Congratulations to Johann Kloppers on winning the title of Getaway Photographer of the Year for 2016!
Here were the top ten images from the 2016 Getaway Gallery Competition.
Got an award-winning photo that you’d like to submit for our current competition?
Enter your photos here
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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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- 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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- The roar of lions and the sounds of fighting hyena kept us awake for most of the night. When dawn arrived we found the most incredible scene playing out at the Klein Namutoni dam in Etosha National Park. This image shows a young male lion taking on 36 hyenas over a kill. – By Morne Jurie Terblanche, Aberdeen. Nikon D800, Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G II, ISO 640, f/5, 1/1000 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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- 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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- I was shooting the 2016 Lipton Cup Challenge from a helicopter in Cape Town. The weather closed in and we couldn’t see the yachts… so I chose to shoot the landscape instead, ending up with this unique image. I later converted it to monochrome for effect. – By Craig Fouché, Worcester Nikon D4 , Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6, ISO 1000 , f/16 , 1/1000 sec
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- I took this photo near Sossusvlei in Namibia. The wind was blowing over the side of this dune and I was fascinated by the effect it was creating on the sand. – By Dirk Theron, Betty’s Bay Nikon D3s, Tamron 150-600mm f/5-6.3, ISO 200, f/6, 1/400 sec
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- I had mentally planned this star trail for quite some time, and in July we did a photography trip from Cape Town to Lekubu, Botswana. Lekubu Island is a desolate place in the Makarakari saltpans. I scouted the area just before sunset and marked my tripod position and camera angle. What a surprise I received at 04h30 that morning when returning to the site, as nothing looked remotely familiar! In the cold and darkness of that morning, even to find my location was a struggle. I set up my equipment as best as I could in a southern direction and focused on infinity, taking 16 consecutive images. The timing was perfect as the last photo captured the warmth of the early morning giving softness to the whole picture. – By Fanie Jansen van Vuuren, Bellville Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 24- 70 f/2.8L ll, ISO 400, f/2.8, 4 min
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- I took this image while doing a tour of the battlefields near Rorke’s Drift and Fugitives Drift in Northern KZN. We were standing in an open field with our guide taking us through the battle of Isandlwana when these two children came walking by. I literally only had a couple of seconds to step out of the group and take a shot, capturing a moment of simple, rural life as they continued on their way. – By Alan Nixon, Durban. Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L II, ISO 1250, f/6.3, 1/1000 sec.
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- I was at a waterhole in Nxai Pan National Park, Botswana, when a group of zebra came for a last drink at the waterhole. This zebra was a bit skittish and ran towards me, providing me with an ideal photographic opportunity as the sun faded in the distance. – By Johann Mader, Pretoria. Nikon D4s, Nikkor 500mm f/4, 1.4x teleconverter, ISO 640, f/5,6, 1/100 sec
What we loved about all three of the top entries was the clear narrative. Not just a well-captured, technically and aesthetically pleasing image, but also a powerful story to elevate the image and make it meaningful, even as a stand-alone image without a caption. Well done to the top three of capturing the essence of what the Getaway Gallery competition is about.
First Place: Johan wins a week-long 4×4 camping trip for two to Namibia with Live The Journey, a Parrot Bebop 2 Drone, DroneGuard CS 400 case, a Tamron lens bundle: 15-30mm f/2.8, 150-600mm f/5-6.3, a Manfrotto MK190xPro3-BHQ2 tripod kit, and a Lowepro ProTactic 450 AW backpack.
Second Place: William wins a Tamron 150-600mm f/5-6.3 lens, a Lowepro Pro Runner BP 350 AW II camera bag and a Manfrotto MK 290DUA3-BH tripod kit.
Third Place: Morne wins a Tamron 16-300mm f/3.5-6.3mm lens, a Lowepro Slingshot Edge 250 AW camera bag and a Manfrotto MK Compact Advanced tripod kit.
