Gabby Sykora is a 14-year-old wildlife conservationist born in Johannesburg, South Africa. Having lived most of her life in the city, she tried to escape to the bush as frequently as possible. Her photography journey began at the tender age of 6 years old as she would eagerly snap at anything and everything when the opportunity arose. The images may not have been too well composed and were likely all blurry, but still, in her eyes, they were of award-winning quality. She kept at it and never gave up, always willing to take constructive criticism and learn something new.
This is her story about wildlife conservation and The Young Wildlife Photographers (YWP) community of which she is a proud founder.
‘In 2020, when our lives dramatically changed with the rise of this dreadful pandemic that shook the world, my life took on many changes. I surprisingly loved it and thrived. It was in 2021 that we, as a family, decided for me to start homeschooling under Cambridge international. The flexibilities of this opened many great windows of opportunity for me, as I was now the keeper of my own time. As well as keeping up with school work, I completed my first and 2nd years as a SANParks Junior Honorary Ranger (a 5-year course in conservation within our National Parks, under the guidance of qualified Senior Honorary Rangers). I also completed the first grading of the Junior FGASA Course. FGASA means Field Guides Association of South Africa (SA).
Having more flexibility also meant that we could now visit more of South Africa’s greatest game parks and wilderness areas in order to view and capture some of nature’s incredible moments.
While growing into my teenage years, came the inevitable introduction to social media. At first a little daunting, but it soon became apparent that I did not want to advocate myself across social media platforms and rather look at what I can do to help improve the lives of others. I began my Instagram photography page intending to show some of my incredible bush experiences. Ultimately, what I would like to do is show the beauty of nature to the people that cannot experience it first-hand.
I was shocked to find that Instagram was already a buzz with many aspiring photographers my age. I began chatting with many of these people, some who had merely liked my photography and others who were happy to guide me in improving my skills. These young photographers soon became good friends, all sharing one passion – photographing nature’s wonders. I have huge concerns about the preservation of our last remaining wilderness areas and the future of it all.
It was then that the idea struck me. With the help of my mom, who always guides me in making decisions that not every thirteen-year-old young lady (at the time) faces, I drafted my plan. We all photograph nature, right? And so, I wanted to (or more like needed to) bring those young-like-minded photographers together because we can make a difference. I pitched the idea to my friend group. Some were in full support others said it was destined to fail. In May 2021, The Young Wildlife Photographers of SA group was born.
Today we are proud to have an incredible 520 members and have young photographers still wishing to join on almost a daily basis.
We are proud to say that our youngest member was only eight years old when he joined our group. With most 23 – 24-year old’s still being students, we engaged with them too. Our ages are therefore from 8 to 25 years. Photography is not a school subject in SA, members will invariably take up the hobby at different ages. Our range of ages within the YWP makes for a perfect balance.
In August 2022, the Young Wildlife Photographers of Southern Africa expanded our community by introducing the Friends and Alumni of the Young Wildlife Photographers. This new addition to the YWP family is for those photographers who have aged out of the Young Wildlife Photographers group and those whose age precluded them from joining the YWP group. We’ve now got all our bases covered.
The YWP are for getting to know one another, helping one another improve our photography skills and to support each other on our journeys through our photography and conservation efforts. Lasting bonds, friendships and even relationships have now formed. In response to your question of do I think the talent comes from the support we offer, here’s a few testimonies from some of our members:
‘I have learned so much and have made such great friends, whom I’ve never met but are so supportive for everyday life matters and I have learned so much through the features to take better photos and even just everyday wildlife knowledge! I really love this platform!’ – Janike Smith, YWP
‘YWP has really helped me in every way you can think of. In the beginning, I was obviously totally shy and didn’t really know anyone. But as soon as I started asking for opinions on my photos I started to get comfortable because everyone makes you feel so at home. And today I know so many of the YWP and it makes me so happy to be so comfortable with everyone!
‘My skills in photography really “upgraded” but wouldn’t have if it wasn’t for YWP! I have never felt shy to share any of my photos to ask for a thought or two, the people of YWP are so kind and genuinely helped me to be where I am today with my photography. Couldn’t have asked for better.Then not even speaking of our dearest Gabby!!! What an amazing, young and inspiring girl. Going out of her way to make things happen. Working hard to get Ywp where it is now! It truly is incredible to see how much everyone grows every day and seeing that it all started with this young, stunning girl!’ – Kayla Pieterse, YWP.
“Since joining the group, everyone has been friendly and welcoming to me. All the tips and tricks everyone recommends on all the groups really help my photos from being normal to making them look like they came out of a movie or a magazine.I would recommend YWP to anyone who is interested in photography, whether it’s for fun or as a job.” Kai Nel, YWP
Our growth has been quite rapid and I did not expect professionals within the industry to notice us and reach out. One day, Zaheer Ali sent me a message saying this seems like a very good idea and something he was hoping to initiate. Today we have a couple of professional photographic safari guides in the group who guide and encourage members daily, imparting on us their invaluable knowledge.
