A selection of the best readers’ photographs submitted to the Getaway Gallery photo competition for September 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 August 2016 Gallery for more inspirational images.
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- Although it was still drizzling on a chilly autumn day, I decided to take a walk around a nearby dam with my camera to see what I could find. Thanks to the rain there was no one around, and I managed to capture an image of the droplets left behind on blades of grass. – By Nikita Van de Velde, Brackenfell Nikon D90, Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6, ISO 320, f/9, 1/200 sec
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- This image was taken at sand mine near Bronkhorstspruit where the bee-eaters were nesting. The branch was quite popular, with the birds bumping each other off to make space for themselves. – Clint Ralph, Pretoria East Canon 1D X, Canon 600mm f/4L II, ISO 1000, f/8, 1/2000 sec
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- My vehicle was parked quite close to the baboons that were playing next to the road. I was stabilizing my camera and gimbal on a beanbag and watching their antics. It was fun watching the interaction between mommy and baby baboon – especially when she covered his mouth with her hand. It looked like she was fed up with his screaming and tried to quiet him – exactly like a human mother would do. – By Annemarie du Plessis, Polokwane Canon 7D Mark II, Canon 200-400mm f/4 L, ISO 6400, f/5.6, 1/500 sec
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- This 14-month old leopard recently left her mother and is still learning to hunt. She took a break from hunting during the midday heat, relaxing while an orange butterfly fluttered around her. – By Charlene Bacchioni, Centurion Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 300mm f/2.8L, ISO 320,f/5, 1/200 sec
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- I took this image in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, near the Kij Kij waterhole. I had seen this calf earlier in the day, shortly after it was born. Little did I know that I would later witness its death. The small herd of wildebeest had been walking towards the waterhole when they, unfortunately, passed some lion. This was when the calf was caught… for myself, the impact of this image lies in the way that the lion is staring, almost sympathetically, down at this helpless little creature and the fear in its eyes as it looked at its killer, begging for mercy. The saddest thing was the next morning, when I saw the mother walking and calling for her little calf. – By Dr. Johan Kloppers, Fish Hoek Canon 7D Mark II, Canon 500mm f/4L, ISO 1250, f/4.5, 1/1000 sec
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- I hosted a Masai Mara photo safari in September 2013 that was typified by arriving at amazing sighting after amazing sighting, just as the action was about to go down. This female cheetah had just begun stalking her quarry (a Thomson’s gazelle) when we arrived, and what followed were a few moments of blistering pace and drama. Never knowing which way the chase will go, I was pleased that it ended up quite close to us, and I was able to capture this dramatic moment as the two animals danced with each other. At this point anything could still theoretically have happened, and there was still some fight left in the gazelle after this shot was taken. Alas, in the end the cheetah got her meal. – By Morkel Erasmus, Secunda Nikon D3s, Nikkor 500mm f/4 VR, ISO 900, f/8, 1/3200 sec
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- It was well after dusk in the Pilanesberg National Park when this elephant came down to the waterhole for a drink. Like a ghost it appeared out of the darkness, only the splashing sound of water pouring from its mouth giving away its presence in the dim light of the pending darkness. I use a slow shutter speed to blur the water pouring from its mouth before the fading light disappeared into the darkness of the African night… – By Johann Visser, Bloemfontein Canon 7D, Sigma 500mm f/4.5, ISO 2000, f/7.1, 1/13 sec
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- Squaring up over a shallow ledge, an empty wave breaks beautiful along the coastline of Kwa-Zulu Natal. I took this image while floating above the water, my camera protected by a Brother Housings case. – By Daniel Dedekind, Durban Canon 7D Mark II, Canon 28mm f/2.8, ISO 250, f/2.8, 1/8000 sec
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- This is the alpha male of the Rooiputs pride of lions. He is much smaller than his coalition partner, but he is packed with aggression- as evident in this shot, where he was chased away a sub-adult male lion trying to sneak a bite from the eland kill that he controlled. To see this lion running at full pace was something to behold. His fully extended front paws are the size of dinner plates. Power and speed in abundance. – By Mark Wiseman, Constantia Nikon D4, Nikkor 600mm f/4 lens, Wimberley gimbal head, Gimpro car support, ISO 900, f/4, 1/1250 sec
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- Last year, 1175 Southern White Rhino were poached for their horn in South Africa. However a light appeared at the edge of darkness because for the first time in a decade, the number of rhino killed in a calendar year has dropped. I spent an evening with the special police force for rhino conservation, listening to their stories of how they were working together with park officials to combat poaching. It was inspiring- it’s due to partnerships and collaborations such as these that this small but meaningful victory was claimed. I set out to capture a backlit photo that I could process into black and white to show the vulnerability and susceptibility of this species, literally slipping into darkness forever, whilst still providing an edge of light to signify a fragile hope for this mystical creature. The light is not only hope, but also an opportunity to act to prevent an eternal loss that would shine a dark shadow on human history – By Adam Barnard, Johannesburg Canon 7D Mark II, Canon 100-400mm L II, ISO 100, f/5, 1/400 sec
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- I was waiting for the sun to come up whilst sitting at a hide near Ogies in Mpumulang. This yellow-billed duck paddled straight towards me and then proceeded to take a bath a few feet away. I knew that once it finished its bath it would rise up and flap its wings. I waited, and when this took place took the shot. The sun was not up yet so the lighting was soft and rich. – By Clint Ralph, Pretoria East Canon 1DX, Canon 600mm f/4L II, 1.4x III teleconverter, ISO 1000, f/5.6, 1/2500 sec
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- This image was taken in the Addo Elephant National Park, at a waterhole late in the afternoon. The baby elephant peeked out at the setting sun from underneath its mother’s stomach. It was almost as if the sun was inviting him to come out – a notion that caught my imagination and resulted in this image of a tentative baby elephant’s gradual exposure to a bright future in a safe elephant sanctuary. – By John Vosloo, Sundays River Valley Canon 1D Mark IV, Sigma 150-600mm sport, ISO 1600, f/6.3, 1/640 sec
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- I photographed this Mozambique Spitting Cobra at sunset in a dry riverbed in Botswana. I thought I’d try something new with photographing snakes, by shooting into the sun and using the pop-up flash to light up the snake just enough to show some colour. – By Theo Busschau, Nelspruit Canon 70D, Canon 55-250mm f/4-5.6, ISO 100, f/4, 1/250 sec
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- This leopard had been feeding on a kill in a dense tree in the Kruger National Park for two days, where all we could see was its tail and an impala leg hanging down. We visited the site three times hoping to see more of the leopard, but had no luck. Thirty minutes before gate closing time, just as it was getting dark, we decided to visit the sighting for a last time…And what a surprise! My first sighting of leopard at sunset – and overlooking his Kruger-kingdom with a full belly. – By Annemarie du Plessis, Polokwane Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 70-300 f/4-5.6 L, ISO 1600, f/ 5.6, 1/250 sec
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- This photo of the so-called Tshala females was taken in the Londolozi Nature Reserve. The lioness was lying on a ledge close to a waterhole and we had the opportunity to take some images from an unusual angle. This photo shows the love and social interaction between a lioness and her cub while in a relaxing mood. – By Willem Kruger, Bloemfontein Nikon D4, Nikkor 600mm f/4, Gimpro head, ISO 3200, f/8, 1/5000 sec
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- This is a long exposure of the iconic Bogenfels rock arch in the Sperrgebiet, south of Lüderitz in Namibia. I used a strong neutral density filter to allow an exposure long enough to create movement in the clouds and blur out the waves. This highlights the stability and permanence (at least on human timescales) of this amazing rock formation. I was hoping for a slightly wilder sea, which would create more of a misty effect, but the day was very calm. – By Florian Breuer, Stellenbosch Canon 40D, Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8, ISO 100, f/16, 60 sec
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- This is a vertical panorama stitched out of four exposures placed one above the other. The images were taken at Klein-Aus Vista, Namibia, in moonlit conditions. The shoot was part of the Aus Photography Workshop co-presented with JJ van Heerden and Wicus Leeuwner. Fuji X100s, 23mm f/2, ISO 3200, f/2, 4 x 30 sec exposures
