in Etosha as a black rhino silently wandered towards the water. The rhino reached the edge just as the sun hit the horizon, allowing me to capture its reflection on the water’s smooth, unbroken surface. You do not get the opportunity to photograph wildlife with a landscape lens very often. I later flipped the image upside-down, to give the illusion seen below. – By William Steel, St Helena bay Canon 70D, Canon 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5, ISO 500, f/9, 1/200 sec
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- Geo Jooste snapped this brown hyena just before sunrise near Rooiputs in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.
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- We were sitting at a waterhole in the late afternoon, near Tsendze in Kruger National Park, when these two big male elephants came to drink. I repositioned myself to face the setting sun so that I could capture their silhouettes and the glow of the dust that was being blown into the air by the big tusker. I really like the drama I achieved in the photo. – By Charmaine Joubert, Port Elizabeth Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 70-200mm f/2.8, ISO 250, f/10, 1/400 sec
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- This image was taken at the Cerebos Saltpans outside Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape. Spoonbill chicks are rarely seen and are fondly referred to as “teaspoons”. This small runt pictured did not make it to maturity and died, as is often the case in nature. – By John Vosloo, Sundays River Valley Canon 1D Mark IV, Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3, ISO 1250, f/7.1, 1/2500 sec
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- This image was taken in the western sector of the Sabi Sands. The leopard, Salayexe is a well-known resident in the area. Here she is seen with her five-month old cub. – By Estelle McWilliams, Gauteng Nikon D750, Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8, ISO 500, f/2,8, 1/1000 sec
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- While returning to the lodge at Welgevonden Nature Reserve in the late afternoon, my attention was drawn to these lethargic, bulbous hippos that were glowing in the waning winter sunlight. – By Petar Popovic, Paulshof Nikon D7200, Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6, ISO 100, f/4.8, 1/200 sec
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- This image was taken at 5pm on a farm outside Kriel. – By Leon Pelser, Mpumalanga Sony a55, Tamron 16-300mm f/3.5-6.3, ND4 filter, ISO 100, f/11, 1/2500 sec
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- Deadvlei in Namibia is a place full of photographic opportunities. I was scouting for a unique composition when I saw a person walking towards a slim beam of light on the furthest end of the pan. As the person crossed its path, I placed one of the dead trees in the foreground for scale and took this photograph. – By Basson van Zyl, Langebaan Canon 6D, Canon 70-200mm f/4, ISO 100, f/16, 1/50 sec
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- Late afternoon in the Addo Elephant National Park, just as the sun was setting, we came across these ostriches that we have been observing since birth. They enjoyed a vigorous dust bath against the setting sun and then took off at high speed, the dust still lingering and flowing off their bodies as they sprinted away playfully. – By John Michael Vosloo, Sundays River Valley Canon 1D Mark IV, Sigma 150-600mm – sport version, ISO 1000, f/7.1, 1/1000 sec
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- Upon our arrival at the Cubitjie Quap water hole in the Kgalagadi Game Reserve, there were five bateleur eagles. The adults flew away and two of the juveniles stayed behind, one of them looking straight at me. – By Anthony Woodhouse, Richards Bay Canon 5D Mark lll, Canon 600mm f/4 Lll, ISO 640, f/6.3, 1/1250 sec
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- A male and female lion were play-fighting, causing backlit dust to rise around them, after a kill that they had made about 800m from the Twee Rivieren gate in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. The remains of the springbok kill is visible in the grass on the left. – By Jaco Marx, Bethlehem Canon 1Dx, Canon 500mm f/4L, ISO 1000, f/4.5, 1/6400 sec
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- I have attempted to see and photograph the elusive leopards of the Pilanesberg National Park since 2009. It reached a point where people would joke about how ‘unlucky’ I was: but after many years and many hours of patience it finally came together. By Rudi van den Heever, Pretoria Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 500mm f/4L, ISO 800, f/4, 1/2500 sec
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- We saw this cheetah’s silhouette on the dunes of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and knew she would come down to drink. We made our way to the nearest waterhole and waited… When she reached the water we were perfectly positioned for the best shot. – By Rudi van den Heever, Pretoria Canon 7D, Canon 500mm f/4L, ISO 500, f/4, 1/1600 sec
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- I took this photo at the Lammergeyer Hide in Giants Castle, Drakensberg. While waiting for the bearded vultures to appear, we watched a black backed jackal and a cape vulture fighting over a piece of meat. – By Willem Kruger, Bloemfontein
